are nursing clothes necessary?

[newbie_mary]

I got a catalog from some place that sells nursing tops...what do you all think about them? Are they a waste of money, or the greatest invention ever? I was thinking maybe it would be nice to have one or two for going out to places, but maybe that's not even needed.

Mary

[turtlemama77]

Popping in from the July DDC...the only nursing garment I own is a night gown, and I only own that because my MIL insisted I would want to wear my own clothes in the hospital (which I didn't). I've been wearing shirts that are more loose so they are easier to pull up. Unless someone else is footing the bill, I doubt I'll buy any nursing specific clothes this time either.

I can, however, see where having a couple of nice tops to wear for more dressy occasions might be nice.

[aweynsayl]

I'm not getting any. But then, I also didnt get any maternity clothes.

I have some tops I can pull down to layer under tops I can pull up... I am much more comfortable with that.

I also do not have bras for it.... I have tiny boobies, and dont feel I need them.

If you are worried about exposing belly, get a bella band thing to cover belly while your top gets pulled up. I think that makes a whole lot more sense than buying clothes just for BFing.

But that's just me! I know lots of gals (mainly those who got those HUGE MELLON BOOBS I can only dream of) who SWEAR by nursing tanks.

good luck!

[RadiantMama]

the only nursing garment I own is a night gown (and well worth it)

me too

waste of money!!!

[pique]

Um, no. They are not necessary and a lot of them are butt-ugly. A nursing bra is pretty handy though.

That being said, I just ordered a couple of those GlamourMom nursing tanks because they just look so cool.

[2+twins]

Nope! I do have a nursing gown that I like for around the house newly postpartum (at night I mostly don't bother with a shirt at all - more trouble than it's worth IMO). But for normal out-of-the-house clothes I don't care for nursing shirts at all. The ones I've seen have been pretty ugly for one, and tend to reveal a lot more of ME then simply lifting one side of my shirt up to nurse (baby covers the rest of me pretty well). I think one of those belly bands might be nice though.

[aprilushka]

Nope. And you can get away with a sports bra with a lot of shirts too.

[wintermagick]

I've been nursing for 14 months and I only own one nursing shirt I purchased really cheaply at a used baby store. Just lifting up regular shirts has worked totally fine.

Nursing bras are a big necessity though. Cloth nursing pads for your bras (though sometimes hard to find) are also... especially when you sleep at night. Unfortunately I usually have to sleep in a bra with pads, even now that DD is trying to wean herself.

[Attached Mama]

nak - w/o a nursing outfit i might add:

i do have a few glamour mom tops, but find they run very small so rarely wear them

tried on lots of others - the boob holes aren't where my boobs are on most of them

[ktkb]

Necessary? No.

Sometimes nice to have? Absolutely. If you are not sure about how you will feel re: nursing in public, it would be great to have a couple of tops, I think.

I started NIP the day after I came home from the hospital, and it helped me (psychologically speaking) to know that I wasn't flashing the entire restaurant/doctor's office/library.

My daughter hated to have anything (blanket, sling tail, etc.) over her head, so I loved having nursing clothes when I was at synagogue or eating at friends' houses. I never felt like I had to leave the room or "cover up" (I was already covered).

That being said, I only spent full price on one top (from Boob nursingwear); everything I bought from Motherwear or Expressiva was from the clearance section or end of season sales (when dd arrived in June I had 3 sweaters and a turtleneck, lol). And one very kind friend who ebf her kids gave me a gift certificate to Motherwear as a baby gift. I certainly don't have a full wardrobe (dresses, fancy tops, etc), but they definitely helped me feel comfortable in the first, say, 6-8 months of nursing. After that I didn't care quite as much.

[ThreeTimesAMama]

I really wanted some this time around since I'm older now and no longer feel so much like just lifting a big shirt. Well, the ones I ordered in early preg from Motherwear were too tight and and boob holes were way too high. Yeah, they sag over time. So I got a nursing shirt pattern from Elizabeth Lee that I modified (I have been sewing for many years) to fit my large, low bust and had so much fun making a bunch of them. Can't wait to wear 'em!

[Wittyone]

Originally Posted by Attached Mama

i do have a few glamour mom tops, but find they run very small so rarely wear them

tried on lots of others - the boob holes aren't where my boobs are on most of them

I don't have a nursling yet but I've always liked wearing the tank tops w/ a built in bra better than bras so I tried a bunch of the nursing tanks mid-pg when I was outgrowing all my regular tanks and bras thinking they could do double duty. The under-the-bust elastic band on the glamour mom tanks was so tight I couldn't breathe, unless I got the biggest size and then it was saggy everywhere else The Target ones definitely did not have the holes lined up in the right place! I gave up for a while and just went with a soft cup bra for the rest of pg. I'm still hopeful as I've had moms I know rave about the tanks but definitely recommend try before you buy!!!

