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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Breastfeeding tops

28 replies

aliphil · 30/05/2012 15:25

Do I really need them? I do plan to bf, but the mw gave me the bf-ing talk at my last appointment and said at least initially it's good to have the baby inside your top for skin-to-skin; plus I've seen friends just hitching up their tops, with a discreetly-placed muslin or scarf if in public. So are they necessary or just another way for manufacturers to make money? And if I do need them, where can I get inexpensive ones in larger sizes?

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BananaPie · 30/05/2012 15:32

I bought a few, but rapidly worked out that they're a waste of money. I wouldn't bother next time. Wear a vest and t- shirt. Pull vest down, hook under boob, and pull t-shirt up. Job done with minimal exposure! It might depend on your shape a bit though - my boobs are fairly small.

MadreInglese · 30/05/2012 15:34

I never bothered, looked far too faffy and fiddly

Just layer up, I bought a load of long vests to wear under tops then I didn't feel exposed with baby belly on display (top up, vest down, boob out IYSWIM)

MadreInglese · 30/05/2012 15:35

lol, xpost with BananaPie!

worked for me with larger norks (although now somewhat smaller....)

milkysmum · 30/05/2012 15:38

agree on vest top under t.shirt. no need for specific nursing tops.

scarlettsmummy2 · 30/05/2012 15:41

Waste of money, I have just bought a range of nice scarves and wear with lots of plain white vest tops etc.

Original poster

aliphil · 30/05/2012 16:11

I was a HH cup before I got pg, so am probably one of the few women who really really hopes her boobs will shrink LOTS after bf-ing! Thanks for the feedback everyone, will buy some vests. And maybe a scarf in case my father's around.

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scarlettsmummy2 · 30/05/2012 18:17

I am a g cup and my breasts went down loads after my first baby- it was great! Took a couple of months though.

blackteaplease · 30/05/2012 19:19

Agree with others, the slits are too small and you end up exposing your belly. Best to layer up with vests/ baggy tops and scarves. Once you get used to it you won't even need the layers.

Flisspaps · 30/05/2012 19:29

I stick a boob tube on under a normal top. Hides my hairy, stretch marked belly. DSs enormous head hides my boob from view

Sawasdee · 30/05/2012 19:40

Hi all: I wore vests and cardigans whilst breastfeeding my first baby and decided to buy some nursing tops in different colours by a company called 'boob' maternity for my second. They work really well for me due to a fairly clever double layer design which isn't fiddly to use - unlike other nursing tops with small holes and 'covers'. You can find them on Amazon or at www.boobdesign.com.

Violetroses · 30/05/2012 19:50

I'm going to disagree. Vest plus top is fine mst of the year, but when you are endlessly bf-ing a sticky, hot infant in the summer, a well-made breastfeeding top or dress can save you from melting.

They also help your confidence bfing in public.

I say this as a mum of three, who was too skint to invest in one first time around but am much happier having accrued a couple of things from Frugi and bellamama.

BananaPie · 30/05/2012 20:01

I agree that breast feeding dresses are great. I bought one from a website called mama feels good. The opening for feeding is hidden under the empire line part of the dress and it works really well. In fairness, any bf clothes that use the pull the top layer up and the underneath layer down/to the side worked ok - the styles that didn't work for me were the tops with slits that opened diagonally across the boob - just felt like they left too much on show.

littleweed10 · 30/05/2012 20:09

In the main all the breastfeeding tops i bought from mothercare were barely used- too faffy and slits in wrong place. And nursing nighties for the same reason,
I found one nursing vest top however which was fantastic by bravado - like this - www.nctshop.co.uk/Bravado-Nursing-Bra-Tank-Chocolate/productinfo/2518C/
It was expensive but it washed beautifully was as supportive as a good nursing bra, and I wore it most days. And still in good condition to wear for baby no2.
Bravado nursing bras are fab btw.

ellangirl · 30/05/2012 21:34

The style makes a difference. The ones with little slits in, as blacktea says are always in the wrong place, more so with big boobs. All the empire style ones are unlikely to have enough room for your boobs (I am blessed of nork too btw!) I'd say see how you get on with vests and looser tees for the first few weeks then go shopping when you know how things are going, and you've got a better idea of what size your boobs will be. The M&s fairtrade pack of two vests are good to keep you going as the straps are good and stretchy Here

Chunkychicken · 30/05/2012 22:04

I had breastfeeding vests that I bought from Mothercare, with a drop down top layer over a cropped internal layer. They were very handy.

