On the lighter side of breastfeeding. . .tanks, nursing shirts, bras?? What do you wear the most?

[lellian]

Hi Ladies,

I'm due on Dec 24th, and looking forward to this new experience of nursing with my first baby.

Would you mind letting me know what you find most helpful in regards to clothing? Do I get tanks, nursing shirts, gowns, bras. . .??? There are lots of options, and most of which are very expensive. What are the necessities?

Thanks bunches. I appreciate your help.

[HappyFox05]

I used nursing bras in the beginning, but switched to regular bras (no underwire, yuck!) and, when weather was appropriate, would layer so that I had something to cover my back/side/belly/whatever. By the time summer came, DD was 6 months old & I would usually just wear a t-shirt & try to sit or position my arm in a way that I wasn't exposing a lot of skin. I do own a few nursing dresses that I love, but like you said, they're expensive! Basically, I mostly wear a normal wardrobe, but have to remember when shopping or browsing the closet what'll work if I'm going out somewhere. Now that DD is two (today!), she doesn't get to nurse out in public that much - it's pretty hard for her to sit still for more than a few seconds. Hope that helps!

[Chamomile Girl]

I use regular cami-type tanks under a shirt. Shirt goes up and then I pop a boob over the top of the tank...presto! Its pretty discreet, plus this way there is always fabric covering your PP parts.

[sunfish21]

My DD is now almost 21 months and I am still in a nursing tank everyday. I wear them layered under tanks in the summer and t-shirts the rest of the time. I really dislike the exposed tummy in a regular nursing bra and the nursing shirts just have felt bulky to me. I am due with number 2 in Feb and guess I will be wearing these things for a long time...

Target has affordable ones and Expressiva has very supportive ones; those are my two favorite branks. It might be a little trial and error until you know what works best for you!

[Sk8ermaiden]

I used to wear a nursing tank with a shelf bra every day, under my shirt, and still find this to be the most convenient and comfortable. However, I am making an effort to look less like a schlub, and I have realized that nursing tanks are just not supportive enough for the girls. I have one nursing bra and one regular bra (both underwire.) They are NOT the easiest way to nurse, since they are more structured, but it still works.

[springbride]

Originally Posted by Chamomile Girl

I use regular cami-type tanks under a shirt. Shirt goes up and then I pop a boob over the top of the tank...presto! Its pretty discreet, plus this way there is always fabric covering your PP parts.

DD is 5mo and I do this 90% of the time.

[sunfish21]

Originally Posted by Sk8ermaiden

I used to wear a nursing tank with a shelf bra every day, under my shirt, and still find this to be the most convenient and comfortable. However, I am making an effort to look less like a schlub, and I have realized that nursing tanks are just not supportive enough for the girls. I have one nursing bra and one regular bra (both underwire.) They are NOT the easiest way to nurse, since they are more structured, but it still works.

They might look a little schlubby--but they have been the most comfortable and I am home a lot!

[coldandsleepy]

I have gigantic monster boobs and have yet to find a nursing tank that I like. (Not surprising-- shirts with built in bras never work for me.)

When I leave the house, I generally wear Medela nursing bras that are underwire. It's the only way I feel like I have enough support.

At home, I wear a bra from Blue Canoe... Jane's Bra Top. It's not a nursing bra but is very easy to use as one, and super super soft and comfortable. I love it so much for lounging around the house that it was worth the cost for me, even though I'm a bit of a cheapskate.

As for shirts, I have a couple of nice nursing shirts from Japanese Weekend, but I wore them while I was pregnant and now I think of them as maternity shirts. :P So I've kind of been avoiding actually wearing them.

For the most part, I've been wearing these thermal shirts from American Apparel that are really stretchy. I just lift up on the side the baby's eating on. If he's eating in public, he's in a wrap, so I feel like between the wrap and his body, I'm not really particularly exposed.

T-shirts seem near impossible to me at this point. My chest is too big for all my pre-pregnancy shirts and I find them just overall harder to get up to get my breasts out!

[odoole]

Originally Posted by Chamomile Girl

I use regular cami-type tanks under a shirt. Shirt goes up and then I pop a boob over the top of the tank...presto! Its pretty discreet, plus this way there is always fabric covering your PP parts.

Me three. Almost exclusively. I buy most of them at Express. I don't buy specific nursing ones.

[jldumm]

i used nursing bras for my first for 2 years and for the first 3 mo with this babe and i gave up and bought some nice padded underwire that hold the girls up and look nice under shirts. i am a pull downer.... most of my shirts are v neck and i pull them down or to the side to nurse. sometimes i do the cami thing, but i am usually toooooo hot to wear more than absolutely ness. also will pull a shirt up to nurse, and i have a few nursing shirts that i like for things like the airport... but i am really liking using the reg bra and just pulling the girls out that way. hope that helps.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by odoole

Me three. Almost exclusively. I buy most of them at Express. I don't buy specific nursing ones.

