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mbf124
member
How many nursing tops?
mbf124
member
Hi ladies,
I know I'll need nursing tanks/tops, but I'm not sure how many are really necessary. How many did you purchase and what brand were they?
Thanks!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: How many nursing tops?
I'm of the mindset that you really can't have too many. I lived in those things pretty much the entire time I was on maternity leave. I had 6 and I wish I would have had more. I have 4 from motherhood (2 with hooks and 2 that are stretchy and you pull down) and 2 from Target.
My favorite nursing tank is the one from Target that the Gilligan O'Malley brand. I got another one from Target but the closure on it was a piece of crap and it broke in the wash after I wore it once.
You'll find what works for you and what you like best, but I like the kind with the snaps for several reasons. 1- In the beginning anything rubbing against your nips is PAINFUL. Loose shirts or the stretchy nursing tanks seemed like a good idea but they rubbed me and it hurt a lot. 2- if you wear breast shells or breast pads, the more snug ones are nice because the tank will hold any extras in place and they won't shift around. 3- They give a lot more support without feeling super constricted like you're wearing a bra. 4- They're nice when you're nursing in public that way you don't have to worry about exposing your post partum belly to the world when you lift up your shirt because the tank comes down from the top.
I wouldn't go out and buy like a million tops or anything, but I'd say have at least 5-7 tanks. I developed thrush and couldn't rewear tops before I washed them so I felt like I was doing laundry constantly which isn't really how I wanted to spend my day when I was sleep deprived and had a newborn to take care of.
The hospital I gave birth at has a "nursing nook" that sells bras, tanks, etc. I started out with 2 tanks and 2 bras, and now I probably have 6 tanks, 6 bras, and 2 nursing tops. I would buy a nursing tank or two (I like the target ones or bravado, which are more expensive) and then wait until your milk comes in before buying anything else. You don't know what size you'll be and you don't know what kind you'll like.
I like the bravado bras the best, by far. I have two from Target that I hate.
I bought one nursing bra, three nursing tanks and three nursing shirts. I wore the tanks constantly while on maternity leave and for a while when I went back to work. I would nurse him at DC at drop off, so the tanks it made it really easy to do discretely.
I did not end up wearing the shirts just because they never fit me well (I'm small chested even when nursing). I would just wear the nursing tanks with a cardigan or something over the top.
After about 7-8 months, when he wasn't nursing as frequently I just started wearing my normal clothes. The tanks I got were the Gillian O'Malley brand from Target. They aren't amazing quality, but for the amount of time you're going to wear them they're just fine.
I have a couple (4-5) nursing shirts that I got from Motherhood and/or Motherwear.com. They are nice... I have maybe 3 normal nursing bras and probably 6-8 sleep bras that I'll wear around the house if we're not going anywhere. I also have about 6-8 nursing tanks. I prefer those to the bras. You can wear them under a cardigan for a layered look, or you can wear them under normal shirts which I also like to do because they 1) kinda suck things in and smooth things out and 2) provide you cover of your post-baby belly if you are nursing in public. Even though I nurse in public with a cover, sometimes you can still see my tummy and I like having it covered.
Hope that helps!
I have....
3 Target nursing tanks
3 Target nursing bras
2 Bravado nursing bras
I feel that has been just perfect. If anything, I could probably do with a few less bras
Wow, I have a lot then...
I've got 8 nursing tanks and about 10 bras. Part of that is because I sweat like crazy sometimes, part of it is because I still sometimes leak through the pads at night, and part of that is because I went on a huge ultra-careful-always-change-really-damp-bra kick when I had thrush.
Having so many bras and tanks is great though, especially when it's hard to find time for laundry.
ETA: All of mine are Bravado, which is an investment, but I've worn some of my early tanks so much that they're starting to get signs of wear and tear after four months. Still holding up though.