The perfect "leaving hospital" dress

[glitterglitters]

Haha. Even typing that is hilarious.

Last time I left hospital with my dd I looked a goddamn mess.

I'd quite like to look "vaguely" presentable this time round and am looking for a dress that is practical, comfortable,can be worn with a bra and has easy access to boobs.

Any suggestions guys? Should I go for a
maternity dress or nursing dress, or would a normal maxi suffice?

I'm a size 16/18 as well just to add awkwardness to proceedings. Baby is due in summer as well.

Seraphine have a lot of flexible wrap type dresses usually. Have you tried there?

ASOS have started doing a Nursing range on top of their normal Maternity range.

I really like this

I filtered the above for dresses in your size, so hopefully the links work!

ha ha

I'd get something that you're likely to wear while PG so you get your money's worth and wear it home. I looked like sh*t both times round!

I left wearing a maternity dress. My stomach was still that swollen I still looked pregnant anyway. I'd have had no way of predicting what dress size I'd have been straight after birth. Are you sure you want to bother?

I just wore a maternity wrap dress so that I could breastfeed. I could tighten or loosen as needed

lol I know I know. I ended up leaving in jogging bottoms last time but all the photos from my dd's first day I look like crap at least if I'm got a Niceish dress I can nurse in after I can at least give the impression of making an effort

The seraphine dresses are lovely, and I like the asos ones too.

I wore a nice pair of hush joggers, one of the nursing clip tops, a cardigan and a scarf. I was comfy and didn't look a total state in photos!

Mine was a JoJo Maman Bebe dress, I bought them new but also bought others on eBay - I also bought quite a few pieces from Tiffany Rose and Seraphine on eBay

Ha! I knew Kate Middleton was a Mumsnetter!

Oh lord! I wore my pyjamas and slippers home last time. Feeling like a right slob now!

I got round this by having a home birth.

I just wore tracksuit bottoms and a t shirt and trainers. My stomach was practically flat straight away though. A small bump, but hardly noticeable with certain clothes on

Didn't think people really cared too much what they wore. Not a fashion show and all that

I wore leggings a vest and my dressing gown

I didn't see it as a fashion show. It was no more effort to put on a wrap dress than jogging bottoms and my dressing gown.

I know exactly where you're coming from!! First time round I came home in joggers and hoody and look awful in photos of first day with dd. With ds I bought a 'going home dress' I bought one from jo jo mama Bebe. Unfortunately (well fortunately for me but not dress!!) my bumps disappear straight away (literally from bump to none!!) so a maternity dress didn't look as good as I hoped but I still felt 100% better in photos! (I know it shouldn't/doesn't matter!!) good luck I hope you find one you like!!

If I was doing this again I'd wear a comfy, stretchy black maxi dress, either a nursing one, or one where you can easily just pull the strap down - with a cardi for coverage.

I know it really doesn't matter, and yet I do regret the number of photos of cute baby next to me looking like I covered myself in glue and rolled through a jumble sale - preserved for posterity and sent to all the rellies. I had C-sections and was a bloated, leaky wreck and always just threw on whatever was vaguely clean.

(The first time I did pack "normal" going home clothes but they stayed in my bag as I couldn't fit into them at all!)

What's wrong with tracksuit bottoms and a t shirt? Or an old maternity dress if you insist on being fancy?

who is looking.=? you get into car
you drive home

I wore black trousers, and a lovely turquoise maternity too I had bought only a week or two before ds was born, it was my second time to wear it, I thought I looked ok but when I got home I discovered two mahoosive circles of leaked breast milk on it the mortification! It never came out either!

Top not too

Usually cameras are looking, whether it's your DH/DP or other family members, which is totally reasonable. Then you look at the pics and see your stained, ill-fitting thrown-on t-shirt with half a boob hanging out of one end and post-pregnancy belly encased in those netting knickers hanging out of the other. Well in my case anyway.

I would have liked to feel more on top of things and less of a mess. Not your full Middleton-style floral dress and heels, but something that covered me up properly at least and didn't show stains. So I get it and I think there's nothing wrong with planning for it.

Usually by the time I left hospital I felt so rank I was stripping off getting ready for the hour long bath on the way to the car.

I think it's important that you look nice if you want to... now while I have no idea what I wore, I did straighten my hair while in early labour and I did a full face of make up in my hospital bed as it makes me feel like me.

I think wrap dresses are very flattering or a maxi with cardi or scarf like suggested up thread.

I was very organised first time round and got my eyelashes dyed a week before the birth; this made me look slightly less like death warmed up in the photos as for clothing, I wore whatever fitted so cannot help there!