I said I would never wear a high waist bottom. Then I had a baby.
Before I had a baby my life was consumed with having a baby. Struggling with infertility I started to feel incredibly uncomfortable in my skin. My body had failed me in the thing I wanted most. I stopped going to the beach and when I did I hid under a cover up. Working in swimwear for well over a decade, it felt foreign to not buy new suits and dresses. I felt ashamed of my body. Not just for the physical changes in trying to get pregnant, but in the failure of not being pregnant. I was surrounded by pregnancies and mothers.
After two years of struggling I decided to try IVF. I started to look pregnant from the procedures. My biggest fear was that someone would ask if I was pregnant and I would burst into tears.
When I finally got pregnant and got to the point I could share the news with the world, I loved showing off my bump in slim dresses. I have never felt prouder of my body! I felt beautiful. People told me I was glowing. Then post baby some of my old negative feelings about myself started to surface.
My body looks very different to me, even if I look relativity the same to others. It's not just weight. Little shifts and changes. Things sag more than they did before. I know this isn't exclusive to having a baby. As we age gravity catches up with most of us. I want to be a woman that embraces my body. I want to be proud. Coming out on the other side of infertility, I know I should be nothing but grateful for this body that took to IVF and carried my perfect son.
Finding pieces to flatter my ever changing body, a few things had to go. All my low rise bottoms. Nope. Just not happening. Now I had all of these bikini tops without bottoms. That wasn't going to work. The solution was simple. A black high waist bottom! The bottom I thought was a trend from the past, that I would never wear. Now I got all the buzz. The high cut style elongated my legs. The high waist covered just enough of my mom tum. The versatility to mix and match it with all the bikini tops I already owned. If you have the opposite problem, you have great fitting bottoms, but need a new top, a black tankini goes with most everything. The other essential is the perfect one piece. Every woman, no matter your age, must have a great fitting one piece.
The thing I love most about my job is helping woman find pieces that they feel good wearing. Swimwear is one of the hardest things to shop, I hope we make it a little bit easier. Click here to shop my favorite picks.
- Bobbi Haas
E-commerce and Marketing Director, Swimwear Buyer, Mama
Cover photo by Chloe Moore Photography