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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