Hi SADB readers! My name's Elizabeth and I blog over at Law Mama about fashion, life and whatever else strikes my fancy. While Lisa's recovering from surgery I offered to guest blog for her. I thought I'd blog about something near and dear to me: remaining stylish while breastfeeding.
I went through a lot of trial and error figuring out what to wear while breastfeeding. When my son, Zeke, was first born, I was just struggling to survive and mostly wore open button up pajama tops and cheap Target nursing bras. So glamorous. Then I started venturing into nursing tops and I have to say, I was less than impressed. They tend to fit terribly and be about as unflattering as possible -- which for a new mom still trying to lose the baby weight was pretty depressing.
Eventually I figured out that it was much easier to just wear normal clothes that could work with breastfeeding. The most natural cut for that is the deep v-neck - and if you wear a nursing tank top underneath, you don't need to worry too much about showing off all that suddenly massive cleavage (seriously, I went from a small B-cup to a full D-cup. A big change for me!). A deep v-neck in a dress makes a dress so much more wearable, and you can't go wrong with a great deep-V tee shirt. You can wear it with everything!
Other great pieces are button up shirts (hello, access to the girls!), and a pretty, lightweight scarf if you want some privacy. I had a hooter hider that I used for a bit, but as soon as Zeke could express an opinion about it, I had to stop using it. A scarf is a great alternative that can add a little color and style to your outfit too.
And I'm a big fan of those handkerchief hem cardigans which both allow easy access and can allow for some privacy when you're nursing in public. Nursing in public can seem super intimidating at first, but really it's no big deal. I swear, most people would much prefer a quiet nursing baby over a screaming hungry one! I have never had anything negative said to me while nursing out and about, and once you get used to it, it makes leaving the house so easy. You have all the food you need with you, at the perfect temperature, ready when needed!
Finally, I included some great nursing accessories: a nursing necklace for when your kid gets grabby and you'd like to keep your hair from being pulled, and an ERGO baby carrier. When Zeke was littler, I nursing him in that thing all the time. The trick is to loosen the straps so baby's head is level with your boobs, and use the hood to help stabilize their head (and to provide privacy). I nursed that kid all over Disneyland, in grocery stores, at Target... everywhere. All in the ERGO so I didn't have to stop to find a place to sit down. And the ERGO comes in lots of different designs -- I like to think of it as my favorite accessory.
And don't forget a great diaper bag. It continues to be useful well into the toddler years for toting diapers, extra clothes, toys, pacifiers, and a water bottle -- gotta keep hydrated!
So there you have it, some tips and tricks for breastfeeding in style! Hope that helps someone out there struggling with this problem like I did at first!
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