[mariank]

I have a bunch of nursing tops because I live near the Motherwear outlet, but honestly I didn't wear most of them with DS and I don't expect to wear them with #2 either. I thought I would wear them to work (so that I could pump or nurse if DS came to visit me). I guess I'm a bit vain, but I just don't like how they look on me. All the extra fabric for the layers tends to weigh them down in the front so they hang funny, and I end up looking kind of frumpy which I really don't like. I'm a completely immodest person and really don't care about just lifting up my shirt to BF in public, and I've BFed practically everywhere. At work though, I thought it would be different. It turned out to be a non-issue because I always closed my door for pumping, and I could let it all hang out, and on the occasions when DS was at work, nobody seemed to mind if I was BFing him, or if they did they must have averted their eyes or left the room. Oh, I should say I have a couple of nursing dresses from Motherwear and those are great, they don't have the same strange hang issue and it is wonderful to be able to wear a one-piece pullover dress to work and still pump or BF! Get 'em on sale though, cuz they are pricey.
Good luck! Marian

[mamameg]

Nope, not necessary at all. I never had any w/ DD.

DH bought me a few sets of nursing pjs for Christmas and I'm glad to have them (my stepson will be 14 soon and I think discreet nursing around the house is important given our situaiton), but most people could get along without them. Also, DH and I have a thing where we give each other pjs every year and I thought it was sweet that he took nursing into account.

[pfamilygal]

Nope, they're crap IMO. I could never fit enough boob out through the little holes.

I'm dying for some belly huggers though.

[clynnr]

Definitely skip the nursing clothes and buy a few Belly Huggers! They rock! I only have one right now, and the bottom of my belly thanks me that it's not hanging out in the cold anymore. They turn every shirt into a nursing shirt.

[JefsJen]

I don't have any either...and I've nursed all 3 of my kids. And with this one coming I had thought about buying some of the nursing tanks from Motherhood, but haven't made up my mind.

I got into the habit of wearing a tank top (we call them "wife-beaters" here, pardon the expressioni, please) under everything anyway since most stuff would ride up and show my back when I leaned over and I just don't care for that. So, I already have the other layer under there.

I still will probably buy ONE Motherhood nursing tank to wear in the spa when I deliver. As they are very comfy to me (tanks) and it will provide me with SOME cover, with having a couple of friends in there with me at the time of delivery... and easy access to boob therapy for new baby.

HTH!

[saritabeth]

I too live near the motherwear outlet. I have a few shirts from there that I really like, but I never would buy one without trying it on. I think nursing shirts can be nice...as a pp said it depends upon how you are going to feel NIP. I usually wear v neck style shirts or things that are more low cut....I usually just pop a boob out of the neck and nurse in the sling when I am out and about. The few nursing tops I have I really like and use, but they are not something you really really need. I think the quality at motherwear has tanked in recent years...the stuff is really expensive full price and not an amount of $$ I want to pay if you weren't really sure what you were getting.

I also didn't do nursing bras. I never found one I liked. I do have 2 from decent exposures that I liked a lot for nursing....but I say go get some cheapies that will keep your girls up and fit for the month your boobs are whatever size they are....

[txgal]

I have a couple of the nursing tanks from Motherhood. They do not offer enough support on their own so I layer them with a nursing bra. I only wear them under things if I am going to be somewhere that I don't feel completely comfortable NIP and want a little extra coverage for my belly. Or if it is chilly outside and I need an extra layer. But for the most part I find them unnecessary and annoying.

[celestialdreamer]

I only used nursing bras with my dd, but I've bought a few Glamourmom tanks this time too. I'll probably just use them for around the house in the first few weeks since they are soft cup and my bras are underwire. I own a nursing cardigan and shell set and I've NEVER worn it I've nursed so many places in public and never had a problem with flashing people as far as I know. I've even nursed during a wedding in my fancy dress up clothes Nobody even realized what I was doing because I used my cardigan (not the nursing set) to kinda cover the side of my boob and I had our sling with us that I put across my belly so I wasn't exposed. I've always just kinda pulled my shirt down around my boob and put a blanket or whatever across my belly. Much easier IME