After baby’s born, there’s a lot of extra stuff hanging out in your middle — you know what I’m talking about new mama. And shape wear is your best friend if you’re invited to a wedding or some other event where you’re expected to squeeze into something you don’t feel quite ready to squeeze into just yet.

That’s why the new Mother Tucker (yes, that’s the real name) Nursing Tank by Belly Bandit is pretty smart. It’s both shape wear and nursing tank combined, so you don’t need to mess around with a bunch of different undergarments. (Because you know breastfeeding mamas have to keep feeding baby — no matter what else is going on — so you live in nursing bras.)

Note that the Belly Bandit also claims to help flatten your tummy and get rid of your muffin top forever. Now, I haven’t tested that, so I don’t know for sure (and I’m always skeptical of those types of claims). But celebs like Kourtney Kardashian, Julie Bowen, Minnie Driver, Melissa Joan Hart and Christina Applegate swear Belly Bandit products have helped them get their bodies back post-baby. So hey. You never know.

The Mother Tucker Nursing Tank is $80 at BellyBandit.com

Did you use shape wear or a belly binder after baby was born?

Plus, more from The Bump:

5 Cutest Nursing Bras Ever

Tips for Breastfeeding In Public

How to Love Your Postbaby Body

Since my twins were born, I can say that my Instagram feed has one subject and one subject only: babies. And it’s not just me — my mom and my sisters watch and document their every move via some sort of device, whether it’s a phone, camera or iPod. Baby milestones are important! But I have found that it’s important to celebrate mommy’s milestones, too. Here are my top three big moments.

1.  First time out without babies: For some reason, this was somewhat anticlimactic, and I feel like a crummy mom for saying so. I wasn’t devastated or anxious to leave my twins with my mother while my hubby and I grabbed some lunch. I was ready for it! We had just spent four days in the hospital and the following day we went to lunch for burgers and a milkshake. We were gone for about 30 minutes. The weirdest part of being away from my children was thinking that no one around me knew I’d just had babies. I went from being extremely, obviously pregnant to just another girl at Smashburger. I wanted to grab anyone who walked past me and say, “I just had two babies!  I’m a mom now!”

2.  The shoe fits: This was a big one for me. I did something in pregnancy that I swore to myself I would never, ever do. I wore Crocs. But I promise, it was an absolute necessity. And you couldn’t really tell they were Crocs. Mine weren’t the iconic perforated clog, but one pair of black flats and one pair of red strappy sandals. Towards the end, even the Crocs didn’t fit my puffed-to-the-max feet. I had one pair of ugly $2 flip flops from Old Navy that I wore every day. Needless to say, after the babies were born I was ecstatic when the swelling in my feet had gone down enough to put on a pair of real shoes.

3.  The ring fits: I had to remove my engagement ring and wedding band around 27 weeks. They were getting quite snug on my finger, and I didn’t want to wait until too late. Since the babies were born, I’ve tried the rings on each week, and I began to think my ring finger had grown accustomed to its freedom. But finally! Six weeks postpartum, I was finally able to squeeze my engagement ring on. I’m just not ready for the wedding band yet.

What were your most memorable postbaby milestones?

Recently, I came across an article highlighting the differences between how American mothers are treated before and after birthing their children as compared to the treatment of mothers in different cultures. The article was eye-opening in many ways, and a read I recommend to all of you ladies.

While reading about how little support American mothers encounter after having children — and how completely different an experience this is from other cultures — I started thinking about the birthing experience I had with my son. I thought back to those hours, days and weeks before and after the birth, and the support I had. I’m thankful that I did have a strong support group. My husband, my parents (who provided significant support despite being long distance), and my doula.

As a first and second time mother, I firmly believe that having the support of a doula is extremely important. Our doula served as a friend, a sounding board, a support person during labor, a teacher, a caregiver and a wise source of information before and after we brought our son home from the hospital.

Prior to the birth, our doula came to our home for several visits, discussing and understanding our birth plan, so that when my son’s birthday did come, she didn’t have to ask — she already knew.  She also spent time teaching my husband and me about parenting topics of interest to us, such as cloth diapering and baby wearing.

During birth, our doula held my hand, applied pressure to my back, brought me hot rice packs and even provided support when my husband became emotional from seeing me in pain and needed a few minutes to collect himself. When I began to push, she was right there at my side, just as my husband was, coaching me through, providing a gentle and calm presence that neither my husband embodied at the time.

After birth, our doula again provided not only support, but presence. She visited our home and was available for breastfeeding and new baby support 24 hours a day. She also offered light housekeeping, meal preparation, and just time to help care for our family. We did not take her up on the latter options, but she did teach my husband several tips, including how to run a postpartum herbal bath for me and the baby. It was a simple gesture that proved immensely comforting — having someone learn how to take care of me.

Sadly, our country does focus the majority of its typical maternity care on the mother before her birth. But this doesn’t have to be a norm that you accept. Whether it be female family members, friends or support persons such as a doula, surrounding yourself with people who know how to care for you after your birth is important in your path as a mother.

What support did you have after your baby’s birth? Would you hire a doula?

During childbirth, a woman’s vagina does amazing things, but afterwards it’s not always exactly the same. (If you’re pregnant, don’t freak out. This does not happen to everyone and based on the moms we know, big change seems like an anomaly.) That’s one of the reasons, according to Reuters, thousands of women every year turn to vaginoplasty, a procedure that surgically tightens the vagina.

So would you get plastic surgery to give your, um, “down there” parts a boost? Well, considering some women cite a lack of sexual pleasure as the reason they get vaginal plastic surgery, we wouldn’t blame you if you said yes. But some doctors say vaginal surgeries shouldn’t be done as often as they are. “None of these procedures have proven effectiveness, and there is potential for harm,” wrote Dr. Cheryl Iglesia, a Washington, D.C., gynecologist and former ACOG committee member, in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. “Women are being misled or are confused about what is normal.” And some conditions can be helped with non-surgical treatment, she says. And what’s also scary are the potential side effects of vaginal procedures, according to Reuters: “infections, scarring, pain and the loss of the very sensations some patients seek to enhance.”

What do you think of vaginoplasty? Would you ever consider having it done? Take our poll!

Plus, more from The Bump:

How to Heal “Down There” After Delivery

Will My Vagina Be the Same Again After Delivery?

Do People Actually Have Sex After Babies?