Product Spotlight Series: Nursing Clothes/Bras (w/o 9/17)

offtoneverland · September 2018

This week's product spotlight series is on nursing clothes and bras! S+TMs, any nursing clothes or bras you swear by? FTMs, do you have any questions about these items?

To view past Product Spotlights or view the upcoming schedule, click this link.

(Also just a reminder that if anyone wants to revive old threads to ask questions as we get further along and it becomes more likely everyone is doing further research, please feel free!)

offtoneverland · September 2018

I just found the most awesome nursing bras from Kindred Bravely. I didn't use them with my last pregnancy, but was looking around recently for some good nursing bras and came across the website. In my first order, I got a sleep bra and a wireless nursing bra. After they arrived and I tried them on, I immediately ordered more because I loved them so much! The sleep bra is perfect for lounging around the house, and the wireless bra is still decently supportive even without underwire, and it doesn't give me a uni-boob! Lol. I love finding great bras, so it made me really happy. It's hard to find good, supportive bras because I'm a DD, so I was really pleased.

emjohn517 · September 2018

Kindred Bravely is where it’s at! I have the maternity/post birth recovery high waisted underwear, like 10 pair. I’ll wear them forever lol. Also have 4 of the soft nursing bras and 2 of the structured one.

Yes, they are pricey. Listen when I say, good quality pieces like this is an investment into your postpartum recovery comfort, and it’s worth it.

emjohn517 · September 2018

Also, for cute, stylish nursing clothes, Latched Mama has great stuff. Nice dresses, cute shirts, sweaters, hoodies. All nursing friendly.

https://latchedmama.com/

wildrainbow · September 2018

Soma nursing bras! I will be getting some more, especially for the first few weeks PP. Also, I got HOFISH nursing camis. They are super comfy, I wear them now, and have amazing support. I have ginormous breasts and they work well for me with a bra.
@emjohn517 @offtoneverland Do y'all know if kindred bravely works for very large breasts? I haven't done much research on them since there are very few nursing bras that work for my breast size.

lifesabeach85 · September 2018

I was just thinking about this! I have had great experiences with bravado nursing bras. They also came out with an underwire version since my last pregnancy which I got and tried on and I love them!

I can only speak to my own experience but I really felt like I had to live in nursing or button down clothes for six months. Clip down Camis are great. I think the ones from Gap are the best for quality and comfort. Throw one under a flannel button down, zip up hoodie or relaxed t shirt and you’re good to go. I also thought it was really worth having a few nicer nursing staples (sweaters, dresses, blouses) as well. Anywhere that sells maternity clothes will have these. If you are EBF it’s just really annoying to have to completely disrobe to feed the baby if you’re out and about.

pelorunningmama · September 2018

I also love Soma nursing bras, but my heartburn is so awful that I need something not as structured right now. I need to try these Kindred ones! And for tank, I love the Gilligan O’Malley ones from
Target. They are just as good as pricier options in my opinion.

purelex · September 2018

@wannaflickone, I lived in those tanks.. Super comfy. I need to buy more!

offtoneverland · September 2018

@emjohn517 Do you mind sharing what bra size you wear? I was looking at the Marvella but wasn't sure if it would be enough coverage for me since it looks like kind of a deep V-shape.
@wildrainbow It looks like Kindred goes up to an H or I cup, depending on the style. I'm not sure how the sizes/styles would fit though, but you could perhaps look at some of the reviews. The company also has a great exchange policy if you're not happy with the size you ordered.
@wannaflickone I never thought about structured bras causing more heartburn. Thanks for pointing that out! My heartburn was awful today, so I'll wear one of the Kindred ones tomorrow and see if it helps.

I forgot to add that I also got a cute nursing nightgown from Kindred. I'm excited about wearing it after birth at the hospital. I had a tank top nursing gown last time and I didn't like how I felt with my arms and cleavage so exposed. The new nightgown is short sleeve and has nice coverage, so I think I'll feel more comfortable in it.

emjohn517 · September 2018

@offtoneverland prepregnancy I’m a 34 DD. I had a little trouble with sizing the Marvela but KB is awesome and super quick with exchanges. There are 2 versions on this bra, one is a t shirt back, the other a clasp back. It’s super soft, very comfy for pregnancy, but the bottom is bunching up a little on my big ole belly right now lol. It’ll be great for nursing though.

And yes on Targets nursing camis. I lived in those and zip up jackets/hoodies for months last time.

lostarz14 · September 2018

I had some of these with DD and really like them. https://www.amazon.com/iLoveSIA-3pack-Nursing-Black-Light/dp/B00YGSECLA/ref=sr_1_5?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1537276505&sr=1-5&nodeID=7141123011&psd=1&keywords=ilovesia I only nursed for about 6 weeks but I pumped for 4 months so I still liked the ease of these.

I also had some nursing tanks from Target that, like others mentioned, I just wore under button ups and whatnot. I'm not super big on top so I didn't require a TON of support.

hollyeva · September 2018

I have a set of pajamas from Kindred Bravely that I love, and I've been oggling their bras and tanks since I'm a 36H and getting decent bras is difficult.

