Medella bras are best. I have a sleep one for night that is very comfy and another for day. I've heard that no underwire is best, so that's what I got. Also, for sleepwear, go to www.motherwear.com. I love their stuff, and it's good quality. Congrats and get ready for an amazing experience!
Yes breastsize does change after baby is born and when you get engorged but however the nursing brs'a I have had done pretty well I would go to JCPenny'a and get fitted for a bra or a maternity store.You may like to wait however a week after baby is born is your worried about the correct fit this will give you time to get the milk in
I just wear a really stretchy tank top under any old shirt. Pull up or open your other shirt and then pull the tank down under your boob. You can also wear a nursing bra for shaping.
I think having a nursing PJs or nightgown is important. I bought a nursing shirt after having my second child and I felt it was to hard to manuver. Its much easier to just wear a t-shirt with a zippered jacket or sweater over it if you need to wear layers because of the weather. You can stay covered just as well with normal shirts. Button up is hard though. You can always just use a blanket or your shawl to cover up with.
In my experience the nursing gowns were useful only for about a week or two after my daughter was born. Everyone wanted to see the baby right after she was born. The nursing sets were convenient because I just didn't have the time or energy to dress up for all the people wanting to visit. After the first couple of weeks, I didn't use the gown any longer. 10 months after my daughter was born, I still wear my nursing tops. As for nursing bras, I bought the size I was wearing before I gave birth and they still fit even though I went up a cup size and 2 inches in width. I don't know if I just got lucky or what. The bras I got are very stretchy especially in the cups. Perhaps whoever designed them knew that a breastfeeding woman's cup size goes up and down throughout the day. Sports bras became my new best friends. I sleep in them because they are so stretchy they are very convenient for middle of the night feedings. There's nothing to unhook or fumble with while you're half asleep and they hold the nursing pads firmly in place so you don't wake up in a puddle of milk. I live in the Northland (KC) and had a heck of a time finding nursing bras and gowns in an actual physical store. I finally found the bras at Burlington Coat Factory. They are made by Gelmart and I got them for $9.99 each. I had a little better luck finding nursing gowns, but ultimately ended up buying a gown and robe set and a shorts set at a local thrift store. I spent less than $10 for both sets which is good considering how little use I got out of them. I found lots of on-line options for bras, gowns, and tops, but they were pricey. I ended up buying a lot of 5 cute nursng tops on Ebay for about $20. Since then, I think I've spent about $20 for each individual nursing top I've bought at a physical store!
Good luck to you!
I found the nursing bras and tanks to be ideal during those first few months - espcially for the night time. They are so easy when you are tired. My size leveled back out after things regulated (my body adjusted to his demand) after the first couple of months so I had to get new brs anyway. This is such an exciting time :) Wish you the best
I LOVED LOVED LOVED my Lily Padz. www.lilypadz.com You can even wear them swimming! (I nursed for 10 months and only used 1 pair) And they hide "headlights" so you don't have to have a padded bra if that's important to you. I buy a pair for every friend that announces!
You will want a sports style bra that gives you a lot of support and a little bit of stretchy compression at first. When your milk production is still finding a balance you can sometimes become engorged, or swollen, and the compression (all around support - try to avoid anything with specific pressure points) feels really good. (A hot wet washcloth on each boob is fabulous too, haha)! :)
I tried buying nursing clothes, but as long as you have a bra you don't need specific clothes, and I think they always looked like, well, nursing clothes! I loved this site http://www.motherwear.com/cat.cfm/cid/50/va/1 the cottony smooth I liked enough I bought two. With that and a sleep/sport bra it's all I really used.
You'll also want some lanolin. And don't forget to take a pair of slippers to the hospital! :)
Hope this helps you! Congratulations - you'll do GREAT!
Tracy
Congrats to you! And good luck nursing, hang in there when it hurts the first couple weeks. It's worth it! Well if you are like me, I was a "leaker" 24-7. I slept in a maternity tank top with a sewn-in shelf and disposable nursing pads. And during the day, I wore a very loose oversized sports bra. (Not too tight as it will cut down your milk supply.) Personally, I hated nursing bras. Too uncomfortable for me and too hard to unlatch one-handed while holding a crying, hungrey baby. Regular bras, work just fine if you don't want to spend the extra money. Just buy big, check the clearance rack.
As for the nursing nightgown, I only wore mine in the hospital, because the baby was eating every 2 hours. Once we got home and he slept more, I leaked more.
Good luck and best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy!
P.S. another tip, whatever you decide to wear, wash it in scent-free detergent and no fabric softener. My babies had sensitive skin and got face rashes when nursing.
You have many responses, but here's what I did: I bought three cheap nursing bras at Wal-Mart. They have good enough support for me (c-cup or so). Be sure it is not tight, because this can cause milk not to come in as well, or at all.
I wouldn't waste money on nursing tanks, etc if you have a shawl - that should be good enough, I think. I lift my tshirt just over the breast my son is 'using' whenever he needs to nurse, and you can't see anything but a little of my side, and if I am sitting and holding my arm just right you can't see that either!
Best of luck to you!
Hi Marantha
Congrats on your first baby. I loved Bravado Designs...nursing bras. I have 3 kids and used them at the end of each pregnancy and during nursing. A great design and alows you to grow once your milk comes in.
I purchased them online.
I liked Bravada nursing bras. They come in small, med, large sizes, so theres room for growth. I used the nursing shirts with my first, but didn't with my second. I did like nursing dresses both times though, and the nursing tanks in the summer are great. They have a built in bra, so you don't have all the layers. You'll want some breast pads right away. When the milk come in, it comes in strong!
