Freezing My Eggs Took a Physical Toll on My Body, but This Comfy, Viral Dress Made Me Feel Like Myself Again
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The Hill House Nap Dress was like a soft and forgiving hug for my changing body.
When I began my egg freezing journey earlier this summer, it was the culmination of many years of careful consideration and planning. The truth is I started thinking about taking the step to preserve my fertility and extend my biological clock earlier than most, while still in college, and had spent the better part of a decade with egg freezing in the back of my mind. So, when I finally decided to pull the trigger, I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into.
I was prepared for the two weeks of nightly hormone injections and well-versed in the emotional rollercoaster that often came with them. I knew about the lifestyle changes and monitoring appointments that would occupy most of my mornings during the process. But the one thing that caught me by surprise was the physical impact that egg freezing would have on my body, and the massive insecurity it would leave me with.
Of course, I knew some bloating was to be expected — after all, my ovaries were expanding to basically 10 times their normal size — but for whatever reason, I assumed I wouldn’t see a tangible difference until my second week of injections, in the days just ahead of my egg retrieval. Boy, was I wrong. From the moment I woke up in the morning after my first shots, I felt more bloated, puffy, and weighed down than at any point in my life. Whatever semblance of abs were there the day before had disappeared entirely, and no matter how much I tried to suck in, there was an inescapable roundness sitting atop my lower stomach.
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As the days went on and my body swelled to a degree I never thought possible, I found myself dreading getting dressed each morning. I wanted more than anything to throw on loose-fitting sweats and a forgiving sweatshirt, but the 90-degree weather had other plans in mind. And as much as the thought of stretchy leggings and a big T-shirt appealed, I knew I still needed to look presentable to attend the many events and meetings that still marked my calendar. So, I combed through my closet, pushing past the tight, form-fitting dresses that typically filled my summers until finally, I came across a long-neglected collection of Hill House dresses that seemed perfect for the occasion.
Hill House Home
$150
I first discovered the brand’s now-famous Ellie Nap Dress in early 2020, falling in love with its comfortable-yet-polished look and ease of wear. When the pandemic hit a few months later, I soon found myself reaching for the fashionably functional garment more than anything else in my wardrobe — so I doubled down and ordered two more. In the year or so that followed, as the rest of the country realized the power of the nap dress and Hill House introduced more and more styles, my Ellie collection grew to the double digits. But as life returned to normal and my needs changed, I began gravitating towards the brand’s other, more fitted silhouettes, like the Sabrina and Juliana dresses, leaving my Ellies in large part to collect dust save for a few casual errand runs and trips to the dog park.
When I stumbled upon the smocked A-line dresses a few days into my egg freezing treatment though, I couldn’t have been happier. I slipped one on over my stretchy, lace Hanky Panky thong, happy to ditch my bra in the process, and it truly felt like a warm, loving hug for my changing body. The buttery soft cotton felt light and comfortable against my injection-site bruises and offered a very necessary breathability in the intense summer heat, while the elastic chest allowed me to avoid the pain of a bra on my increasingly tender breasts. The true beauty of the Ellie, however, was just how forgiving its loose silhouette and airy smocking was, stretching with my growing stomach without clinging to it.
Hill House Home
$150
My Ellie dresses also provided a certain level of efficiency during egg freezing. With daily ovarian ultrasound appointments that required me to go naked from the waist-down, it was easy to slip off my underwear and pull my dress up to my chest without having to take it off or even unzip or unbutton it. I also appreciated this ease of movement when I found myself peeing every five minutes (a result of not only the heavy pressure my inflamed ovaries put on my bladder, but also the uptick in my water consumption to avoid some health risks). And of course, as the rapid bodily and hormonal changes left me feeling constantly exhausted, I appreciated what’s arguably the dresses’ truest function: napping.
Throughout my two weeks of injections — and the roughly 10 days it took for my body to return to a more normal state following my retrieval — my Hill House Ellie dresses became the easy-to-wear clothes I craved. But more than that, they helped me feel comfortable in my own skin during a time when I was most uncomfortable, when looking in the mirror and going out into the world left me feeling utterly disconnected from my body and myself. And as I finished my egg freezing journey, its physical toll in the rearview mirror, I was reminded of why I fell in love with the Hill House Ellie Nap Dress to begin with and knew it once again deserved a place in my normal sartorial routine.
If you’re going through a similar situation — or just looking for a comfy dress that’ll make you feel good in the skin you’re in — shop similar Hill House silhouettes, below.
Hill House Home
$150
Hill House Home
$150
Hill House Home
$198
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