BF-friendly clothing.

[GoApeShit]

DC2 is due in a few weeks. I failed miserably didn't BF DS for as long as I would have liked for various reasons so really hoping to have more success this time. Planning in advance and being prepared is one of the things I'm trying to do. I've been looking at things like nursing bras and clothes which are BF-friendly. Of course I'm interested in the MN take on this

I'm more than happy to buy proper nursing bras as they seem like a sound investment. Any ones worth getting or worth avoiding? Do you wear one at night? How many did you buy and when - how am I supposed to know how huge my already massive boobs are going to get?!

I'm less convinced about the need for other clothing designed specifically for BFing...my brief research suggests a strappy top which can be pulled down, covered by another top which can be pulled up seems to work. Did you find this? Or do I need a plan B?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I liked Bravado Seamless nursing bras at first, they are sized broadly as S/M/L so you don't need to worry about getting measured until things settle down.

Rather than nursing clothing I wore a stretchy strappy vest under a shirt/jumper so pulled the jumper up and one side of vest down to feed. This definitely worked for me and specially designed nursing clothes are pricey!

There is a popular FB group called "Can I Breastfeed In It?" which is worth a browse for ideas too.

I ave small boobs which i think makes a big difference. I spend a lot of time bra less wearing a nursing vest from H & M. £20 for 2, inbuilt support but no coverage when feeding in public so wear a vest with a thin loose top over. Top pulls up, vest unclips and down.

Also have two bras i think from mothercare, which a friend gave me. I wear them under other stuff (when not wearing a vest)

Jojo maman bebe breton stripe nursing dress - ebay, £12. This I love! Very smart and discrete (but no£65 new....)

At night i have some pjs which have the inbuilt bra bit. I also wear normal 'built in support' vests at night. You need to ensure the straps are nice and stretchy.

I've seen those vests with the inbuilt support. I might have to see how my massive knockers get on with them; might be a futile effort

Definitely going to try the vest / top combo. I definitely need to lose some weight after this baby so hoping that will help hide the flab too.

Thanks for the FB group tip - will check that out.

I've just ordered some bras from nursingbra-shop.co.uk - not arrived yet so cant vouch for them...but Im a 36H currently and struggled last time round to get anything flattering and supportive - this website have a massive selection, including underwired bras, free delivery and a free 45 day return policy. Might be worth a try? I had a mothercare one last time - rubbish for big boobs!

Thanks persephone I will have a peek now.

I'm a 40DD at the moment. Pre-pregnancy was a 36/38 D.

I second Persephone- nursingbras uk are really good. One quid postage abroad!

I bought a bravado one, an Anita one and a hot milk one. By FAR the best is the hot milk. It has really good construction, soft material, great support and looks nice too.
The bravado soft one is good to sleep in.
The Anita one I don't think much of... The cups don't provide enough support imho.

In terms of what you actually need - absolutely yes to a good bra. The sales are on so take advantage.
Do you need specific bf clothing? I'd say no. Strappy vests are great under regular tops. I also wear a lot of wrap dresses. Under these if I'm out I wear a vest which I've slit horizontally midway between boob and waist, this allows me to pull the boob out with a bit of cover in public (bloody freezing here just now!)

So yes yes to bras but not really to clothes.

Thank you for the recommendations. That website has a great choice, will definitely be ordering some.

I find the nursing sleep bras are a must they are like crop tops but with the nursing straps/clips, I'm a 42E and get quite uncomfortable if I sleep without and it means I can use breast pads overnight in case of leakages.
I have the large size from mothercare and they are a good fit, I got them in the sale in the summer so I expect they will be in the current one.
I would avoid the mothercare normal nursing bra's they don't really cater for the larger sizes.

My favourite nursing bra is from Asda. I also have a m&s and mothercare ones. I prefer the asda one partly as it's the most comfortable but partly because it was so much cheaper!
I also bought a couple of breastfeeding dresses from Asda. Not particularly my style but they were very cheap and handy in the early fumbling around weeks.

Dd is nearly 6 months now and I rarely wear breastfeeding specific clothes. Dd is so nosey I usually need to chuck a muslin over her so she concentrates on feeding when out and about so it doesn't really matter what I wear.

I have quite big boobs (currently 34H) and have found nursing tops (i.e. ones where you can pull a boon through a slit) to be a godsend. I got mine from H & M, two for £20, look just like normal wrap tops with a vest underneath but the "vest" piece of fabric pulls aside from the rest of the top to allow for easy access. I didn't get on with their nursing vests at all.

In the early weeks, I wore maternity tops or ones which were a bit empire-line in style, which had lots of fabric over the middle so I could sort of shove DS underneath to feed without revealing too much (more bothered about flabby stomach than books!).

Regarding bras, I bought one nursing bra and then converted my maternity bras using kits I bought on eBay, very easy to do and way cheaper than buying multiple well-fitting nursing bras in my size! Having said that, I'm four months in and my cup size has definitely reduced so I will probably splash out on a couple more bras as I plan to feed for a while.

I got fitted for a nursing bra at around 38 weeks pregnant at Bravissimo; they don't have a huge choice of styles but are very knowledgeable and the bra I bought did fit when my milk came in. They would have been happy to exchange if not, assuming I hadn't cut off the tags, etc - I'd definitely recommend buying one, then waiting to see how things are when your supply settles down.

Even as a 34G/GG, the top up/top down mostly works for me. I have a few bravado nursing bras, the semi-underwired ones are a good compromise, in terms of support and comfort. Bravissimo have the best range on the high street for larger breasts, but they also have quite variable expertise. Don't be afraid to take back anything which is at all uncomfortable!
I have a few bf-specific tops and dresses, from Vertbaudet, Mothercare etc., they are ok, but mostly do two tops. Am looking forward to being able to wear a dress without thinking about bf again tho (DC2 is one now) .

Bravado Silk nursing bra is THE BOMB. I have two and wear them even when I'm not nursing, they're so comfy. For wired ones I like the AnIt'a seam-free one with soft wire. The only Hot Milk one I have was OK, not really worth the money but pretty!

Jojo Breton stripe nursing tops and dresses (about £25 and £36 respectively I think) are fantastic and I genuinely wouldn't have made it out of the house in the early months without them.

Apart from that I'd recommend buying some nursing vests (H&M or M&P for me) and wearing them under checked shirts, denim shirts etc. I think it can be much harder for some people than others to adapt their usual style to nursing - some people suit the long best underneath and cropped 80s style sweater over the top - I emphatically do not. I hated the fact that I had to consign my knitted dresses and then sundresses to the wardrobe for a good while, but obvs if you're more of a button-down shirt kind of person that it's going to be easier to stick to your usual clothes.

I always use royce jasmine nursing bras, no glam but functional and im super fussy about boobage outside the cup, these contain well!

I buy some cheap sleep bras for immediately after birth and then a week in i buy proper ones that fit well.

Clothes wise, I generally dont buy anything special or specific, but i do love bella mama clothes. A good tip is the top up top down method. You wear a fest (h and m are great) under your normal top, the lift your top and pull the vest under your boob, covers your belly up and good for confidence early on.