Me four! I just wear a regular old tank top under my shirts. I have a couple of underwire nursing bras that I love, and probably 5 sleep bras from Motherhood Maternity that I wear at home. I have big boobs, and I have worn this style for sleeping since I got pregnant with DS 5 years ago, and then even when I wasn't nursing or pregnant.

I don't own any nursing shirts, come to think of it! I have a couple of nursing tanks but they are just not very supportive and I really only wear them when it's time to do laundry and all my other tank tops are dirty!

[OperaDiva]

I'm in the nursing tank camp too! I own the Target tanks in 4 colors, and plan on taking them in at the waist (great for the post-partum figure, but now they are simply too big), and maybe adding lace at the top and bottom since I am having major cleavage issues. I find them plenty supportive of my 32G rack as long as I wear the right size (medium works for me) and really tighten the shoulder straps. For nursing in public they are so easy, I just layer with a stretchy top and pull that one up. I say stretchy because non-stretchy ones are MUCH harder to use to cover things when they've been pulled up IME.

[TXmom2]

I love my Target nursing tanks..super comfy and easy to nurse anywhere in.
Plus, they are pretty cheap too and hold up well.
I'm a D-DD cup and the "full-sling" style are a little more supportive than the "side-sling" ones. I have 6 tanks in 4 different colors...I layer then under sweaters, T-shirts, etc. Sometimes I just wear the tank alone if I'm wearing DD in her Baby K'tan when it's hot out. Wearing them over any looser fitting shirt makes it super easy for out in public! them!

[Angelorum]

I have a few nursing tops that I like. I also have some regular tops made out of a super stretchy knit with a crossover v-neck. They look sort of like a wrap style I guess. Anyway, they are stretchy enough to easily pull to the side. For coverage in any normal blouse I can nurse out the top of, I have some camisole tops that I cropped to just below the boobs. That way, I pull the cami up and the shirt down, and it's just like a nursing shirt! At home sometimes I just hang out bra-less and wear a t-shirt, but I find I really hate having to pull a normal length shirt all the way up. It makes for so much fabric in the baby's face. I'm spoiled in the bra department, MIL owns a nursing bra store. My favorites are the La Leche League brand underwire t-shirt style bras. They are nice and smooth looking, even with nursing pads. The sizing on them is a little goofy though, definitely one to try on in person if possible.

[Chloe'sMama]

Another shelf cami user here. I am small chested and it has worked for me from day 1 (dd is 18 months and still nursing). I LOVED it at the beginning to hide my baby belly flabby leftover stomach area and it held in the nursing pads too.

I hated nursing tanks and nursing bras and bras. The shelf tanks were the only thing that is comfortable at all.

congrats and good luck!

[mambera]

Nothing is a *necessity.* At home I just wear regular tee shirts and pull them up to nurse. (I think I am around a 34D right now.)

I bought a lot of nursing shirts for discreet NIP and I hate them all except one - the 'discretion layers' make them bulky and unflattering. Plus I barely ever NIP really - I usually go to the car. If I know I am going to have an unavoidable NIP situation I wear the one nursing shirt I like (it's the crossover top from Momzelle if you're interested).

I do wear nursing bras - I don't find it easy to pop my boob over the top of a regular bra and it seems like that would stretch the bra out over time. I love the Bravado nursing bras (I have the Original and the Body Silk Seamless, both are great). Motherhood Maternity sleep bra at home (I don't lke most of their clothing but this sleep bra is good).

I have a few nursing tanks also - I like the Glamourmom one best - and they're convenient enough but not anything I can't live without.

[whozyourdoula]

I have bought nursing shirts but, they were not always super stylish. My favorite thing was my lightweight poncho. Also I cut two slits in a regular tank top and used it under anything that I could lift up and nurse in. When I used my tank, a t-shirt, and my baby carrier no one was the wiser.

[July09Mama]

I really like Target nursing tanks too. They're not super supportive, but they're ok with most of the things I wear, and they're really cheap. I just wear one under whatever other shirt I wear so I can pull the main shirt up and then have the tummy coverage from the tank and my main shirt covers the top of my boob.

[haydn'smommy]

I wear a Target nursing tank every day under my regular clothes. I have to nurse my ds 2 times at daycare and then I pump in my office 4 times, so I like to have the flabby pp belly covered at all times. I also couldn't really afford to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe of nursing clothes, so I bought nice blouses and sweaters for work that I can put a nursing tank under and I think I look pretty decent every day.

[CalaRei]

I also like the Target nursing tanks, but I have to check every one on the rack to make sure it's the "cut out circle" style and not the edge only style. I'm not sure which of these versions is being phased out or in, but I made sure to get what I could from the racks. With twins, the side sling style just doesn't do anything for me. Not that I tandem nurse 6 week olds in public much, but even at home it's much more comfortable.