Tell me about nursing clothes...

[Dee-Groovy]

I'm almost 35 weeks now and realizing that both my current and former wardrobes are ill-equipped for nursing. Unfortunately I find nursing clothes both confusing and expensive. : I apologize in advance for having so many questions! :

Do I actually need nursing clothes, besides bras? Will they make my life a lot easier, just a little easier, or not easier at all? Since I'm on a limited (ok, non-existant) budget, are some items better to have than others? For example, would it be better to have pajamas or daytime tops, if you had to choose one? I'll be at home with the baby for the first couple months, then I'll be working 2 or 3 days a week for 6-8 hours for the next few months, then working full time while she stays with her daddy. I'll pump at work, obviously.

Bras - why do they make them with underwire and without padding? Where do you buy yours, and when? Do you prefer the kind with all-around support or just the little bra pad holder off to the side? Can anyone recommend a hands-free bra for pumping?

I appreciate the advice from experienced moms so much!

[Curlita]

Bras -- I like Medela. They have ones with cups and ones that are more sports-bra like. The cup ones are lightly padded. You can order those with or without underwire. I have all but one without underwire, since underwires can squish things up and promote blocked ducts. The Medela ones with cups are equipped to hook up with the Medela system for hands-free nursing. Believe me, you have never felt so much like a Guernsey cow in your life as when you have yourself strapped into a hands-free nursing set up!

And no, you don't really need special nursing clothing. I have a few nursing tops and jammies, but you really don't need them. You can't really wear dresses while you're nursing (unless they are nursing dresses), but just about anything else works. You just hike it up and let baby do his thing. I don't really remember feeling exposed in the midriff area, either. Special nursing clothes can be hard to adjust, since you're trying to get that one small area of fabric arranged just right around your nipple.

Hope this helps!

[Da WIC Lady]

Originally Posted by MajorGroover

I'm almost 35 weeks now and realizing that both my current and former wardrobes are ill-equipped for nursing. Unfortunately I find nursing clothes both confusing and expensive. : I apologize in advance for having so many questions! :

Do I actually need nursing clothes, besides bras? Will they make my life a lot easier, just a little easier, or not easier at all? Since I'm on a limited (ok, non-existant) budget, are some items better to have than others? For example, would it be better to have pajamas or daytime tops, if you had to choose one? I'll be at home with the baby for the first couple months, then I'll be working 2 or 3 days a week for 6-8 hours for the next few months, then working full time while she stays with her daddy. I'll pump at work, obviously.

Bras - why do they make them with underwire and without padding? Where do you buy yours, and when? Do you prefer the kind with all-around support or just the little bra pad holder off to the side? Can anyone recommend a hands-free bra for pumping?

I appreciate the advice from experienced moms so much!

You don't need nursing clothes, but they make my life a lot easier. I find some nursing clothes in the maternity section of the thrift stores around here. If you're on a budget, I'd get some camisoles with the built in bras for around the house/sleep/layering under your regular tops. They don't really give much support unless you shell out the $$$. I get my bras at Motherhood Maternity and Walmart. Motherhood will fit you for free but you don't have to buy from them. Sleep bras were great for holding pads in place and controlling access when night weaning. I still wear one around when I'm cleaning house or need some sort of support rather than go braless. E-bay is also a good place to find deals on nursing tops. I'd go find a Motherhood with a nursing section to try out the different opening types before sinking cash into something online.

Anna

[SierraJ]

OK, this may be too much information, but here's what I do...

I don't need a lot of support (if ya' know what I mean), so I wear sleeping bras during the day. They are a lot like athletic bras and are very comfortable.

I bought a couple of nursing PJ's at a thrift store, but find that I'm not coordinated enough to use them at night so... i don't wear anything at night -- no shirt, bra, anything, it's just easier now that my milk flow has regulated. After my baby was first born, I slept in a sleeping bra w/nursing pads.

I have a couple of nursing shirts, and enjoy them, but mostly use my regular clothes. I don't wear dresses, but wear a lot of tee shirts and skirts.

Hope this helps!

[melissakc]

I think it depends on whether you will be nursing in public and how comfortable you are with showing parts of your body.

I think a nursing tank top is the most important thing. You can wear one under any other top, pull the top shirt up and drop the cup and both your boob and your belly are covered and some people won't even know you are nursing. A good nursing bra is wonderful but I hate for my belly to show and I don't like pulling my shirt down bc I think it exposes too much boob.

