Nursing bra's and shirts.. are they necessary??

MaddsM · January 2015

Hey!

So I'm planning on breastfeeding my little guy when he comes. I'm wondering if;

1. Nursing bra's are necessary or is wearing a regular one fine?

2. I see a lot of nursing shirts or blouses that apparently make it easier to nurse your baby. Is this true?

Should I invest in a couple of bra's and shirts??

Thanks!

Unknown · January 2015

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MaddsM · January 2015

Thanks so much!

Any ideas as of where I could get bra's and tanks for a reasonable price but that are also cute!

I was looking at Thyme maternity.

Bra's and shirts were both upwards of $40 I was kind of surprised but I figure that might be the prices I'd be looking at regardless!

MaddsM · January 2015

Yeah, I think I might get maybe two ahead of time just so that I have some bra's.

As for shirts, I typically wear a lot of comfy/baggier shirts. I might get a couple bra's and shirts to have just in case, but once I get used to it and more comfortable I might get away with not having to wear them all the time.

Unknown · January 2015

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foreverMorgan · January 2015

Definitely invest in nursing bras and tanks. Target is a good place to get them if you are looking for affordable.

I wouldn't bother with nursing shirts. I always layered a tank underneath a shirt than I could easily maneuver in order to nurse discreetly.

jennygirlmt · January 2015

I had two nursing bras that I didn't love. After a few weeks they sort of got creased and then showed through my clothes.

I LIVED in nursing tanks. I had walmart and target ones first and they worked but were a bit shorter than I liked. For DD2 I bought from Motherhood when they were buy 3 get 1. Which made them each like $2 more than Target ($19 vs $17). They are much longer which I prefer. I think I had 3 the first time, then bought 4 more. I used the old ones to sleep.

I just layered them with looser shirts (even tighter ones as long as they can go up), button ups or zippered hoodies.

I didn't feel nursing tops made sense because I'd always leak, get milk drips, etc. So I liked being able to pull down a clean shirt and have the wet be on the covered tank.

pixieprincss · January 2015

With bras, this totally depends on your support needs. Many friends with small breasts use cheapy bras and just pull the cup fabric down and replace the stretched out bra sooner or they wear a shelf tank and pull it down or they love nursing tanks. I need mega support (and, frankly, a custom-fit bra), so I have to shell out the big bucks specifically for a nursing bra and there is no way a shelf or nursing tank could provide ample support for me. As for nursing shirts, I don't know many moms who have more than one or two. What tends to be more economical for covered nursing is button-down shirts that you can unbutton in the middle or the one-up, one-down method where you wear one layer that you can pull up and one layer that you pull down. This often is a stretchy tank underneath (not necessarily a nursing one, which I find exposes more of my large breast than I need to) and a shirt to pull up on top. But, it also works to have a shirt with a stretchy neck that you can pull down on the outside. With that, you can throw a blanket over the top part of your exposed breast if desired or have a "pull up" shirt underneath that you use to cover the top part of the chest. When I buy clothes, I look specifically for the stretchy necklines. I NIPed into toddlerhood with both kids and found these tactics worked well with constantly nursing newborns, nursing baby in a carrier, as well as active older babies and toddlers who like to look around and are more interactive

Bobbie1227 · January 2015

Old Navy has inexpensive maternity shirts/nursing shirts. If you have thrift stores in your area with a maternity section that is also a great way to save money. I find it hard to justify spending a ton of money on a wardrobe I won't need for long. I also found Genie Bras to be very inexpensive and convenient during this pregnancy.

blu-eyedwife · January 2015

We had a great little info session during my breastfeeding course last time around.

2-4 weeks before you're due pick up some nursing tanks/sleep bras. These come in sizes of S/M/L (etc.) That way you have something right when the baby is born. Before this time you really don't need anything specifically for nursing, which has clips to open up to expose your boob. That's really what's special about them.

2-4 weeks after you give birth, get fitted for an actual nursing bra. This gives your breast time to increase due to milk flow and regulate a little. Do you NEED a nursing bra? Maybe not. Some women can get by with nursing tanks. But a bra is going to offer more support.

Nursing shirts you don't need. Some people like them, and they obviously offer access, but I think a lot of us just use button ups, or wear something underneath if we're concerned about stomach exposure.

mamayo26 · January 2015

Look on amazon. Also read Macy's has a sale right now too.

PrimRoseMama · January 2015

Yes.

estefyp4 · January 2015

I agree with a pp mentioning the type of support you may need for your size.. for me the experience of a nursing bra wasn't really a good one I went from a good size B to a full D after my son was born and honestly I found sport bras to be the best alternative! they are comfy and strechy so they will easily adapt to engorgement moments as well as nicely supporting nursing pads (which no joke are necessary and you should always carry extra when out of the house)..and as far as nursing tank tops any good quality cotton tops did it for me, it made it easy to just 'swoop' the boob out

also remember the first couple of weeks and even months you may be covered with spit up so a good quantity of tanks is recommended..

emaddock · January 2015

Bras and tanks yes!!!! I have a few nursing shirts but honestly the tanks under a regular shirt are the best.

auburnmamma · January 2015

I loved and lived in my nursing tanks!!! I bought bravado tanks.

pinkiemo · January 2015

Nursing tanks yes. I like the motherhood maternity ones better than the glamor mom ones, they have ones with soft cups in them so if you're larger you don't look like your have gorilla boobs, or worse the dreaded uni-boob.

As far as nursing bras, I could never find ones I like that gave me the right amount of support and looked nice under a shirt. I opted to go get some front closure bras which are easy access and you can wear them after weaning. To me it's the best of both worlds.

Skip the nursing shirts, not worth it.

jennygirlmt · January 2015

Oh, my favorite trick if using just a nursing bra and not a tank was to wear my belly band from pregnancy. Then it covered my belly when I pulled up my shirt but I didn't have extra straps, material on top interfering with the look of whatever shirt I was wearing.

MaddsM · January 2015

Wow lot's of helpful feedback, thanks everyone!

I think I have a good idea of what I should be looking to get & where.

So it seems like a few people agree to not buy the bra's until it's closer to the date, which makes sense. So should I just wear sports bra's for now?

I'm normally only a size A maybe B depending on the bra, but my boobs have grown so much that my bra's are 1. uncomfortable and 2. cause major boob spillage.

But I also find that sports bra's don't look as nice as regular bra's when going out!

So I'm stumped on if I should wear comfy sports bra's out or uncomfortable regular bra's!

Ahhh! This is my first pregnancy, I feel like I'm totally overthinking everything!

Thanks so much for all the feedback

blu-eyedwife · January 2015

MaddsM said:

So it seems like a few people agree to not buy the bra's until it's closer to the date, which makes sense. So should I just wear sports bra's for now?

My vote is always to get measured for whatever size you're at now and buy something inexpensive to last until it doesn't fit anymore. I know none of us probably do it, but you're supposed to replace your bras every 6 months anyway, so a bra that's only going to last for the remainder of your pregnancy isn't that far off.

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