Plus-Size NIP help needed

[velcromom]

Hey mamas, can you share your experiences with me? I'm looking for your best tips for making NIP more manageable for plus-size moms. I don't have personal knowledge since my "girls" are of the tiny but powerful variety but I want to be able to give specific, useable, practical advice at my site & *worldwide* for moms who find NIP challenging because of larger breast size. I can see that a lot of the things that work for petite women to make NIP a simple & comfortable task, just don't apply to larger moms.

I know it's easy to say "just do it" but I see a lot of moms going, "yeah, right, and how am I supposed to do that??"

[lesley&grace]

I am definitely what you'd call "full-figured", my breasts are a DD when they are not full of milk, and right now (I just had a baby last week) they are gi-normous.

While I have not NIP'd yet with my son (we haven't been out much), I do remember feeling awkward when I first NIP'd my daughter. I think it's probably very similar to NIPing when your breasts are smaller, it's all about getting comfortable. The same tips apply; do it in front of a mirror so you can see how much you are exposing so you can feel comfortable, or in front of a close friend or family member (I know my dh was always up for watching my boobs ) so they can let you know how it looks from another perspective.

My issue was not so much with the breast, but I was more self-conscious about my belly being exposed. I've been wearing my maternity pants that have the soft belly fabric, they are great for covering up my belly when I nurse, and you can get belly huggers or convert camisoles to cover up your belly if that is where your self-consciousness is. With my dd I used a blanket over us more to cover my belly than her at the breast, so I would have her sort of wrapped in the blanket so she could still see me, but my belly was covered.

I don't necessarily think that NIP difficulties have a whole lot to do with breast size, it's all about how comfortable you are with doing it. And getting it to a comfortable place takes practice.

[AuntNi]

I was kind of in the "Just Do It" camp, as well. I never got the hang of nursing in a sling, and button-up shirts didn't work for me. I found that just pulling up my tshirt worked the best. DD's body pretty much covered my tummy, and I pulled my tshirt down almost to her face, and I felt comfortable.

[candipooh]

I was 205 pounds and my 'girls' were DD. I had to use both hands to nurse in public. One to hold baby and the other would be holding my breast up and my shirt down. Hard to explain but I will try
My fingers would go under my breast to hold it up for baby and my thumb would be hooked in the cloth of the shirt that was pulled up (never had a nursing shirt) With the thumb hooked in the cloth it was very simple/easy to pull the shirt down should baby pop off. And you all know how much they pop on and off, on and off when they get about 9 months old and older.


After three children and a totall of over 6 years of nursing you get pretty good at it.

[amandaleigh37]

I'm a big girl and my main reservation at first when NIP was my belly/side being exposed =(
I found out about these things called belly huggers, there's a website if you google it... I got a few discontinued colors for very cheap (around $6). It's like a shirt without the top half, it only comes up to right under your bra. That way when I lift my shirt to nurse, my tummy is fully covered all around. It made a world of difference! I can then undo my nursing bra, and my shirt covers most of my breast down to where my son's mouth is. A little practice and onlookers can't see anything at all.
I also usually have to hold my breast with one hand, and sometimes I can cross my legs and rest my baby on my legs to make it easier.

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

I'm wear a 38G bra. I wear cheep speggeti strap tanks (the kind I would never wear by themselves!) that are loose enough to pull down under my breasts, underneeth my shirt to cover my belly and sides. My shirt covers my breast down to dds mouth. I never got the hang of nursing a small baby in a sling, but once dd was a big bigger, I found I could nurse in a front carry position in a sling that was a little looser than normal. I would stuff a small blanket under my breast to lift it up high enough. I would do the same thing with my shirt, pulling it down to near her mouth and the tank covering my side and back. I second those who say that practice is key. It is possible to nurse comfortably with really big breasts.

Some of the discomfort big breasted women have about nip, I think, is that we are already really selfcouncious about are breasts and what they are doing, how they appear (Am I spilling out of the top of my bra and getting funny lumps? If I'm not wearing a bra, am I falling out of the bottom of my shirt? -don't laugh it happens!-Are they jiggling around too much? Does this top make me look slutty?). We are used to people staring at them and we don't want to give them something else to look at. At least that is the way it was for me.

[njeb]

DD cup here. I found, when they were tiny, that nursing in the football hold was a real help. The football hold is when you tuck them under your arm instead of across your belly.

[Emma's_Mommy]

i am not "full" figured (a D cup on average) but when i nursed my DD they got HUGE and i felt the same way you did.....i found it help me to feel more comfortable to wear a tank top underneath my shirt, so when i did have to NIP i didnt feel like i was flashing my post baby gut to the world....and the extra breast suport didn't hurt either!

[AEMOMMY]

Originally Posted by candipooh

I had to use both hands to nurse in public. One to hold baby and the other would be holding my breast up and my shirt down.

I am in this camp. I also put my stroller or a chair in front of me so that i can prop a foot up to help me get the baby up to breast level.

[Sagesgirl]

I'm an H right now, down from a J. I...nurse. That simple. No special bras, no special shirts, no other odd accoutrements. Just the baby and whatever I happen to be wearing. I'm not much help I know. I think for a lot of women's issues of NIPing while BBW have much more to do with the general vibe we get from society that we don't belong out in public at all, breastfeeding or not.

