Embarking on your breastfeeding journey? Congratulations!
As you navigate the beauty of motherhood, figuring out what to wear shouldn’t add stress to the mix. We’re here to make your life a little easier and a lot more stylish.
In this article, we’re dishing out the lowdown on fashion that’s cute and breastfeeding-friendly. From tops that work magic to dresses that redefine easy access, we’ve got your back (and front!).
1. Stock Up on Nursing Bras
The most important part of your breastfeeding journey is to be comfortable. The more comfortable you are in your own skin, the easier it will be to establish a feeding routine that works for you and your baby.
One of the challenges you’ll encounter is that babies like to feed at all times of the day and night. If you’re out and about, you need underwear that provides plenty of support without making feeding difficult.
This is where nursing bras come in! Nursing bras make it easy to feed your bub without sacrificing comfort, support or modesty.
2. Invest in Breastfeeding Clothing
You probably wore lots of maternity clothes during your pregnancy. The bad news is that your body is about to change again, and those maternity clothes won’t look good following birth.
The good news is that you can now get dedicated breastfeeding clothing. Breastfeeding clothes are designed for new, nursing mums. They fit your new body much better than maternity clothes do, and they feature hidden flaps or zippers that give you access at feeding time.
Breastfeeding clothes come in hundreds of styles. You can find simple shirts and tops, but you can also get sweaters, hoodies, dresses, pyjamas and much more.
3. Rely on Wardrobe Staples
Your life may have changed, but that doesn’t mean you need to get rid of everything that’s in your cupboard. Wardrobe staples like t-shirts are perfect if you’re out and about and need to feed your baby.
Crew-neck t-shirts aren’t ideal for breastfeeding. Instead, look for t-shirts with a v-neck or a low cut crew. That makes them easy to pull to one side at feeding times.
You can even go one better and find some breastfeeding t-shirts. These have flaps, zippers or snaps that allow you to feed your baby without needing to tug your shirt to the side.
4. Use Layers to Your Advantage
Modesty is a concern for lots of new mums when breastfeeding in public. The easiest way around this issue is to layer up. For example, wearing a singlet underneath your shirt makes it easy to stay covered.
At feeding time, you pull the outer layer up, and the under layer down, allowing access to your breast without showing your stomach or shoulder.
5. Go for the Button Up Shirt
Need to dress up for a night out? Want to duck into the office for a quick meeting? Would you like easy breastfeeding access while you’re at it? Button up shirts are the answer!
Button ups are timeless and fantastic. They’re also super convenient at feeding times. Simply undo one or two buttons and you’ll have all the access you need. You could even combine a button up shirt with an under layer, like a singlet. That will provide plenty of coverage and put you in control of your skin.
Button up shirts may not be your style though. In that case, other types of button up clothing are a great alternative.
6. Support with High Waisted Tights
We’ve focused a lot on upper body clothes because they’re the most important part of breastfeeding. If you don’t have good access at feeding times, it can be very awkward to keep your baby happy.
But breastfeeding is all about comfort, so we can’t ignore the lower body.
High waisted tights are perfect for breastfeeding mums, especially in the first few months after giving birth. Tights provide extra support for your hips, waist and stomach, which is especially important if you have a c-section birth.
Go for tights that are intended for nursing mothers. These have a little bit of extra fabric that can hold everything in place and help your muscles recover more quickly.
7. Wrap and Crossover Tops
Tops and dresses that are designed to wrap or crossover your chest give great access for breastfeeding without the need for specialty zips and flaps. They also look fantastic, so these sorts of clothing pieces are perfect for times where you need to dress up!
Lots of new mums favour wrap-style tops because they look just like normal clothing. Some types of breastfeeding clothing scream that you’re a nursing mother, but wraps and crossovers can avoid the issue altogether.
8. Nursing Scarves
Finally, our last item is a tried and true breastfeeding item: nursing scarves.
Nursing scarves are made from very lightweight fabric, making them comfortable to wear year-round. The idea is that the scarf can be used for modesty while feeding your baby.
Simply drape it over your shoulder and baby’s head, and you can easily control how much skin you’re showing.
The only downside is that some babies don’t like having the scarf draped over them during feeding.
