Nursing Shirts

Big T-shirts work great. No need to spend the extra money for something that you won't use that often. Those babydoll shirts that are so popular would work great too if they have loose elastic under the boob area.
Best Wishes with the new one on the way.
J.
Mom of 4

I found a great contraption that I use to nurse in public. Its a blanket that attaches around your neck so you don't have to worry about the baby pulling it down, or it slidding off. It's called a "Hooter Hider." They run about 35-40 dollars but its great! They come in all sorts of cute patterns...I think its totally worth the money because my baby pulls the recieving blankets off and that's kind of akward in public!

I wear alot of t-shirts or cotton soft shirts. I made the mistake of buying button shirts with my first son, thinking that would be easier to nurse in (unbuttoning a few buttons and nursing that way). It didn't really work at all, the buttons were too hard to get undone in public and be discrete. I don't have any specific nursing clothing or pj's. I don't find them necessary, and I nurse my son in public all the time. Today I am wearing a t-shirt that is not too fitted, but still kind of stylish (I think anway - lol) and I nursed my son at our local Baja Sol taco shop over lunch with my 2 year old today. It worked just fine. I like to keep my tummy covered, so something with some stretch to it helps keep me covered. Covering with blankets have never really worked for me, I like to have eye contact with my baby while he is eating.

I did wear the hospital nursing gown this time (I didn't the first time). It was ok. Mostly I wore their clothes to keep from getting my own clothes stained... Not be be gross, but you bleed alot the first 24 hours and I prefer to just wear the hospital stuff.

Good luck and good for you to make the choice to breast feed :)

SAHM to 2 year old Charlie and 8 month old Joey

Hi S. -

At home you can wear anything since you can be open and ok with exposing yourself. Nursing in public will take some time though. You can use a blanket to drape over yourself and the baby. Or sit in an area where there are less people around. I've just gotten used to the fact that I may expose myself to someone. I'm getting better at it as my son gets older. He is 3 months.

In the hospital, I had a nursing gown. You can wear your own clothes though. Bring a big tee shirt and your some comfy maternity pants.

Good luck. Let me know if you have other questions.

Hi S.
I agree with most of the posts so far. Nursing shirts are a waste of money. I just wear shirts that are easy to lift and won't get too wrinkly during the time they are scrunched up. Also, with the nursing tank thing, I liked them because they cover up my stomach and back so I don't feel exposed. With those, I never even used a blanket. The first few weeks are hard to master, but in a few months you will be an old pro.
Oh and the hospital usually provides nursing gowns for after you deliver. Good luck and enjoy these last few weeks of peace!

S.,
I got two special nursing shirts from a friend and tried them out, but they seemed to be more hassle to me than they were worth. I just wear regular shirts. I did buy some nursing tank tops from Target. They were less than $20 each and I'm relatively small chested so they worked great for me. Plus I wear layers in the winter so it kept me and my tummy warm. I've found nursing bras to be nice under a regular shirt, but I have worn a regular bra in a pinch and pulled it aside and that worked too.
I found for those first few times nursing in public, it was nice to have on a shirt with a button up shirt over top. Unbutton the top shirt from the bottom and it makes a nice little cover for the baby. That way if you fumble a bit too, you are less exposed.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck!!!!
S.

Hello, I wanted to let you know that t-shirts are the best. I tried nursing shirts and even made my own to save money, but they are more hassle than they are useful. In the winter a cover up like a blanket works well to preserve your modesty, in the summer I have used a white dish cloth (the really thin ones for drying) with pretty embroidering. Otherwise I would not worry about what other people think. You shouldn't feel like you cant go anywhere just because you are nursing. My baby nursed every two hours it took us an hour before we could really get anywhere and then the baby would have to nurse before going back home. My babies both HATED having a blanket over their heads, so I got use to nursing in public. I know that people don't like it, so I always tried to find an out of the way spot, but when there wasn't one handy I figured that my babies need come far above others discomfort. I hope it is easy for you to find what works best for you!
A.

Hello S.-
As for nursing shirts I never wasted money on them when I nursed. When your in public there's usually a nursing room in most malls. The hospital will provide you with nursing PJ's which are just fine. Wish you well!. My due date with my first was 09/17.

