Breastfeeding clothes

[Dylthan]

I'm going shopping on Friday and am very excited. My dd is 11 weeks and we're breastfeeding I really would like to get some nice new clothes but could do with some advice on what to get.

I don't have alot of money and clothes that are made for breastfeeding are quite expensive. What do people recommend?

I just wore normal tops. I liked a scoop neck so I could eaily delve in and fiddle with bra straps. Some people layer up and put a vest under to pull down and a top layer to pull up.

I avoided dresses, longer line tops and shirts for the exclusive bfing months, but that is because nothing on earth would induce me to unbutton down to my navel in public to get a boob out or to bring my boob out over the top of my clothing, but I know some women are fine with this.

But in all I have breasfed for 5 years of my life and never had a special top. H&M do them on the high street, but never interested me.

I've never bought anything specifically tailored for BF

But have avoided certain stuff - dresses, mainly. Which is a shame, because I wear a lot of dresses/tunics with jeans and leggings

I just wore normal clothes and had a breastfeeding apron for times when I needed a bit more coverage.

I got some very cheap vest tops in primark which I could wear under other tops to do the 'top up, top down' feeding technique. Brilliant in winter as it kept my torso warm! basically, you pull the vest down under your boob, and your normal top up, then only a small amount of flesh is exposed to the elements :o

you can get lots of dresses on the internet - eg

www.milkbug.co.uk

but I tended to where either dresses with a "V" cross over type neck line or skirts/trousers and tops.

meant to add - (a) just try getting your boobs out in the changing room and (b) - most imporantly - go for patterned (ie imagine it covered in milkstains).

I just bought a couple of dresses in the Gap sale. A shirt dress and a jersey dress - both buttoned.

With jeans I wear a very long tight vest which covers my torso so I can wear most tops.

I find dresses comfiest at the moment though.

With dresses try wrap, deep v or scoop necks.

Just bought this

Yummy, much better in the flesh.

I was never a dress-wearer anyway, so now I'm bf I wear normal tops and either jeans or skirts. In the winter I normally double up the tops, so wear a vest top underneath, and then pull that down to bf. This keeps the torso nice and warm.

In the summer it's too hot for me to wear two layers of tops so I just show off a bit of flabby tummy. Doesn't bother me.

BTW, if you like wearing shirts, unbutton them from the bottom, not the top, to feed. That way you don't feel like your whole boob is on display, and the baby covers most of your tummy. If you wear a vest top underneath then your tummy is covered anyway.

Thanks for all the tips

I had never of thought of wearing a vest top underneath. I would also never of thought of un buttoning a shirt from the bottom ( although it seems obvious now I think about it) so thank you for that advice.

would love to wear wrap dresses but am worried that they won't stretch enough or won't regain there shape once you've finished the fed. What are peoples experience of them?

I have never bothered with actual breast feeding tops. Just wear normal tops that are easy to lift over boobs - I try and avoid any that are very fitted just under bust.

I also bought one of these www.breastvest.co.uk/products.htm to cover my stomach.

Have fun shopping

I vote for vest tops under normal clothes

bought a few 'breastfeeding' tops, and was leant some others, and never wore ANY of them.

I bought this nice boden summer dress with a crossover top and a drawstring empire line dress for a wedding when dd was 3 weeks, which looked great (with my new breast feeding boobs!) but it has stretched with feeds, and I've only worn it about 5 times...

To be honest I'm not a big fan of the H&M style of nursing top (cross over top with 'modesty' panel insert with nursing openings) as when baby pops off, your boob is sticking out uncovered and when feed finishes you have to unpost your breast through the hole before you can clip your bra up. Plus the neckline stretches when you move it to access the openings.

If you go top up/vest down or top up/cardigan around then when baby pops off the top falls down to cover you and you can reach down the neckline to re-clip your bra.

If the nursing top has a under layer with nursing openings check they are actually where your breasts are. I bought a Mothercare nursing top a while ago and the panel had openings at either side of the waist. Also, the panel was attached at the sides to the top so if I moved the openings to where my breasts are, the top was pulled up so all my back fat was on display. Not what I call discrete

Here are some pictures of the types of nursing openings.

The easiest (IMVHO) to use are 'Front Layer Access', 'Cross Over', 'Empire Line Access', 'Vertical Centre Opening'. These ones you could sort your bra out before getting baby in position and lifting nursing panel.

The 'Wrap Access', 'Pull down/Pull aside neck line', 'Inner/Interior Layer' all seem to be the kind where I might struggle to get my breast covered quickly after a feed and that you would have to faff about posting breast through hole before being able to feed.

I'm odd in that I don't mind a flash of breast whilst getting baby on but I hate the thought of struggling to tidy myself up after a feed or having to get breast out before picking up baby as some of those types of openings are impossible to get your breast ready (bra cup down/breast through opening) whilst holding baby.