[crunchy~mamax3]

Plus size does NOT EQUAL big boobs.


I'm a borderline plus (pre-pregnant size 16) and fully engorged barely fill a C. I don't know what I am non-nursing, I can't remember (I've been nursing since 2004) but nursing, I wear a B cup.

My thing with NIP is my belly showing. When DD was an infant, I'd wear a nursing tank under a button up shirt, so I never had to expose my belly. (I could've just worn the tank, but I'm self-conscious about my arms.)

[Bekka]

I have used a cover for ME. It's not strange to have a baby blanket wrapped around the baby, and I've just extended it up and over my shoulder to look like it was wrapping up the baby. I wasn't "covering up", because I kept the baby's head and mouth uncovered, but it gave me a little extra fabric for draping appropriately. I have only succeeded in sling nursing a few times as well, and not recently. I just accept and adjust. Since "fitted" tops are more in style right now, the extra fabric is helpful. If I were wearing a baggy top this is a lot easier.

[miguelsmom]

so glad to hear I'm not the only one worried about her belly showing. It's really been a challenge for me to get comfortable with NIP simply because of my feelings about being overweight.

[kikidee]

I am also "blessed" with large breasts. They were DD when I first had DD. (hee - DD with DD) When I began nursing in public, I would either go to a quiet and unoccupied place (backroom at the restaurant, a bench in quiet corner at the zoo, etc), or use my Hooter Hider. As time went on, I became more comfortable and was able to "just do it". It came with time, though. I don't know if there is any trick, per se, except that there are a ton of resources out there -- special shirts, different ponchos/hiders, blanket tricks, etc. -- that I would just advise people to try everything they can until they find something that works for them.

Now I pretty much just whip it out, and then hold a cloth diaper up in the general area to be ready to cover up if DD unlatches (that is as much to stop the geyser of milk as it is to protect the prying eyes of the public).

Now that I am not shy about NIP, at least the boob part, I also find myself feeling exposed in the belly area, like others have mentioned. I heard a tip from a friend once about getting cheap-o undershirt tank tops, cutting slits in them, and wearing them under your regular shirts. It's a lot cheaper than getting the nursing shirts (although the one I'm wearing right now from Motherhood Maternity IS comfy!).

I hope that helps!

[sunnymw]

I think a lot of it is just plain courage.

I was really shy when I first had my babe, at 240lbs and a big DD, but yesterday in Wal-Mart there was a plus-sized mama walking around, bfing her babe! She was wearing a nursing tank and a shirt, but the shirt was pulled up above the top of the nursing tank so you could pretty well see anything. And her babe was TINY (newborn). She certainly didn't look like she was having ANY trouble... as it's all about confidence.

[mama-a-llama]

I also put my stroller or a chair in front of me so that i can prop a foot up to help me get the baby up to breast level

I'm H cup, and another two handed nurser. Having something to prop on was key for me. I would also use wadded up blankets or coats. But the bottom line was that NIP was never really comfortable for me, physically.

[hunnybumm]

I was a 38DD when I first started nursing. With DS#1 I was a bit thinner so I wasn't too self conscience about my sides and tummy, I just pulled him close so he covered my tummy. With DS#2 I am a bit heavier and very self conscience of my sides and tummy, I could care less about the actual breast. What I found works for me is to pull my shirt down, and put my breast over the top of my shirt since I only wear tank tops and they aren't really loose. But I use a little scarf thing which I fling over my shoulder to cover my breast. I guess sort of like a nursing cover up, but it doesn't cover babies head at all, just the top of my breast. I feel a lot more comfortable nursing like that, and it is a lot easier to just pull my breast over the top than to try and pull my breast over my bra, but under my tank.

[Meiri]

I'm afraid I never thought too much about it. I'll admit I didn't like the idea of my belly showing, but DS and DD needed to eat. I only got the hang of nursing in the sling with DD, as an almost toddler.

What I wore, and still wear actually, were Decent Exposures unbras and t-shirts. I lean toward loose tees, so all I had to do was reach up under my shirt to pull my bra down (no exposure yet) then pull my shirt OUT (still no exposure unless someone's shorter than I sitting down ) to latch DD on. My shirt simply draped near enough to her face (and DS's in his time) that next to nothing "showed".

If I had it to do over, the only thing I'd do differently is to have a longer Mayawrap so I could use the tail for coverage--of ME.

[AEMOMMY]

Just some humor.

My friend was pregnant while I was nursing my first. We were discussing breastfeeding one day. Then she asked me what size I was. I told her double d, she was amazed. She acted like that was the hugest size she ever hear of. Well I guess she was really impressed because a few days later she went to buy batteries at the store, when she couldn't find the size she was looking for she went to the clerk and said "Excuse me do you carry double d's?"

I hope this was as funny written as it was in person.

[Aeress]

I needed lots of support under one breast (and not the other...go figure...lopsided) and I had no idea there was the breast pillow thing, so I used a rolled up burp cloth, which helped, but wasn't always that comfortable. If it was a warm fall day, the cloth burp cloth bugged me and needed to come out.