Wedding outfit for 3-4 weeks after giving birth - any ideas?

[MidlandMummy]

I am due to go to a wedding on 4th May and my little one will be 3-4 weeks old (he/she was due on 30th March so will hopefully be making an appearance soon!). I have no idea what shape/size I'll be (although I'm very lucky and haven't put much weight on while pregnant but I don't know how much my tummy will have gone down) and will be breastfeeding, and have no idea what to wear. We're going to be there all day and evening (assuming we can cope with this and a 3-4 week old...!) and it'll be the first time most people will have met our little one and seen us since he/she has been born so I'd like to look nice as well as my outfit being practical.

Ideally I'm hoping to find something I can then wear for the rest of the summer, or at least to the other two weddings I'm going to later in the summer.

Any suggestions for nice but inexpensive dresses people have seen that would be suitable would be very welcome!

[KristinaM]

Assume that you will still look 6 months pg. I did a month after my first and I only put on 10kg .

Dress no use for bf, especially as you will still be a beginner

Separates the way to go. Do you want floaty trousers or a skirt? You don't need to buy anything very expensive as long as you dress it up with nice accessories. Do you already have suitable shoes/sandals , jewellery and scarf /wrap ( for privacy during bf) ?

[FamiliesShareGerms]

Yes, what Kristina said

I had a skirt, easy access top and long matching coat for a wedding I went to a few months after DS was born. Plus some gorgeous LK Bennett kitten heels so I felt glamorous but could still juggle a baby, all the stuff babies have and a hymn sheet

[MrsCampbellBlack]

I agree with Kristina that a dress may make bf tricksy and quite hard to do discreetly at that fairly early stage.

Do you have any nice/pretty jackets?

We went to a wedding when I was still bf my 3rd and I wore black 7/8 slim fitting trousers, double layer of black vest tops with a cream sort of crochet jacket.

I'd try if possible to utilise some things you already have - do you have anything you could use perhaps?

[bonzo77]

4 weeks after my last CS I was very nearly back to normal. I don't think you can buy ahead, it does make sense to try on what you have already got about 10 days before the wedding, then if nothing works panic buy immediately. I've never BF, but I know jojo maman et bebe, serephine and Isabella Oliver would have suitable things.

[FattyMcChubster]

Could u wear a strapless dress and cardi? With a nice scarf to help with bf?

[northerngoldilocks]

Check out the babes with babies website- they have lots of 'wedding appropriate' dresses in jersey type fabric so quite forgiving

[northerngoldilocks]

Just looked and I have the 'Zoe' dress - its v nice although think its available under a different name elsewhere for a cheaper price (or it used to be!- I ordered from this site as needed it quickly- delivery was v good!)

[MrsCampbellBlack]

This jacket is lovely and would look great with slim fitting trousers and a simple top.

Or with a top and skirt.

Alternatively I love a spring coat - slim fitting and longish style which is very flattering.

[MrsCampbellBlack]

I think strapless would be very hard in terms of nursing bras and at 3/4 weeks post partum you're quite likely to be using breastpads.

I think its obviously totally possible to feed in a dress but in the early stages you may find you're having to be pretty careful over latch etc and not comfortable getting a boob out over the top - I found it a lot easier to do the double top thing - one top down and one top up if that makes sense.

[mumblechum1]

I'd suggest just buying something a day or two before the event if possible. I'd lost all the baby weight before I came home from hospital (1 week after the birth), so there's no guarantee that you're still going to be bigger than you were pre-pregnancy.

[ellesabe]

How about a skirt with a wrap-around top of some sort?

[CitizenOscar]

I took new baby to christening and wore a dress (with a wrap/shawl for discreet bf) which I found easier than tops at that point because I could see what I was doing (but no one else could).

It was quite low cut & my boobs were pretty huge at that point so shawl was good for covering them even when not bf!

Agree it'll be difficult to know until the time what's going to fit & work for bf until the time, so I'd look through your wardrobe and line up some possible dresses & separates and see how you go. Your body will probably change a lot over the next few months so might not be worth buying new at that point. Definitely dig out or buy a wrap/shawl though.

[MidlandMummy]

Ah brilliant - thanks everyone! I have a pair of trousers that I nearly chucked before I was pregnant because they were a bit big but maybe they will work with a top and jacket, and some pretty shoes! I have been stockpiling lots of wraps etc so will make sure I take one of those too.

Thank you for the links too - I've saved them for any last minute hysterics! Love the Zoe dress and the Zara jacket so am almost hoping n

Thanks again :-) x x

[MidlandMummy]

Ooops...
...almost hoping I do have hysterics!
X

[ArabellaBeaumaris]

I went to a wedding at 3 weeks post partum. I left getting an outfit until the week before the day as I wsn't sure how much my shape would change. A 3 wk old baby is a very easy wedding guest though!