I don't think nursing pajamas are a necessity, but they are nice. You can easily wear a t-shirt and just pull it up, but in the beginning I remember needing about 10 hands so it was nice not to have to worry about my shirt falling in her face.

I prefer nursing bras and tanks without the full sling and with just that strap on the outside. I really hated the openings on the tanks from Motherwear and returned them. Whatever you buy, make sure you can do it with one hand. These are the nursing tanks I bought and will use again: http://www.mybirthcare.com/apparel/nursingtank.asp The only thing I don't like about them is that I wish they were a little longer to cover my belly more.

I wouldn't buy an underwire nursing bra bc it can lead to mastitis and blocked ducts. Many nursing moms use them without any problems, but the risk is just not worth it to me.

I bought some yucky nursing bras when I first got home with the baby and once I knew what I wanted I ordered these online and have been 100% happy with them: http://www.mybirthcare.com/apparel/e..._basic_bra.asp

If I had $50 to spend, I would buy 2 or 3 nursing tanks. Target sells them now! If I had more to spend, I would then buy two hands-free bras for pumping at work after you have time to figure out what you like. The no-hands thing will drive you batty!

Good luck!

[Googy]

Nursing bras are a must. What bra is good for you will depend on what you need. I definitely don't recommend underwire, as it can lead to plugged ducts and mastitis. After that, its up to you. The more unstructured bras are much easier to nurse in, but they aren't very supportive and show nipple through your shirts. The soft moulded cups are bulkier and can get in the way when nursing, but they make you look a lot better (well-supported boobs, no nipples showing). I've heard great things about the Bravado and Medela brands in general. I just ordered some Bravado Lifestyle bras to try. I've tried the Motherhood ones, but they fell apart for me. I had ones from Mimi with DD that were OK. I would get at least 2 daytime bras and one nighttime one.

As for nursing tops/PJ, they aren't necessary at all, but they are really nice. I didn't have any at all with DD. I just made sure to buy regular tops that were possible to nurse in (some styles that have too many layers or are too tight-fitting; blouses under sweater, etc. are NOT nursing-friendly).

HOWEVER, I should say that I ended up seriously regretting not having any nursing stuff. I nursed in public (NIP) a lot with DD (she had to nurse every 2 hours, and would nurse for 1 1/2 hours per session, so I only had a 1/2 hour off--so, if I was every going to do ANY errands or get anything done at all, NIP had to happen), and while I definitely don't think that women should have to be "discrete" when they NIP, but I would have appreciated not flashing boob/belly sometimes when I was in really public/awkward situations, just to make my life a bit easier, you know? Not to mention, even at home, sometimes all the bulk of my shirt piled up on top of my boob was a huge pain--it got in the way, fell down, I couldn't see DD as well, etc.

This time I ordered myself a few nursing tops to start with (you change sizes constantly at the beginning, so don't buy too many of anything until your weight stabilizes a bit). I also bought myself a nursing PJ set as a treat. I just got all that stuff in the mail today--I am so happy with it all--I tried it all on and tried out the nursing openings, and they are SOOOOO much easier. I really like the crossover/wrap-style tops as well as the less obvious-looking empire tops, as they are the easiest-access. Motherhood has a few, though not a huge selection. Online, Motherwear and Expressiva are good options.

I don't think the budget thing is too much of a factor, really, since you will have to be buying new clothes anyway. Seriously, I swear that I changed sizes every few weeks at the beginning.

Honestly, I think you can go either way. Do whatever makes you feel the happiest/most comfortable.

[milkmamma]

I think you do need nursing clothes...but not all nursing clothes. Nursing bras are a must. I prefer ones that I get from Motherhood (microfiber, very comfy) You want to be able to undo the flaps with only one hand.

I wouldn't spend money on nursing pjs, just by normal ones that button. These are so much cheaper and you don't have to worry about the material shifting and exposing you to your visitors. Nursing jammies aren't great with coverage.

Nursing day clothes are a sort of... I have a handful of shirts that are for nursing but I find them really useful when I am out with the baby, this way I can have him in the sling and be nursing him. Since my shirt looks like its all in place I don't have to fuss with trying to be covered, no skin is showing. I hate baring my midriff so I always take my shirt down from the top and tuck a birp cloth like DS is cuddling it, that covers the skin without covering the baby.

