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!:love

[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.

:fbbf

[Attached Mama]

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

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:lol

[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. :o

[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]

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:lol

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 :lol 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 :thumb :lol 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

[mandemack]

I LOVE nursing shirts! At DH's grandmother of the year banquet dd was asleep at my breast while family photos were being taken and no one was the wiser. Plus, I buy the ones on clearance at Motherhood and are comfy, convenient, and pretty. If I don't like them and they don't fit my style, I don't buy them. But, I've nursed everywhere and most of the time, nobody knows the difference...even if they are staring at me or baby while it nurses. It's just that discreet. Plus, it makes me feel comfortable because my side or belly isn't showing. There are lots of different openings and styles, and some are better than others. I have lots of nursing shirts that you can't even tell are nursing shirts. They are just pretty. For the first year or so with dd, I always wore a nursing shirt if I was going to be in public. It made me feel confident and not afraid of offending someone.

Mandy

[eilonwy]

I found that I only needed a nursing top (dress, actually) once, but I never go anywhere or do anything. If I was, say, going to services regularly I'd like to have a few nice ones, but because I spend most of my time at home there's just no need for them. :shrug Nightgowns bothered me (my boobs are too big and the nightgowns never fit right in the front, besides which I had to wear a regular bra to sleep), and to get a decent nursing top would be expensive, so it just never happened.

I mean, I wouldn't say no if I found some nice, quality nursing tops in a thrift store in my size; I'd have a good excuse to start going to services again and such, but as it is I'm okay with my t-shirts.

[radicalmama]

popping in from May...

I had a black velvet motherwear dress that I LOVED. I wore it to a funeral and a bunch of high end parties and nursed away.

Other than that though, most nursing clothes just don't seem to look quite right...

[Mom2-4Gs]

A friend gave me a couple maternity nursing tops. But they looked so sloppy to wear for either. So I picked one apart and changed the sleeve (my first attempt ever) and cut off quite a bit from the sides. I did sew one sleeve on backwards!
I was going to try taking 2 shirts and making another attempt also. still need to do that. I did find a good nursing bra at the thrift store that fits! And a long black motherwear dress. Also you can always cut holes in wife beaters and wear under if you like layering or someone told me they did this with a turtle neck and had a shirt over it. I made one belly band and want to make a couple more. The really cute stuff is so high. I really didn't use a lot of nursing clothes but if I see some that looks good at the thrift store I'll get it. I hate the ones that make you still look PG.

Allison
Mom to 4 daughters and a ? due end of April

[tropicalmom]

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. :o
What did you think of the Boob shirt? They seem like just what I'm looking for but interested in your opinion.

Julie

[lmonter]

Nope, never had any nursing clothes, probably never will. Well, unless you count the Bravado bras I have that I no longer use.

My typical uniform is a tank top and yoga pants (our wood stove keeps the house toasty during the winter) or shorts. I'd just pull my boob out the top of my shirt - I'm more shy about my flabby stretchmarked belly than I am about my boobs (hey, they look good when I'm nursing). I'd nurse ds that way when he wanted to and was in my pouch sling in the hip carry - the sling covered up most of what people could possibly find objectionable.

Although before ds and I really got the hang of nursing I'd use a thin blanket to cover up so when ds would unlatch every few seconds I wouldn't be completely flashing people (back when I had modesty).

Lanna

[ktkb]

What did you think of the Boob shirt? They seem like just what I'm looking for but interested in your opinion.

Julie

Pricey but nice. Definitely a fitted look, unlike most of my nursing clothes (I am an xs, but for many styles I resorted to small). Held up well in the wash. Once I got the hang of how the top "works," was able to nurse with the absolute minimum of skin showing. I have a short sleeve boob top, and the sleeves were a little too short for me to feel comfortable in at synagogue, but I loved to layer it with a (non-nursing/non-maternity) cardigan or a blouse. At the time I bought it (2 yrs ago), I only recall seeing solid colors, but now I think they have funky prints and patterns and such.

If I wasn't lusting over a Peanut Shell pouch, I'd probably want to spend the same money on another boob top :o