I really liked button down shirts and PJs and the shirts that have criss-crossing fabric on top that can just be pulled to the side. The top of my breast would show, so I would just throw a small burp rag over my shoulder! This seemed to work best as I needed to see my baby and the whole works in order to nurse him. Also, with button down shirts, you can button the top button, and bottom ones leaving out only what needs to be. Many people didn't even know I was nursing! Last tip, buy some longer shirts. If you're going to do the lift up the bottom thing, the shirt has to be a bit longer in order to cover your side/ belly after pulling up a section.
Best of luck!
:) M.

Hi S.! How exciting this must be for you. Congrats when he enters the world. When I had my daughter, my mom found this great nursing cover-up. It is basically a blanket that has a strap that snaps around your neck. You can see down the neck hole of it to check on him and also it pretty much covers up your entire body. I loved it. I am not 100% sure where she bought it but I would think that Walmart or Target would have them. I never wore nursing pj's in the hospital. Trust me when I say all your pride gets thrown out the window once you have a child so nursing in the hospital really is nothing.

Another side note, bring a pair of really comfortable sweatpants or pajama pants for after you deliver. This was close to the greatest advice I received from my sister. It really helps during the beginning stages of labor when you walk the halls because then your legs won't chafe. Not fun...but true. Best of Luck to you!

M.

PS I am a Photographer so if you need to get some newborn pictures taken in the comfort of your home, I would be available for you.

I know Target sells great "nursing" tank tops - they were a total life saver, because I could sleep in them so comfortably and nurse at night - I could also wear a cute hoodie or button gown over them when I was out. You could wear a nursing bra under them during the day when you're out no problem. So much cheaper than buying "nursing" clothes! In the hospital, I had a "nursing" down in the hospital that had slits on the side that made nursing easy - but I agree, bring your comfy clothes from home too so you are as comfortable as possible! Hope this info helps! Good Luck

I just wore my normal shirts and used a nursing cover-up that was like a lightweight apron with a stiffener at the top so I could see down. This worked really well for me because I had a LOT of trouble with getting my son to latch on and stay on for the first few months, so I needed something that he wouldn't pull off me while I was adjusting him, and I also needed to be able to see him to get him properly positioned. Someone gave me the cover up as a gift, but I have friends who bought a similar item called a Hooter Hider (yes, cheesy name, but it works!) online.

Motherwear.com
expressiva.com
mommy2be
Motherhood Stores and on-line also has nursing clothes

I did have a couple nursing shirs and they were great for those first few times out nursing in public. I however had two nursing cami's, and a couple nursing tank and those things were GREAT! you could wear them under any of your regular shirts and viola, a nursing shirt. :) Also I bought some of the super thin Hanes undershirts, and cut slits in the sides to the outsides of my breasts/under the armpits, so I could wear those under any shirt too and then just unhook my bra, slide the slit over, and then lift my top shirt up so my belly stayed covered.

Also Old Navy sells really thin tank tops, so you can lift your top shirt up, then pull the tank down from the neck to nurse.

I always wore an undershirt, tank, or nursing cami/tank under my regular clothes, mostly to keep m ybelly covered while nurisng in public. :)

Congratulations!

The nursing tanks at Target are the best! They have good support and come up nice and high on your chest, not like some of the others available. I wear them every day and night. They are perfect for sleeping and nursing when you're out and about. I bought nursing bras and gave them up as soon as I discovered the tanks. Bras are bulky and cumbersome when you're trying to nurse discreetly. I ended up buying 10 of the tanks in different colors and have been nursing my daughter for 5 months now. When first starting to nurse I had some drying, so I used the First Years lanolin-treated nursing pads and loved them(you can get them at Babies r us). Now I use the J&J nursing pads (they have a little adhesive in them and work great). Good luck!

Nursing in public is a trick, awkward at first and may take some practice. As far as the shirts go, typically people just lift up the bottom of the shirt. I always tried using recieving blankets but my baby was always pulling it off of us. Plus, I was always sooo hot and having a blanket on us was just torture. So, I'm SURE that I exposed my boobs to people who probably didn't want to see them, but I blew it off at the time. Most people realize what you're doing and they tend to look away and give you a bit privacy.

I did wear nursing PJ's in the hospital, but only because I was unaware that I could change into my own clothes if I wanted...I assumed that I had to stay in those ugly hospital clothes, and if I had to do it over, I would have changed into my own clothes. Those things are not very appealing and looking at pictures of me in the hospital I think to myself.."Why did I wear that ugly thing the whole time? Ish!" When I finally got home, it was GREAT to get into my comfy clothes.

Hope this helps you with your decisions.