Nursingwear

One of my friends who is expecting her second baby asked me about nursingwear today. She struggled with what to sleep in during the time she was nursing her first little one and wondered what I did to prevent the inevitable nighttime leakage. I thought I would take this opportunity to share what I think is a great find...Gillian O'Malley nursing bras and tanks from Target!

I got one tank to take to the hospital and wore it the entire five days we were there (gross I know, but desperate times...). I then went to Target and bought one in every available color. They are only $17, much less than at maternity specialty stores, and I love them! I sleep in them at night and even wear them under clothes many days. I'm not in need of a ton of support, but find they fit tightly enough to prevent any unsightly bouncing or leaking even when it's been a while since I've nursed or pumped. They are also nice to wear under another shirt because I can lift that shirt up to feed her and still have my midsection covered by the tank which has easy to open shoulder snaps for quick one handed access. Perfect!

I also purchased two of the nursing sleep bras. They are also only $17 and really nice.I find that I can wear these, not only at night, but also during the day time for many of the same reasons mentioned above about the tank. They are comfortable, provide good support, and make it easy to nurse. I actually have two expensive nursing bras from another store, but do not like them or wear it them much as the ones from Target. One of them has hook and eye shoulder clasps which are impossible to open with one hand making it quite frustrating when trying to feed and hold a hungry squirming baby. The other has a double layer design with a little padding sewn between that is always getting bunched up and needs to be smoothed out. The only thing I don't like about the Target on is that it comes up pretty high and isn't what you would call "sexy".

In an effort to have a nursing bra that was also a "sexy" bra, I did purchase one of the Gillian O'Malley soft cup nursing bras. Which sounds comfortable, but I've only worn it once, and it was not. Of course that may be because I got the wrong size. I think I was thinking of my size before nursing and bought it without trying it on. It could also be that I've gotten used to wearing the sleep bras and tanks and any normal bra would feel uncomfortable. I took the tags off and washed it before wearing it, so now I'm stuck with it. I may try to get another one in a better size and see how that goes. I do get a bit tired of only wearing full coverage sporty bras all the time!

Another great nursing find: Johnson and Johnson nursing pads. For someone like me without a huge chest they are perfect. I started out saying I was only going to use the fabric washable kind to eliminate waste and cost, but I found that early on they were rough and stayed damp and irritated where I was already irritated. They also don't have adhesive and managed to migrate to around my navel during the night! I found that the Lanisol ones were too big and bunch up under my bra leaving visable lines through my clothes. The others brands didn't have adhesive, see above comment. The Johnson and Johnson's are soft, a good size, and stay put! I only use one pair a day, and I do sometimes use the fabric ones now when I'm home during the day to ease my consience. :)