Breastfeeding a baby around the clock can prove to be quite difficult if you don’t have the proper clothing. Some regular clothing will work fine for breastfeeding, but there is a lot of clothing out there that is made specifically for breastfeeding mothers. If you are wondering what types of breastfeeding clothes you will need, here’s a short list of what I consider “must-haves.”
Types of Breastfeeding Clothes
Nursing Bra
A nursing bra is pretty essential when breastfeeding. Regular bras are really hard to breastfeed in. I have tried and it just doesn’t work. Nursing bras have a clip at the bottom of the shoulder strap that connects the cup and the shoulder strap. You just un-clip the cup from the strap and fold it down. Now your breast is exposed without any fabric or straps in the way.
Nursing bras come in a huge variety with a huge price range as well. You can get sleeping bras that are really soft and comfortable, nursing bras with padding, nursing bras with lace, and pretty much any other way you can think of. You can likely find a nursing bra in any variety that a regular bra would come in. You can purchase nursing bras at places like Target or Walmart, or online at websites like Bravado Designs.
Nursing Tanks
Nursing tanks work very similar to nursing bras except they are tank tops! They have the same clips that nursing bras have that allow you to fold the material down and out of the way while breastfeeding. The great advantage to nursing tanks are they cover up your midsection while nursing. If you wear a nursing tank under a regular shirt, when you nurse you can pull up the regular shirt, unclip the tank and nurse your baby. This makes for very discreet nursing with not much skin showing at all.
Nursing tanks are also great when you have sore or engorged breasts and don’t want to wear a bra. For the first few months I walked around at home with just a nursing tank on and no bra. They are so comfortable and still make it easy enough to nurse in! Most come with the elastic underneath the chest area, so you can even slip in nursing pads if you need to and they won’t fall down the shirt!
Some of my favorite nursing tanks are Undercover Mama nursing tanks. These nursing tanks will clip to any nursing bra and come in a huge variety of colors and come in all sizes! They works so great for discreet nursing! You can also find nursing tanks at places like Target or Motherhood Maternity!
Nursing Shirts and Dresses
Nursing shirts and dresses are usually made with looser fabric in the chest area so that you can pull it down or up when it’s time to nurse. They are great to use when nursing because then you don’t have to worry about stretching out your regular clothing! They make it easy to nurse discreetly without your midsection showing at all.
These shirts and dresses are usually very stylish and fashionable and most people wouldn’t even know it is a nursing shirt! Check out one of our authors, Jennifer, wearing this beautiful nursing dress while nursing one of her triplets!
So as you can see there are a lot of options out there for clothing that makes life a little easier while breastfeeding. You can find nursing bras and clothing that are both affordable and stylish! You can usually find nursing clothing at your local Target or Walmart, or you can order it online! There’s a huge variety out there, so you are bound to find something comfortable, stylish, and easy for nursing!
Loved my nursing tanks while in the hospital and the first couple weeks at home. I found it harder to breast feed in button down shirts- I thought they would be easy!