It’s been a while since I did any kind of fashion post. I had a couple planned while I was pregnant, but I was not a fashionable pregnant momma this last time. I stuck to yoga pants, low rise jeans and lots and lots of sweatshirts (it was winter after all), but it was far from fashionable. However, I have some of my sense of individuality and fashion back and I want more from my summer wardrobe than knit pants and t-shirts.
I’m gonna talk boobs today. More specifically, breastfeeding-friendly clothing. Breastfeeding and I have a love/hate relationship. While I totally love the time to bond with baby during the first few months, that’s about where the love ends. I really don’t enjoy breastfeeding. It’s painful at first and an annoyance later on. Stopping every three to five hours, all day, everyday, for a 30 minute feeding sesh… if junior is a quick eater… is more of a time suck (pardon the pun) than you may realize. Baby N will be three months old on June 2. (Wait… what? When did that happen?! Gosh, it goes fast.) Anyway, how many hours do you think I’ve spent feeding him over the past 3 months? Guesses? Well, let me give you a hint and rephrase the question: how many days do you think I’ve spent feeding him? SEVEN. ONE WEEK. Can you imagine sitting around for a week with someone attached to your chest? Think of all the things I could have gotten done in that time! {Hmm… future post? =) “How to multi-task with a babe latched on”}
Okay, so that’s a lot of time. With my first two – I nursed Big J for seven weeks and Little J for eight months – I didn’t have any special clothing or nursing tops. I just made do with what I had. And that was about it, they worked well enough. But it was anything but convenient. I often had to take my whole sleeve off to feed my baby. Not an easy thing to do discreetly in public. We’re talking about converting my tops to a single shoulder shirt (that also completely exposed my breast) while Little J ate his fill. Definitely not discreet. This time around I decided that if I was going to spend that much time with my boobs hanging out, it was going to be as convenient as possible. These are pieces that will make your summer style functional as well as fashionable.
My must-have breastfeeding clothing:
– Nursing Tanks. I have two of these. I am about two weeks of AdSense earnings from getting more. They are amazing. The strap clasps make it easy to get to “the goods” without removing my entire top. They are easy to layer under t-shirts, sweatshirts, cardigans, polos… you name it. I found a two pack at H&M. They are great quality and since they are a two-fer, each tank is nearly half the price of the ones I was finding everywhere else. The cons are they only had black and white in my size and in stock availability seems to fluctuate a lot. Great neutrals, but pretty boring. Also, they had a shelf bra built in and my girls are always too big for them. These ones were tight enough I was worried it would decrease my milk supply. Seriously. I didn’t notice that the clasp straps were attached to the shelf bra when I cut it out… whoops. I had to stitch the strap back to the body of the tank. Not a big deal, but a little inconvenient in my busy schedule, being down to one tank until I found time to fix the other was frustrating… and maybe a bit unhygienic for that first week home. I’m sure my husband loved that. Check the site often to snag your size if you’re on the small end of the sizing scale. Those sizes seem to be hard to come by.
– Deep V-Neck shirts or low scoop neck. These pair fabulously with the nursing tanks too. You can skip the tank, but the girls might experience a wardrobe malfunction or two… full boobs are heavy boobs and nursing bras don’t usually have underwire. Sometimes, they meet in the middle more than you’d like. Ah, the infamous uni-boob. So, unless you want Pamela Anderson cleavage, the tank can help keep things covered and maybe separated a little too. Choose a deep V with enough stretch in the material (knits are a fabulous choice) to slide to the side and provide easy access. I miss my underwires…
– Leggings. These are a momma-essential (and not at all exclusive to the breastfeeding) if you wear skirts or dresses a lot. I attend church weekly and constantly find myself sitting on the floor to play with the littles, sitting cross-legged (very un-ladylike in a dress…) for support while I nurse and chasing little escape artists. With a pair of leggings under my skirts and dresses I can acquiesce to these demands without worrying that I’m playing a little more peek-a-boo than I want too.
If you only splurge on one item for your nursing wardrobe, make it the nursing clasp tanks. They are so versatile, easy to pair with just about everything and make nursing a cinch. You can even still wear your regular t-shirts, blouses and even sweatshirts while you nurse with the tanks. Simply lift the outer layer up and unhook the clasps. And your top layer is a little cover so your entire breast isn’t just hang out there.
I am all for modesty, but I don’t feel like my baby should have to eat with a blanket over his head. It’s hot, distracting and can be difficult to hold on to the baby and the blanket. The common argument of “how would you like to eat with a blanket over your head?” holds some validity in my mind. However, with three boys of my own, I don’t really want nursing women just flopping their breasts out at the park or kid’s museum either, especially as my boys get older. These clothing options seem to be the best ways to conveniently breastfeed and keep my girls out of the spotlight at feeding times.
Do you have any nursing-friendly suggestions?