Not sure you need many really though - my DD was born in April (she's 2 now), so the first little while we didn't go out much and my boobs were too big & sore to give a damn what I wore, then over the summer, the vests were handy. I also bought normal vests/tops with buttons down the front. I found a cover-up thing from Amazon handy too, when out and about, as it meant I didn't have to a) think about bf all day, every day when choosing my clothes & b) helped slightly older DD from yanking her head around to have a good old nose at everyone, with my nipple clamped firmly in her gob!! Ouch.

I would say though, unless money is really, really tight, its worth trying some of these things out and seeing what works for you. Afterall, if you have any more babies, you can certainly use all your stuff again or sell it on e-bay when you're done - its not like people aren't interested in pre-loved maternity wear etc. :)

Original poster

aliphil · 31/05/2012 17:19

I wouldn't say money is really really tight, but sites that start at £35 for a vest are a bit much - that's silly money for clothes! And unfortunately many of the sites don't go big enough, as I'm a size 20. I think I'll start off with t-shirts and vests and see how I get on. I don't really do dresses, to the extent that when I wore a tunic and leggings to church the other week and one of the old ladies said "It's so nice to see you in a dress", I vowed only ever to wear trousers to church in future! (It didn't helped that she had smacked me on the bum to get my attention ...)

OP posts:

sharklet · 31/05/2012 17:28

If you want to be thrifty then why not have a look on ebay, there are loads on there. It is blooming hot here and I cannot layer up (although that is what I did last time back in autumn in England. There are some great styles apart from the drop vest top. I had soem lovely cotton ones from Majamas which were quite subtle and still nice tops.

Chunkychicken · 31/05/2012 20:26

I agree - £35 is an extraordinary amount for a vest, I wouldn't pay that either. Definitely shop around (and sign up to money off vouchers from Emma's diary as you get Mothercare ones...) and find what works for you. :)

ButtonBoo · 01/06/2012 08:54

Don't bother! I wore a vest under my top and lifted top up and vest down so just my boob was exposed! But maybe a vest in this heat might be a bit OTT. Use a muslin for the first few weeks but once you get the hang of it and get more confident you might find you don't feel the need to cover up. People can barely see anything once you get to be a BF pro and it's quite easy to be discreet. I couldn't hack the muslin after a while (too much faff) and just angled myself away from full view of the room and got on with it. Your baby will block any nipple exposure (!), esp when they (and you) get the hang of it. Noone has ever said anything to me, but maybe I'm just lucky??

tomverlaine · 01/06/2012 08:59

I'm in two minds - i agree that you can achieve the same thing with normal clothes but i found them really convenient esp when ds was little and couldn't be used to cover up flesh- muslins are fine when you don't have a baby who likes to fiddle. And I never really have worked out bf in dresses so bf dresses are great

Original poster

aliphil · 01/06/2012 17:59

I might buy a couple of the Mothercare ones as they're a more reasonable price (and I have a discount voucher), and I could do with a couple more maternity tops anyway. Thanks, everyone!

OP posts:

littleweed10 · 01/06/2012 21:39

You baulk at the 35 quid - I bought 2 mothercare tops, and didn't get on with them at all. Try them on and work out how you'd use them before you take the tags off - that was my mistake!

Original poster

aliphil · 02/06/2012 16:59

Thanks littleweed, I'll be careful!

OP posts:

didireallysaythat · 02/06/2012 17:16

I think they aren't necessary but they did help my confidence when out and about. I bought three emma jane long vests and I lived in them for 4 months (seriously, I used one in bed as a pyjama top and had two for day time use). Then I wore regular tops over the top which I'd hitch up and the vest would keep my jelly belly hidden. Oh and I had 4 scarves which I'd wrap over us both when nursing outside (late Sept baby, tad chilly in the playground). Once I'd got the hang of the catch, I could feed anywhere. Breastfeeding tops always seemed rather, well, functional, and I was trying to be more than a milk-machine..

I'm going to go and put them on ebay now - found them lingering at the back of the wardrobe with the maternity bras I didn't wear after the birth as I lived in the vests...

sharklet · 02/06/2012 22:58

It does depend on how big your girls are tbh, if you have pert ones then you probably have no need and ir is easier to be discreet. If your girls are on the larger side it helps to have the vests to maintain your dignity or so I found....

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