When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I was about halfway through my pregnancy when my mom said she wanted to buy Annabelle’s coming home outfit. I hadn’t really thought much about what we’d bring her home wearing, so I said it was fine and figured that was the end of it.
Oh, no… that was just the beginning! If you’re a first-time mom, you’re probably realizing there is so much about being pregnant and having a baby that you don’t know. That’s definitely how I felt. Although I was reading a few baby books and it seemed the baby or pregnancy was all anyone talked about, there was still a lot I was in the dark about.
The coming home outfit was a big one. Apparently this is a big deal to some people! My mom scoured boutiques around Houston and searched online for months to find the perfect first outfit for my daughter (and her first grandbaby!) to wear.
She finally settled on a precious pink gown with white lace going down the front. It came with a matching hat and tiny baby socks.
Blame it on the post-birth hormones, but I remember getting tears in my eyes as I slipped the first of a million outfits over her tiny head. There is so much about parenthood that you don’t expect and can’t prepare for. For me, a momentous mommy moment was dressing my sweet Annabelle in her first adorably perfect gown that took my mom months to find.
Here she is, at 6 lbs and 7 oz, all strapped in her car seat (left) and laying on her daddy’s chest (right) as I got ready to leave the hospital. Please excuse the cell phone photos!
I’ve had three babies of my own and photographed so many newborns over the past few years, and yet I’m always so surprised at how tiny they are!
I shared with Celia Shatzman on TheBump.com about my experience with coming home outfits for my girls. Her article focuses on the symbolism of these clothes and the impact they have on mamas.
If you’re bringing a sweet baby home soon, here are a few quick tips for selecting your newborn’s coming home outfit:
– Skip the busy patterns and go with something simple and timeless.
– Although my first daughter wore a gown, my other two children had one-piece outfits with footies. This worked better for us because, as you can see from the photo above of Annabelle in the carseat, a gown doesn’t work well with a five-point harness. Also, footed pajamas means there is one less thing to lose – baby socks! Hang on to the pairs you get at the hospital, though. I found those stay on tiny babies better than anything I bought at the store.
– If you have the option to go with zippers over snaps, do it. Wiggly babies are easier to zip in an outfit – it’s so hard to correctly snap them up when you’re sleep-deprived and changing a diaper in the dark.
– For sizing, you can pick up a newborn outfit + a 3 month to ensure something will work.
– Etsy is a great place to find a cute outfit! Also try Carter’s, too.
I’m a maternity, Fresh 48, at-home newborn and family photographer based in Houston, TX. If you’re looking for a luxury photo experience as a mama-to-be or mama with a newborn, you’re in the right place. The next step is telling me about you, so click the “Book Now” button below to get started.
