What to Wear to Work After Maternity Leave
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What should you wear to work after maternity leave? We got an email a while ago from a reader who posed this interesting question. What is the “safest” choice to make so you look like a rational person who is not a sleep-deprived emotional wreck? Which clothes are best if you’re pumping at work? What will fit?
These are my tips (and reasons) for what to wear to work after maternity leave, but I’m interested to hear what readers say also. (Psst: you may also want to check out the readers’ and my general tips for returning to work after maternity leave!)
What to Wear to Work After Maternity Leave
Go for prints, especially for blouses. They’ll hide a multitude of sins, from leaks and spills that happen at work (whether from the joy that is pumping or from just being sleep deprived and getting salad dressing on your blouse) to the snot that babies always seem to wipe on your shoulder.
Raise the neckline higher than you think you need. I don’t know about you, but after my first son I was completely desensitized and disconnected from my former standards of propriety surrounding my breasts. I remember joking that unless I was showing nipple I was cool with it (and even then, if the baby needed it, hey). So for the first few days at least, wear a nursing camisole (I looooved this nursing cami because it goes with everything).
Looking for the best nursing camisoles and tanks? These are great for adding coverage for your belly if you lift your shirt up to nurse…
Get as good a bra as you can. If you’re not nursing, go buy a new bra — you want the fit to be amazing. If you ARE still nursing, differentiate a “house bra” from a “work bra.” I liked this reader favorite underwire nursing bra a lot, even for pumping, but many readers just push their bra up or take it off entirely for pumping.
If you’re pumping, know how your pumping system affects your clothes. Readers who used things like Freemies loved wrap dresses, whereas if you’re in a nursing bustier with a Pump in Style kind of pump like I was, a simple t-shirt or blouse works better because a wrap dress would require you to get totally naked in the office. Here are our best tips on what to wear to pump at work.
{related: combination feeding tips}
Opt for washable clothes. As many moms will tell you, silk and other difficult-to-launder fabrics take the backseat while your kids are small. See our favorite brands for washable workwear, as well as some of our recent recommendations for washable clothes for work.
Some of our favorite brands of washable workwear as of 2024 — where many of the pieces are machine washable — include NYDJ, Vince Camuto, Halogen, Quince, Everlane, Summersalt, Banana Republic, Banana Republic Factory, Lands’ End, and Karen Kane. On the fancier side, check out M.M.LaFleur, Hobbs, Ming Wang, Boden and Eileen Fisher.
Go for a loose fit. In the unlikely event that you have your pre-baby body back, congratulations! If you’re like the rest of us, don’t worry too much about size — wear what fits. Wearing something that is too tight or doesn’t fit properly looks frumpy or out of touch.
Add structure where you can. Even loose blouses are improved with a blazer!
Know which colors look best right now. If you’re exhausted and sleep-deprived, is beige going to wash you out? Is red going to bring life to your face?
This can apply to accessories or clothes, like choosing a blouse with a red print in it or wearing a red pendant necklace, but it can also mean making sure you throw a good blush on before you leave the house. (That may become your new beauty minimum!)
Add sophistication with your accessories. If you can, wear sleek pumps; I’m always in favor of a watch, and little details like earrings and other jewelry can pull a look together. (You may even want to keep an inexpensive pair of earrings and/or a necklace at the office in case in the mad dash to get out the door you forget.)
Finally, smooth your hair where possible. I had a bunch of ideas for how to deal with the postpartum wispies (whether from new hair growth or breakage); you may also want to check out our post on easy office updos. (The inverted bun is stupid easy!)
If you’re going back to work but it’s been a significant amount of time — such as three years or three decades later! — I’d go back to basics. Buy a new navy, black, or gray suit and wear it on your first day — even if you think something you used to wear is a classic there are little design trends that can make you look dated, whether it’s a puff shoulder or a shawl lapel. If a suit isn’t appropriate for your workplace, go for a sheath dress with sleek heels — the dresses and other clothes in our Workwear Hall of Fame category might be particularly safe bets.
Finally, don’t miss these great books for working mothers…
Some of the best books for working mothers include:
Some deeper thoughts on the little work outfit I created at the top of the post… (you can click to enlarge it; also feel free to pin and share!)
Ladies, what are your thoughts on the best things to wear to work after maternity leave? Which work outfits worked the best after maternity leave (or the worst) in your opinion? What nuggets of wisdom did you discover through trial and error, and what did friends and colleagues advise you?
Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- Zappos – 26,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
See some of our latest articles on CorporetteMoms:
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
I like machine-washable faux wrap dresses (which tend to have a higher neckline) for pumping with Freemies. Karen Kane has some that are ok and Boden has one now that’s wool and nice.
