I was sitting at my desk wearing my favourite Muji t-shirt dress for the third time that week because by some miracle it still fits and is super comfy. Although it’s significantly shorter than usual due to my almost full term pregnant belly, I know I can walk around in public and sit down at cafes without showing the world my breakfast. The only issue with this dress is that in a few weeks, I won’t be able to breastfeed in it. Gutted. So on this morning, I was maniacally searching for breastfeeding clothing and it wasn’t going well.
In the absence of having to purchase even a single item of maternity clothing, I’ve recently turned my attention to breastfeeding/nursing dresses. I’ve received lots of advice from mums saying that nursing singlets/leggings are the best combo for breastfeeding so I took myself off to the mall to stock up. I tried so many different combos of singlets/leggings and I didn’t buy anything for three reasons.
a) I’m pregnant so most of the leggings in my regular size didn’t fit properly and I didn’t want to buy anything I won’t wear
b) I don’t wear leggings anywhere but the gym – not even when I’m cleaning the house or lying around on the couch. This is isn’t a ‘I’m way too glamorous for that darling!’ kind of thing, I just don’t find them that comfortable
c) They were all hideous, I couldn’t find a plain pair of cotton blend tights that didn’t cost $150 anywhere
The thing is, apart from the occasional pair of skinny jeans (and these maternity jeans from Bohemian Traders which are awesome!), I’m just not comfortable in pants. I never have been, I have a very long torso so pants always sit in weird places on my hips or waist. I’m tall but I have short legs and that seems to be a body type that pant manufacturers don’t seem to know exists. My body shape has changed a lot in the last 15 years and no matter how small or big I’ve gotten, I’ve never felt comfortable in t-shirts and leggings anywhere but the gym. Try as I might I just can’t buy nursing t-shirts and leggings at this stage. I’m more than willing to admit I might be wrong about this, having never breastfed before but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to trust my instincts and go with a few simple, easy to wear breastfeeding dresses in natural fibres that I’ll be able to wear after I stop breastfeeding.
One issue I had with finding decent feeding dresses is that it’s almost impossible to find them in natural fibres. They mainly seem to be made of polyester which doesn’t work for me at all. I swear I’m allergic to the stuff – I just turn into a puddle of sweat whenever I wear it. I did some Googling and found Queen Bee which has been a lifesaver – they have heaps of cotton, linen and bamboo nursing-friendly dresses that are totally my style. I bought two of the side zip cotton stretch dresses which should keep me out of trouble for a while. If I find them good for breastfeeding, I’ll stock up on more. You can’t see it but this dress has side zippers for breastfeeding access.
Wearing
Legoe Portugal Breast Feeding Dress in Navy
I figured I might as well buy these nursing dresses early so I can get some wear out of them while I’m still pregnant hey? So far so good, I’ve been living in the navy for the last few days and it’s so comfortable.
This outfit was worn for a weekend of pottering around, sorting out cupboards, shopping and general life admin. We also finally went to see Bohemian Rhapsody which was excellent. Everything I ever wanted in a film and Rami Malik was extraordinary. Loved it.
Oh for those of you that are interested here’s a little pregnancy update –
- Energy levels are still good but I definitely need a full 8 to 9 hours most nights or I’m just wrecked the next day
- Burping and heartburn are still around although not anywhere near as bad as they were when I pretty much burped non-stop for the whole month of April – what a fun month that was!
- I’ve switched from F45 to aqua aerobics and it’s ace – feels amazing to be weightless when you’re carrying around a bowling ball
- I’m sleeping really well and I’m unbelievably grateful – I still wake up to pee a lot and roll over but I go back to sleep immediately which is such a gift
- My shoes still fit which is good, I’ll keep you posted if they go full bigfoot as I’ve been warned about
- My melted cheese food aversion left the building (hooray!) but a new one came along… eggs! Haven’t had eggs in about two weeks. Hoping they come back on the menu soon because I love them
- My little queen is kicking all the time and doing just what she should be doing – such a champ
Do you have any pregnancy style tips? Or breastfeeding style tips? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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12 Comments
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I’m zero help in the preggo department, but you’re looking well. 🙂
Also pleasantly surprised to see an unexpected podcast ep this morning! It will be a hard two months without out. -sniff- 🙁
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Author
We’ll back ASAP next year! You’re so lovely for listening. x
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I was a bit like you with my first couple of pregnancies and didn’t put on much weight (and thankfully lost any extra straight away too!) I found the most useful thing was to buy a series of singlets (black and white ones will go with most things) and use these under my usual tops (just lift up and away you go!) Plenty of coverage for your stomach too. If you don’t like wearing pants, try wearing skirts and tops (or half way – some flowing cullottes?) Also, get yourself into a pair of SRC Recovery shorts in the immediate post-partum period – you’ll be thankful for the support 🙂 Good luck!
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Author
I’ve just looked into getting SRC recovery shorts – I saw a physio who highly recommended them! I’ll give my dresses a go and see what happens!
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It is totally hard to find nice quality breastfeeding clothes! I wound up sewing a lot of my own but that’s not practical for most people. One thing I’ve learned along the way is to look for looser fitting dresses in brands you already like that have button fronts (all the way down or shirtwaist style, the 3-4 button plackets don’t open far enough) or front zippers. Gorman shirt dresses for example – expensive but hopefully you love it enough to keep wearing once you’re done nursing. Be careful buying online if you’re not sure the buttons are functional; I bought one dress on sale that turned out to have fake buttons above the waist and real ones below (wtf?!). Stretchy wrap or surplice dresses are also brilliant.
Two specific maternity brands I found via a sale website that I wear the dresses again and again are Leota (not natural fibres but I have two of the sweetheart dress and it is super flattering) and Peekaboo (most of their dresses use viscose, so have natural fibre properties).
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Author
I wish I could sew – sewing machines just hate me. Yes I heard about the fake button thing – I joined a group on FB called Can I Breastfeed in This? and it’s basically a group that calls out fake buttons!
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I found wrap tops/dresses super comfortable for breast feeding and I tried to carry a scarf in my bag to cover my décolletage if it was cold or if I was feeling a little too exposed.
The stretch singlet pulled down under a top that could be pulled up (or vice versa) always worked for me with skirts/jeans etc. it meant living in Canberra I wasn’t freezing when I had to lift layers, no bare skin!
You look wonderful and have that beautiful glow around you!-
Author
Thank you that’s lovely! At least breast feeding will be easy for the first few months because it’s summer – hello stretchy tank dresses! I suspect winter will be a challenge!
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Yes, ditto on the shirt dresses and wrap dresses. Also, all the off-the-shoulder styles (and strapless) work!
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See I’m a bit baffled my off the shoulder styles and strapless – do you wear a strapless bra? That seems super uncomfortable for milk-full boobs!
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Definitely recommend those breastfeeding singlets….wear them under your regular tops (it will work best with a pants/skirt i suppose)….then just lift your t shirt and you can feed baby easily. This way it covers up your tummy too- which I never liked having on display straight after as it’s really soft and squishy?. Jeanswest make great breastfeeding cotton singlets that clip down from shoulder. Xx
Pingbacks
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[…] When I was pregnant and having a freak out about finding appropriate breastfeeding clothes, I received a lot of advice from other mums about what I should wear. The consensus seemed to be nursing tops and leggings or some kind of a soft pant situation. […]
[…] When I was pregnant and having a freak out about finding appropriate breastfeeding clothes, I received a lot of advice from other mums about what I should wear. The consensus seemed to be nursing tops and leggings or some kind of a soft pant situation. […]