Capsule wardrobe for breastfeeding?

[plasticspoon]

I'd like to spend about 200 on a small capsule wardrobe with the following:

-easy access for breastfeeding
-flattering to my poor postnatal figure
-emphasis on simple/classic (I wear a lot of black, usually with a single block of colour)
-Internet shopping where possible!

My best feature is my legs so I was thinking black wrap dress? And longish shirty-type things with leggings...I'm currently a 14 on top and a 16 below.

Any ideas for specific items? Esp the wrap dress! tia

[ANTagony]

£5 top in coral jojo mama bebe very flattering

[plasticspoon]

Ooh yes that's very nice, thanks

[Lavitabellissima]

I'd also be interested to find some attractive breastfeeding clothes. I'm a size 12 currently

[ANTagony]

Again jojo a feeding wrap dress but at £39 not a cheap option

Mamas and Papas have had a short sleeved long black wrap top feeding maxi dress for under £20 but I can't find it on their site at present. Mothercare have some maternity wrap dresses - not sure about breast feeding.

Ebay is good for this kind of thing if you're not in a rush.

I'm all for a selection of vest type feeding tops I can wear under my current selection of cardigans, wraps and baggy shirts.

Some one else on hear recommended using standard wrap tops a size to big with a vest underneath.

Also nursing bras are £7.50 for two at Debenhams sale at present (online free delivery to store for instore pick up) - I managed to get a pack in my size.

[ANTagony]

this is a cheaper wrap dress option 'new' from ebay

I'm getting into this now only a few weeks to go and I haven't got my post bump wardrobe fully sorted.

If you like the mamas and papas stuff order the catalogue and they'll send you a £5 voucher usable online or instore.

[otchayaniye]

normal clothes (wrap dresses, trousers and tops) and two anita underwired breastfeeding bras got me through 2 years of demand feeding.

You don't need special clothes, which are mostly naff, but those bras were amazing - proper support and a great shape without the horrid monoboob effect. But you need to get a good fit preferably a few weeks into it.

[BuckingxmasFells]

anita underwires all the way. makes you feel human!

[llareggub]

Wrap dresses are great but not that easy for feeding, I've found.

I never bothered with special breastfeeding clothes, but just wore things like leggings/jeans and tunics with a vest underneath that could be pulled down for easy access.

I tend to feed cross-legged on the floor at playgroups and the like so wrap dresses aren't that easy to feed in.

[ANTagony]

I just ordered the jojo £5 top and got it for £4.50 including delivery by entering code VIL02!

Am shocked.

[tassisssss]

I wore normal clothes and BFed 3 for over a year each.

My only recommendation is CARDIGANS! Especially with dc2 and 3 as would frequently feed on a park bench or rug and it could be FREEZING to lift my top!

[Nagoo]

cardigans, vests and bump bands underneath so no one can see any belly works for me. Don't like whipping the wrap part of dresses/ tops open, too exposing for me. Also scarves cover me up on the top. I look normal in this stuff, as it's a variant on what I wore before.

[AliBellandthe40jingles]

Vests and cardigans are the best thing, or those tops that unbutton halfway.

The problem with wrap things I found is that they need re-tying often after a feed, which is a PITA if you are juggling a wriggling child.

[thatsabloodybigtree]

My current bf wardrobe is 2 bumpbands £8 at asda (black and grey) 4 vest tops (2 for £10 from topshop) black, grey and a couple of bright colours. Team with cardigans (pre-pregnancy ones are fine) and treated myself to a couple of check shirts with christmas vouchers to update. These go with all the rest of my "normal" bottom half clothes (jeans/leggings/combats/denim skirts and really easy to feed in even on bench in the trafford centre on tuesday-nobody even batted an eye! Much easier than the button front tops and dresses I had bought whilst pregnant as I find these show far too much flesh, make me feel more on show! I find this combo of layers means if you cant get bra fastened properly due to windy/sicky baby, it doesn't matter so much.

Oh and go for patterns if baby is especially sicky :)

[thatsabloodybigtree]

And just re-read your OP...bumpbands in a smaller size (I bought small and I am not a small!) will hold in mummy tummy just nicely. :)

[traceybath]

I agree with cardigans. Also the two tops thing so one goes down and one goes up and nice scarves for discreet coverage.

Other than that I always wore normal stuff but did avoid dresses until I stopped bf.

[Icoulddoitbetter]

If you can get to one, I've got a couple of H&M black dresses that were about £15-£20 each and I've worn them loads. BF clothes are soooooooo boring but personally I'm not very happy with layering so I've got a fair few proper BF tops. The dresses and tops tend to also be designed for pregnancy too so they are flattering for a post-bump tum.

H&M also do good vests that I wear now under jumpers without a bra (they have a double layer and keep my 36D's in check!).

Avoid Mothercare clothes, in my experience they are pretty crappy.

[plasticspoon]

MThanks all, this is all really helpful! I was so grumpy by the end of my pregnancy that i didn't think about what i would wear once ds had arrived...i am fed up going out in tracksuit bottoms! Bump bands are a great idea, tho sadly vest tops and a cardie are no no as my stomach is horrendous at the moment. Hence the interest in wraps- more flattering than the rolls i get with trousers :(

[5DollarShake]

I am BFing No. 2 and am another one who agrees that you don't need special clothes, especially as most of them are, if not ghastly, then generally not the sort of things you'd ever choose if you weren't BFing.

Vests get me through most situations and wrap dresses for dressing up a bit.

[Chatelaine]

How about a simple shawl? There are even designer versions for breastfeeding. An age old tradition around the world...