At home I just wear normal shirts that I can easily pull up and wash easily since you get spit up on, burped on, sneezed on...leaked on...you get the idea. No dry clean only in your future.

Don't spend a lot or buy multiples of any shirt until you have "test driven" it. I found that I love the cross over shirts that are out there (non nursing) because I can pull one side over and nurse without any trouble.

I think this is a really all about personal opinion and comfort level.

[LittleLlama]

I've observed that if you are anything more than a B cup, nursing bras are a must. I tried to do without and just lift up the band and it was SO lame and uncomfortable to put back together.

I had both Bravado and Medela. The Bravado did not have underwire or padding, the Medela had a wire... there were also speciall little hooks in the cup for attaching a pump, something to keep in mind.

For bras in general, I like www.figleaves.com. I haven't gone through them for nursing bras yet, but I'm a hard to fit size and they're good with returns and have a good amount of reviews that seem to be pretty spot on.

I've never owned anything else for nursing. I'd just wear a regular shirt. I'm thinking that I'll probably get some good use out of my Tummy Sleeve/Bella Bands this winter because it does get drafty lifting up that much clothing. Would make for good NIP too, that much less skin to show off.

[cheeseRjedi]

A few nursing bras are a must. Nursing PJ's are a sham, imo . But I usually just slept in a nursing bra (to hold the pads in place) and boxers. Nursing tanks are helpful, especially if you are slinging a babe. I wore my DD in a Moby Wrap w/ a nursing tank and no no one would even know when she was nursing.

[astrophe27]

Everyone is different.

I was a 46D after she was born and my milk came in. I hated nursing bras like Bravada (useless flaps and buttons) so I just went with regular but no underwire bras and just hiked it up and down.

I had a few nursing tops initially from imaternity.com and motherwear.com because at the time I hadn't heard of belly bands and wanted the stomach coverage. But later as she got bigger and her body covered more of me I just went with regular shirts hiked up.

I was best in separates -- tops and skirts, pants, shorts. I did not much care for nursing dresses.

One cool $20 fleece hoodie jacket I found at Target was double zipper. So you could unzip from the top and slide it down or unzip form the bottom and slide up up. That was good for nursing in winter so I only unzipped enough from the bottom up to tuck her up in there. So even if not officially "nursing" clothing, it worked out great. Keep and eye out in the other aisles!



A.

[Googy]

I was looking on Motherwear tonight and found this hands-free pumping bra, patented my La Leche League! I thought it might be helpful for you:

http://www.motherwear.com/prod.cfm/cid/55/sid/6196

[Dee-Groovy]

Wow thanks so much for all the great advice!

Curlita that hands-free setup for Medela bras looks like a winner - apparently it turns any Medela bra into a hands-free bra as long as you use standard Medela breastshields. Hmm.

Googy I like that hands-free bra from LLL too. Thanks for telling me that I'll be changing sizes frequently after birth - jeez I hope so anyway!

I have mat clothes from Motherhood and Motherwear but I haven't been too impressed with the quality of either - I'm sure it worth it to spend a little more on a good brand of bra. I was totally disappointed by Motherhood's bra selection and fit anyway. How's the quality of nursing clothes at Espressiva and iMaternity?

Glad to hear that nursing tanks are highly recommended. I'm normally a 36C, up to a 38D and I sleep in shelf tanks b/c I like the support. So for now I'll plan on skipping the PJs (using tanks instead), trying on bras in the store, and trying to find a few inexpensive tops until my PP weight stabilizes. Now if only my ankles would stop swelling so I can get shopping!

[mittendrin]

I got a few bras at Kohls, great sales right now!
For me nursing bras are essential, because I am a very saggy 38DD. If I was smaller and perky, lol, I'd probably try to get away w some sports bras.
Nursing shirts were never a must for me, I can nurse discretely lifting my shirt up and covering any bare spots around my sides w a sling or blanky. I tried a few nursing Tees and just didn't like fumbling with them, trying to pull my boob out of the whole I think most shirts are designed for smaller busted women only. Same as maternity tops: , my boobs are always too big for those ones.
Nursing wear is nothing I would stock up on now, maybe a couple of Tshirts and try if you like it. Get bras a size bigger, at least get the cup bigger and buy some bra extenders in case the band size goes up too, which it usually doesn't.
It's very uncomfy IMO to walk around w milk filled boobs without any support. for nights I second getting some shelf bras.