The "Jean" Pool

Recently a few mommy friends of mine decided to enroll their babies in swim classes. 
Don't get me wrong, I love the water and can't wait to get Mackenzie into the pool this summer. 
But there's one caveat...
In the discussions I've had with other new mothers about baby swim classes, one question continues to arise: What does one wear to take their child swimming once they've given birth to said child?


For most of us, the issue boils down to this: Do I break out the pre-baby bikini and say a Hail Mary before diving into the deep end? Or do I swallow my pride and buy the dreaded post-partum one piece?
A close friend who's starting swim classes with her son this month told me that she'd rather expose her leftover pregnancy pouch in a revealing bikini than look frumpy in an old lady bathing suit.  This friend did confess to owning a one piece... but decided that its bejeweled cut-out design would be a riskier choice for baby swimming lessons than the dental floss string bikini she wore to the beach while living in Miami. 
I'm torn on this issue.  
For one thing, I haven't worn a one piece since I was a lifeguard in high school. 
On the other hand, I'm not sure a two piece is the way to go when taking an infant to swim class at the local YMCA, especially if that class takes place in the dead of winter. 
Going to the community pool mid-summer presents a different conundrum.  
Do you plunge into the abyss of mommydom and settle for a conservative coverup that looks like a cheap tablecloth? Or do you break out the bikini even if it doesn't fit quite the way it used to? 
These, my friends, are among the life-changing decisions new mothers face every day. 
While I'm not 100% sure about the proper wardrobe for indoor baby swim classes, here are 10 things I positively refuse to do just because I'm a mother:


1)  I will not throw out my string bikinis... I WILL wear them... eventually. 
2)  I will not wear "mom jeans" even though they're probably more comfortable than my Rock and Republic low waist boot cuts.
3) I will not accept as fact the notion that motherhood makes you less fun.
4)  I will not schlep a gigantic diaper bag with me everywhere I go. I can manage to go to the bank without 14 packs of wipes and a week's supply of Desitin. 
5)  I will not be persuaded to drive a minivan... my car works just fine for getting Mackenzie around town.
6)  I will never wear granny panties. 
7)  I will not cut off all my hair.
8)  I will not give up my love for any of the following: a night out dancing, designer handbags, luxurious pedicures, good wine, my husband.
9) I will not lose sight of the person I was before becoming a mother.
10)  I will not succumb to a lifetime of eating ice cream out of the container (see #1).