I would definitely get a nursing nightgown. I loved mine and wore it all the time. It is very handy when you are getting up in the middle of the night and you don't have to struggle to get your nightshirt up high enough to nurse. You just pop those babies out and your little angel can go to town so to speak. It works great! Good luck!
CONGRATS!! First off it is wonderful to have a plan but as long as you understand that things never go as planned...and it is alright. I went to Ann's Bra Shop when I was about 8 months preg. with my first child to get a nursing bra. They are a little pricer but well worth it!!! The lady came in and measured and handed me the bra. I looked down the the size and I kid you not I thought it was the price code. Go ahead laugh..after 10 years I am still laughing. I had NO idea that my boobs had gotten that big. I suggest going there..or another place like it, get fitted and if nothing else purchase atleast 1. As far as breastfeeding in public there are a lot of ways to do that without people even looking. I had the blanket thing over the top of my shoulder and sometimes would sit in the corner on a bench and then put the stroller on the other side. The best way to practice so you feel comfortable is to sit in front of a mirror. That way you can see how much you are showing. In a few weeks after the baby is born you will be a pro!!
Congratulations on your pregnancy! I had two pair of nursing pajamas for my first baby - born in the fall. One was a nursing gown (with conveniently hidden slits) that I found to be very helpful. Another was a pair of pjs that I disliked. The pants were fine, but the top had some kind of strange contraption to wear over the breasts - not a bra, more of a holster. I wound up cutting out the weird holster and now it's like any other pair of pjs. So, I wouldn't recommend that.
As for bras, I bought a few nursing bras to wear during pregnancy and breastfeeding and found that they all worked fine for both. I found that buying my normal size, or one band size up worked fine. Also, I was happy to have a nighttime nursing bra - to have some support and a bit more comfort at night.
Good luck!
Hi Marantha,
You really should look into nursing tops, dresses and pj's as well as bras. They make them so well these days that you could be nursing walking through the isles at the grocery store and no one would even know. I did it all of the time and was never even looked at. It just looked like I was carrying a sleeping baby. I found that the shawl thing wasn't an option because my daughter would overheat under there. Check out www.motherwear.com to see what's out there then check out ebay and/or thrift shops. Do a search for nursing clothes. You'll be nursing through the hot summer months and I'm sure the shawl will be too hot for you to. Good luck and stick it out. It will really hurt in the beginning but it gets better. I nursed 18 months and my daughter went straight from the breast to a sippy cup. I didn't want to have to wean her twice, once from my breast and then again from a bottle.
Hi...
I have two young girls and the first one I bought everything I thought I would need....don't do it! I did like the loose fitting night nurshing bra I got and I tried several daytime nursing bras until I found the one I liked. I think you could probably go in the next couple of weeks and try on bras and you should be the right size. Maye just get one until you know for sure after you baby comes. As far as actual nursing clothes, I would recommend not getting any....it's a waste of money. I pretty much just wore looser tops and just pulled the up when the girls were hungry.
Hope this helps!
Diana
special shirt's and nightgown's are not necessery and your breast will get a little bigger when the milk come's in after birth so you may just have to wait until then becuase you never know how much it will increase your size or not and you can not be to prepared. alway's expect the unexpected before and after birth and good luck.
Congrats on soon to be a mother! I bought my nursing bras during pregnancy and used my pregnancy size (not thinking I would change) and they worked fine for me. Your breasts will grow and shrink after each feeding. I was a 36B before first pregnancy and am now 38C though I have been pregnant or nursing for two years straight! :0)
I wouldn't live without my sleeping bra! Especially if you are larger, you don't want your breasts hanging loose at night. I find it increases milk production and you can get painfully full at night if they are not supported.
Good luck with the shawl. My kids won't nurse with their heads covered. I have to use a stiff blanket and make a curtain. You can also pump ahead and give a bottle once you two are established nursing pair (around 8 weeks).
congratulations on your daughter and your decision to breastfeed. You have a lot of good advice here, though I didn't read it all. The only thing I see missing is be careful not to buy a nursing bra with an under wire in it. I know that they are more supportive but they can cause blocked ducts and mastitis. neither are fun, (and then you end up with doctors who aren't educated in breastfeeding and tell you that you have to stop breastfeeding, which is the worst thing you can do for it.) Good luck and get a comfy bra, your gonna need it!
Hooter Hiders / Bebe Au Lait covers are great! Nursing bra and / or tank - totally worth it. I also recommend lily padz! Kangaroo Kids has a fair supply of nursing bras and tanks. They will fit you. You may get slightly fuller, but your band size will go down. I like the nursing tanks because your abdomen / back are covered; however, they are not very supportive if you are busty. I have 2 of the tank tops, an underwire nursing bra (my personal favorite, especially for back to work or going out), a LLL soft-cup nursing bra that's kind of pretty (second favorite), and 2 over the head nursing bras (can't recall the brand) that they recommended for wearing at the hospital and early on -- i would say these are ok at night but not really worth the expense. In hindsight, I would not have bought these over the head ones, because I couldn't wear it during labor as I had hoped (because I had an epidural) - Instead I would have invested in a nursing sports bra. Had I waited to buy more than one (which I recommned), I would have known better but I wanted to be prepared too and was just disappointed with my first purchases.
If you don't want to buy in advance, I believe some hospitals will have a lactation consultant fit you and they sell the bras / tanks at a discount