Best Mom Tip #13: Buy a good pair of fat jeans

If you have given birth, you know that your body changes in ways that will never return to their previous state. This is not to say that you will be fat for eternity, but you will NOT be "just like your old self." Before I had my oldest child I really rebelled against this thought. I saw people who were thin and fit after they had children and I thought that people who complained about their post-baby bodies were just lazy. Then I had a child.

I was not fat by any means once I had the baby, but my body didn't look quite the same. I changed bra sizes during and after I finished nursing. Who knows what will happen when I finish nursing this time. My favorite pants just didn't fit the same even after I lost all the baby weight. I'm pretty sure that if I had measured beforehand, I would discover that my rib cage is actually wider than it was before I gave birth. I also have permanent bags under my eyes, but that may not be pregnancy related.

Every woman has this revelation and the ones who swear they are just the same after childbirth are lying. Sure, Heidi Klum looked great rockin' the new Victoria's Secret underwear on the runway 2 months after giving birth. But she still didn't look like she did before she got pregnant. She was rounder. Softer. Beautiful, yes, but not the same. And since I really didn't look like Heidi before I was pregnant, I am probably not going to be entering that Project Runway look-alike contest now that we have both given birth more than once.

So what are we mortal women to do? Buy some good fat jeans. And eat well and workout and refuse to give in to the bulge of middle age. But first buy fat jeans. Get goods ones--ones that flatter your shape and have some stretch to them so that you aren't constantly tugging at your clothes. I've had good luck with Levi's 512--tummy control; waistband that doesn't create a muffin top or look like high-waisted mom jeans; slight boot cut so there's no taper.

Your fat jeans aren't forever--they are for running errands with your 2-month-old during the day and lounging in at night. They are for wearing out when you are 3 months pregnant the next time. They are for going shopping in once you've lost the weight and you've realized that your favorite designer jeans are a little bit uncomfortable now--they just don't hit you right anymore.

Being a mom often means forgoing things for yourself and not paying attention to your personal appearance, but it doesn't have to. Although you don't want to buy an entire new wardrobe every time you gain a little weight (due to babies or otherwise), you can get new jeans and fake the rest. And when you feel better about yourself--when you feel like you look decent and not unkempt--you have more patience, more confidence, and are generally a nicer person. Your kids will tell you that you look pretty no matter what--just do this one little thing for you.