Caveat that I’m in a fairly business casual office, but I got by with Lands End ponte dresses and cardigans/blazers. Yes, there is a frump factor (although not an issue in my office!), but when I returned to work at 4 months pp, I hadn’t lost enough weight and my ribs / chest were still too large to fit into my old clothes. They’re machine washable and I picked them up on sale, so I didn’t pay a lot for them. To pump, I just pulled my dress halfway down.
I though dresses were by far the most forgiving when I was going back to work. My weight changed constantly, which made pants really really hard. I had a private pumping space so I just unzipped to my waist and wrapped up in a large cashmere wrap to pump. Dresses made getting dressed again after pumping really simple.
Does anyone else have suggestions for a good nursing bra on Amazon? I’d like light padding for coverage in a 32/34D in a sensible shape (i.e., no torpedo boobs).
I am looking for suggestions for a good nursery glider. My MIL offered to buy nursery furniture, but the glider is the only piece that we really need. A designer friend suggested an Ethan Allen glider, because she said they have the best mechanics and will last long enough to be recovered in years to come, but $1300 seems like a lot to ask my MIL to pay for one piece. Thoughts? I lean towards a transitional to modern style.
I like dresses I can hike up. I hate unzipping at work but don’t mine hiking up. My normal work outfit is a dress and blazer, but I’ve been wearing more skirts and sweaters to make pumping easier. I also keep a drapey cardigan in my office now to stay warmer when I pump if I am wearing something that involves getting half naked.
The anger, oh the anger. Cannot believe I am reading this from a political nominee. Apparently, ladies, taking care of a newborn is not work: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2017/01/25/trump_s_budget_pick_didn_t_pay_taxes_on_his_nanny_because_he_didn_t_think.html
Proud to pay my nanny on the books. And give her paid vacation, holiday and sick days. And contribute what we can to health insurance costs, which is nowhere near what I wish it was. And follow CA overtime rules to compensate her fairly for long days, even though in my state we don’t have to pay her overtime until she hits 40 hours. I was literally sick reading this article.
I bought three pairs of Charter Club stretchy straight leg pants from Macy’s. They have been excellent. I’ve lost 15lbs since I bought them, and they still fit well. I will wear them forever.
On top I wear: nursing bras, undercover mama tank, prebaby sweater or top, scarf, blazer. I look very put together, the blazer and scarf mask my post baby boobs and gut pretty well.
On any of these threads, I immediately jump in an advocate for button downs! (Especially if, as Kat suggested, you can find them in a print.) Easy access for nursing or pumping, super professional, and generally cut in ways that are forgiving of weight fluctuations
I found dresses to be very difficult to wear during the months that I pumped. Pants with a stretchy waist (Nic& Zoe Wonder Stretch featured on this site http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/niczoe-the-wonder-stretch-straight-leg-pants-regular-petite/3845463?origin=category-personalizedsort&fashioncolor=NEW%20PHANTOM) were ideal for my changing size. I was lucky to find 2 pairs in my size, they are hard to come by. Button downs and flowy blouses from Loft or Pleione at Nordstrom seemed to work well on top. Nursing bras were tough for me as I was vastly different sizes my breasts – milk only came in on one side and I fed my son entirely from one breast for 6 months. I lived in the Bravado nursing bras during that time.
Postpartum I wore ponte dresses. I got a bunch of them at Talbot’s on sale. They seem thicker than the Lands End ponte to me and therefore camouflage the postpartum bumps better. I encourage dark-ish colors but not black. Black ends up looking so gross with kid snot, milk, drool, etc. Gray is the best because it hides all that stuff. I would wear bike shorts and a nursing cami under the dress. Before breakfast, I put on the cami and shorts. Then I’d throw the dress (plus a blazer if cold) on right before walking out the door. I’d unzip the dress and pull it down to my waist for nursing and pumping during the day. It worked really well. Now I wear pretty much the same thing, but slightly more fitted sheath dresses in wool. I still have runny noses to contend with but no more nursing/pumping.
I swore by Maggy London wrap dresses (from Nordstrom) when I returned to my business casual office from maternity leave last year. A few reasons:
1. Maggy London dresses in particular were cut a little fuller in the skirt than many wrap dresses, more forgiving to a pp figure. Plus they came in petite.
2. Washable!
3. I pumped at work from 3-12 months postpartum (using a PISA) and found it easiest to open a wrap dress and unclip a nursing tank to pump. I zipped my pumping bra over my dress.
4. Dresses required less outfit thought/coordination than pants or skirt + blouse. I struggled a lot with coordinating multi-piece outfits as pieces of my wardrobe phased in and out of fitting.
5. Actual wrap dresses (rather than faux) were maximally flexible for me as I eventually lost weight. I am still wearing them now (my kiddo is 14m and now weaned) and still feel like they look good.
6. They also worked well for social/family occasions; they were appropriate for my daughter’s baptism, my mom’s funeral (5 months pp), and other events.
Great share! Those days are well behind me now, but I will share this with my friends! Also, https://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/ can help you guys solve all your pregnancy-related questions. Thanks.