Historically I've had luck with Milk Nursing Wear, again relatively pricey but totally worth it. I also have a Cake Maternity sleeping bra that I swear by.

ginny_203 · September 2018

Ok guys, this is probably a rookie FTM question but are nursing bras and tanks essential? I only ask because I feel like I'll probably just walk around without a bra once I'm home except for when we have company and am thinking the extra layer would be prohibitive rather than helpful? Am I being naive? Please enlighten me on what pieces you'd consider essential and why! I do have large breasts (36D) regularly if that's helpful at all? Thanks!

wildrainbow · September 2018

@ginny_203 I'm a SAHM. I didn't wear a bra or anything at home the first few weeks because my breasts were very engorged and bras hurt. However, after that went away, wearing a tank or bra really helped because when those suckers are full of milk, they get HEAVY. The support helped and the stretchy material wasn't constrictive.

firsttimespartanmom · September 2018

@ginny_203 I’ve been wondering the same thing! I bought a couple cheap nursing tanks from old navy but I’m also a little hesitant because I want to make sure nursing works for us first before spending a lot of money on nursing bras/clothes. I am so hopeful it will work out for us, but know so many people who it didn’t work for that I’m just cautious. Is this dumb? Do I need nursing bras before I deliver?

ginny_203 · September 2018

@wildrainbow thanks for that! Makes sense about the heaviness and need for support.

@firsttimespartanmom I'm glad I'm not the only one - was feeling dumb but figured I'd ask the question anyway! I think if anything I will buy a few things from Nordstrom (or a similar store with a generous return policy) so if it doesn't work out, I can be sure I'll get my money back?

offtoneverland · September 2018

@ginny_203 If anything, I'd say nursing bras are essential. Tanks you probably don't NEED at first but they are nice to have. I liked wearing both because I was pretty self conscious about my body after birth and even when I was just sitting alone with H, I didn't like having ALL of me exposed because I just felt floppy and loose and puffy. You could just wear a nursing bra under a regular shirt, lift up the shirt, then clip down the nursing bra, but then pretty much your entire upper half is exposed. If you're wearing both a nursing bra and tank, then only a small portion of your breast is showing. If you're comfortable just wearing a bra around the house, then that's all you really need! But I would have felt way too exposed with the after-birth body changes.
Personally I wouldn't have been able to just wear a tank, because as a DD, it's not enough support for me. Plus, you'll probably need breast pads for the leaking, and those might be hard to fit correctly in a tank.
Later on once you venture out of the house, nursing tanks or tops will probably be essential so you don't have to expose your whole body if you nurse while you're out and about. As I switched to exclusive pumping after a few weeks though, I never had to worry about that, though nursing bras and tanks were very helpful for pumping at work so I didn't have to get completely undressed.

mockingjay1 · September 2018

@ginny_203 - I agree nursing bras and tanks were a must have for me. First once your milk comes in around day 3-5 you leak EVERYWHERE. Without a tank/bra holding my breast pads in place I would have been hot mess. Also as PP mentioned the tanks are nice because they don't leave your whole belly exposed. A lot of nursing tanks have shelf bras built in and it was supportive enough I didn't need to also wear a bra for me but I'm only a C cup. I would just buy one or two to start with and you can always get more if you need to.

lifesabeach85 · September 2018

@ginny_203 I agree that nursing clothes are a must. What else would you wear if you’re nursing every 2-3h? You could probably do just a cami instead of a bra or a nursing top/dress and a forgiving bra. It’s such a hassle to disrobe every time baby wants to eat if you’re not in nursing clothes, even when you’re at home. And it’s much more discrete to just pull aside a nursing top and clip down a nursing bra if you have people over or if you’re out and about. And I highly recommend getting out while on maternity leave - newborns are portable and it’s a big mood boost to go outside!

runwmusic · September 2018

I've found myself starting to wear nursing bras just to be more comfortable. My belly has started pressing any normal bra's under wire and it's just painful. I got a 3 pack from amazon and so far so good!

highsteaks · September 2018

@ginny_203 i’m late to the boat, but i wanted to add a couple of other thoughts. for the first few weeks, my breast size fluctuated. they were a few cup sizes bigger than at the end of my pregnancy at first, then slowly shrunk to a more reasonable size— for this reason, i’m glad that i had stretchy, shelf type bras in the beginning to accomodate the change. they will last through the transition, plus with all the leaking that goes on, they get washed a ton. i’m definitely in the nursing bras are a must camp, but i would recommend putting off buying the nicer structured nursing bras until your breasts settle into their new normal size and stop leaking. i’m not sure which bras you were looking at in nordstroms, but i wanted to add that advice to your searching.

one other thing about not going braless— i don’t know about the other S+TMs, but my kid was like a little grabby baby vampire, so the extra layer of booby protection from her until i was ready was nice.

eahayes · September 2018

@wildrainbow I just ordered the HOFISH nursing bra from amazon! super cheap for a pack of 3 and great reviews online.. excited to see if I like them..