Midsize Fashion for Confident Moms

I gave birth to my twins in 2022 after battling infertility and those two major milestones completely turned my life upside down. I had an identity crisis as a woman who thought it was her God-given right to bear children during the first year of post-marital bliss with her husband. After 6 months of trying, my type-A personality brought me into my OB-GYN appointment demanding answers. This initial quest for answering 'what's wrong with me,' led to blood tests showing low progesterone and an unexplained infertility diagnosis.

Once I had my successful frozen embryo transfer and eventual pregnancy in August 2021, I put my head down and was going 110 mph in the direction of motherhood. I was laser focused on protecting myself and my babies throughout my high-risk pregnancy. I lost friends, relationships became strained, my career was off track, but I had the pregnancy that I was told might never be my reality.

After a traumatic journey to pregnancy, I had an ironically easy and beautiful birth story. My water broke at 35 weeks on the dot, I was in labor for 4 hours and I had a vaginal birth for both of my babies. The twins were born healthy and I only had a minor complication with 'left over placenta' from my daughter's 'sticky placenta.' I'm unsure the correct medical terminolgy but the issue is exactly as it sounds. The placenta wouldn't completely come out so I had a D+C in the hospital after the twins were wheeled off to the ICU. I still had leftover placenta at my 6-week postpartum check-up so I had yet another D+C and hysteroscopy to remove it.

During the first year of motherhood, I was exhausted, hormonal and still healing from the mental trauma of infertility as well as my transition to parenthood. I started to lose myself like so many of us new moms do. I didn't feel like myself and I lost the bold, feminine and confident woman who I was before infertility and motherhood. I barely remember pieces of the first year with my twin babies and it's a reflection of the stress and chaos I felt on a daily basis.

Luckily, the brain fog disappeared right around the 12 month mark and I could feel myself coming back to earth. I started to truly enjoy motherhood and accept that nothing will ever look perfect at this stage of life. I felt guilty for not appreciating motherhood in the way that I should have after struggling with infertility. I learned to embrace the stage of life I was in and give myself more grace. The picture below is from a Valentine's Day photoshoot in February 2023 and I remember it was the first time I felt like myself again. I had beautiful photos with my twins but I also captured myself in a critical moment in time where I was truly becoming a stronger, more resilient version of myself.

For quite some time, I struggled to accept my new body postpartum and I had a hard time figuring out what my style was. I gained 15-20lbs from IVF then another 30lbs from my twin pregnancy. I felt so uncomfortable in my own skin for quite some time and everything in my wardrobe was depressing me. Eventually, I decided to embrace my new size and I started to buy clothing that fit me, looked great and gave me confidence. I stopped trying to lose weight so that I could force my body to fit into old clothes. I also stopped questioning if I was 'too old' to wear a certain style because I feared that I was trying 'too hard' as a Mom.

I decided that the best number on the scale for me in this moment was the one that allows me to embrace motherhood, get my career back on track, and make me happy. I wasn't going to put major pressure on myself to lose the weight because it would lead to feelings of shame or guilt. Even though I'm at my heaviest weight, I am giving myself grace and honoring the midsize body that battled infertility and birthed my healthy twin babies.

Today, I love sharing outfits for my size 10-12 body type and all of the bold, whimsical and versatile styles that celebrate who I am. I'm known for wearing a mix of practical and luxe finds that add a touch of femininity and modern edge to any wardrobe. I'll mix vintage-inspired stlyes from Anthropologie and Free People with more affordable basics from Old Navy, Target and Walmart. As a busy mom of twins, I'm always looking for a balance between quality and affordability with the clothing, lifestyle, and beauty choices that meet me and my family's needs.