what to wear when bfeeding?

[pippa251]

Hello,

I am 38 + 2 and plan to BF. However, my usual wardrobe will not accomodate this- as I have put on 3 stone so i have no loose fitting or stretchy tops left. So I am going to treat myself to a few outfits which I can comfortably BF from. Has anyone got any suggestions i.e. summer dresses, tops, NICE underwear?

Also any ladies who run and BF can you reccommend a good sports bra which you can BF from ?

Thanks ladies

get a vest in a much larger size, h+m have cheapo ones, wear a t shirt over it,

to feed, lift t shirt, pull down vest - boob exposed, belly covered.

plus, you never know what your body will be like post delivery- maybe some of your stuff will fit

hth.

Bulk buy camisole/vest tops. Wear them under shirts/tops so you can lift one up and one down iyswim. The main problem with BF is exposing your spare tyre.

Dresses are difficult but you could try here.

And lots of cheap t shirts. Until my supply settled down I was getting through about 4 or 5 day. No breast pad was sufficient!

I think BF is a jolly good reason to sit down and eat biscuits so no running advice - sorry!

I agree with the above, vests are much needed to hide the belly and will fit under any loose top. New Look has some really nice tops just now that are wider round the bottom. I also bought a cheap pashmina to throw round me so I could wear tops without vests when it was hot.

Good Luck with baby

There is also some lovely nursing underwear but prepare to feel a little like nurse Gladys!
Amoralia and Hot Milk are lovely but expensive.

If you can afford it, try and go somewhere like Rigby and Peller (go now) and be fitted properly so you have at least one bra that gives you two lovely breasts rather than a shelf

one more thing (I'm on a roll). Go for patterns. That way, if you do happen to leak it doesn't show up as much.

Good luck with breastfeeding, it's great!

Thanks for the advice- I would have never thought of the vest and oversized t-shirt thing but it really makes sense!

I wear a thin stretchy strapped vest top underneath whatever top I want to wear that day. You just unclip your bra and then reach up under your top to pull down the cup and the vest so it is under your breast. You then lift up your top and latch baby on, top falls back down to cover breast and the vest covers all your back and (in my case squidgy) tummy that way you don't need to worry about how floaty the top is as you are already covered.

I have loads in co-ordinating colours to match my tops. I get mine from Primark they about £1.50 each so you can get lots and they won't break they bank.

I also have two 'proper' nursing tops one from H&M which I dislike as it makes me feel exposed (there are 2 panels which you part to reveal your nipple so you are relying on baby co-operating and not popping off).

I also have a Blooming Marvellous one which works a bit like my vest/top combos in the sense it has a panel you lift up to nurse but the panel then covers baby's face.

I have a nursing dress from JoJo Maman Bebe which is really pretty and my mother in law used as a template to adapt some dress patterns to make me two more nursing dresses for three weddings I went to last year. They were all in the same group of friends so I couldn't recycle the same dress over and over.

I really like the one that is in the current catalogue it's really pretty.

I would caution you to stay away from the mothercare nursing tops as unless your breasts grow either side of your waist you won't find them very discrete! I bought one and took it straight back as you could see my back, tummy, sides and my breasts! Not what I want other people to see.

Just to note I don't have any problems with people nursing however/where ever they like and however much skin they show but for me I am body concious and have issues with MY fat being out there for people to see. I could give a rats about other people's fat!

Good luck and don't forget you will lose lots of baby weight in the first few months so don't go crazy buying lots to fit your 'new' shape as it will probably be changing soon!

Ooopps must type faster! Major vest cross postings!

Vest and top here too .
I had dd almost 5 weeks ago and have lost loads of weight (due to bf I think) so you may be back in your old stuff quicker than you think .
Good luck .

Loose long tops that you can lift up on but then still cover as much of you as possible - also always used a muslin draped over shoulder which covered my exposed side.

And an easy and quick to release nursing bra.

And remember - bf uses up loads of calories so the weight will disappear!

I found this www.boobydoo.co.uk/sportsbra/productlisting.cfm?brandid=14&action=brandsearch which is good as front fastening. I wear a regular nursing bra underneath.

Just need to wait until your supply has settled down and wear it for a short time as possible as it is quite tight.

I eventually decided I couldn't be arsed excercising and I'm still losing weight despite the olympic cake/chocolate eating.

I have a couple of mamaway things- a dress which is ace, and a 'twinset' type top. They are really comfy, wash well, and are great. The only thing is it is too hot to wear them atm as they are long sleeved.
I find it too hot for vest and tshirt too atm

You can buy mamaway from a few shops on ebay btw... you don't need to order from Taiwan!

I usually do the vest/top thing but I also have two breastfeeding tops from frugi which I love - v soft lightweight jersey. I find the mothercare ones useless.

But in this heat (and with dd constantly feeding because of it) I've just drawn the blinds and am sitting here in nowt but shorts and a bra

oh, forgot to say, check frugi's facebook page or blog because they often have discount codes!

good luck with baby

You could try one of these

www.nappywardrobe.co.uk/ourshop/cat_185964-Monkey-Foot-Breastfeeding-Apron-Cover.htm l - there are others in the UK too - like babybubu (sp) and someone mentioned John Lewis have some but only one or two patterns. Or the babysense shawl is nice - weighted and pale print if bright isn't your thing! I know honeybees nursery shop and lollipop stock them - lollipop is in classfied ads but honeybees has loads of BF goods and pumps etc.

Thanks so much for all the advice and it seems bfeeding is a great way of loosing the baby weight with the sound of things!!

hi, bizarrely enough i have found the maternity vests i bought from mamas & papas brilliant. They weren't the really tight ones, and had enough drape to cover me around the baby.

If i was having a fat day I wore one of the bump bands i used in pregnancy which i bought from New Look - i think 3 for £10 - underneath over my tummy. and top of my trousers (was still wearing maternity trousers until recently so was conscious of way too much belly hip & arse when i sat down)

Personally i found the vest under top thingy too much hassle - maybe my tits are down round my waist - but i found it almost impossible and/ or uncomfortable to get the vest down below boob. That could be cos I'm tall, as opposed to droopy though.

Am liking the look of the Diva dress from Frugi though - good suggestion.