Do you really need specifically made breastfeeding accessible clothing? It really comes down to personal preference! Depending on whether you’re nursing or pumping, or how often you’ll be out and about while doing so, really makes a difference in what you need or want.
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When I had my first baby, I absolutely did not buy anything fancy like that at all, in fact, I didn’t even buy a pumping bra because I didn’t want to spend the $40. I came to regret that decision later!
By the second baby, I actually bought the cheapest pumping I could find on Amazon and came to regret that later as well! After a few months, I decided to get an actual decent pumping bra, and then I never looked back. I realized that you can actually buy comfort, and it makes things a bit easier when you have something that is tailored specifically to do what you need to do. I also discovered that the shirts and sweaters with zippers or slots in them are actually pretty handy as well, though some of them are quite spendy. Especially if you are a mom who is on unpaid maternity leave perhaps a stay at home mom with no income, you may not want to spend the money on a special shirt with his zippers in it!
These are not by any means an essential item, they are certainly a luxury item! If you live in a colder area, I will say that a special sweatshirt with zippers across the chest can very much come in handy when you are doing a pumping session and you feel that you’re cold - being cold actually can inhibit your letdown and affect your milk output, so that is one thing that I will say makes it worth it! I have also really found the special shirts handy when taking my kids somewhere and I have to go feed the baby, I am personally a more private person, and I don’t typically nurse in front of other people, but it is nice to be able to stay completely closed and just open a zipper or a little slit and then put it back when I’m done. Also pairing that with a handy and easy to use bra underneath, makes it a lot less fumbling and fumbling. As far as the clothing, there are some inexpensive options on Amazon you can purchase, I have used some of those and they have not failed me, I have also used a little bit more expensive brands and they have served me well. It all depends on the style and material you’re looking for, honestly. I have a list compiled here on Amazon of some different options.
Another good point to make is that they can last through different breast-feeding journeys, I have used a lot of things from my second baby to my third baby. And then I actually handed some down to my sister-in-law who just had a baby, so I feel that they have gotten their money is worth.
There are some things that I found to be a waste of money, in my personal experience. I got a handful of dresses that had zippers across the chest, and I actually only used one of them, the other ones the material turned out to be insufferable, and I really did not like them at all. I believe it was 100% polyester and oversight on my part purchasing that I did not check it.
Anyways, all that aside, you really just need to figure out what it is that you personally need for your situation. You don’t need a ton, but a few pieces can help to make your breastfeeding experience a little bit more seamless. I will add below a few different things in different price brackets, and you can take a look and see what works for you and your situation! There’s also a lot of Facebook groups where you can purchase items like this secondhand, if that’s something you’re comfortable with.
I have personally used this sweatshirt ($36) from Amazon, and this multi pack of tank tops ($40 for 3). They also have a sleeved t shirt version, ($36 for 3) but I get kind of hot easily so I usually like to use a tank top, and I had some t-shirts already so I did not get more when I did my amazon haul. I got a lot of nursing queen t shirts from their bargain bin on facebook. If you're looking for that, it's in their VIP facebook group. Once a week they do what's called the "bargain bin" where they post extremely discounted items that have small cosmetic imperfections that make them unable to be sold for full retail price, but work perfectly well. I've gotten some good deals there.
I have purchased a large amount of items from Nursing Queen, they are the best known nursing clothing brand as far as I know. I have tried pretty much every style that they offer, and those ones I really like. I will say that I have one particular style (leopard sweater horizontal zip) where the zipper got stuck and stayed open. They replaced it for me, but they did say that it was an issue with that particular style, so I would watch for that if you get that one. Here's a few of my favorites from them:
The striped ones have diagonal zips, the MAMA one has a horizontal zip. If it makes a difference for you at all. I have a few colors/patterns of the striped one and a few horizontal zip, I like them both. I size up because I do not like a snug fit of anything sweaterlike.
They have really decent simple T-shirts with zips, some horizontal and some diagonal. These have come in handy for me for sure, especially when my son was small and fed often. So a simple trip out of the house had a loooot of stops for feeds.. And I did not want to be topless when we parked somewhere to stop and feed him. These do run a bit on the pricy side, comparing to the amazon versions with slots rather than zips where you'd get three of those for the price of one of these. It all depends on what works for you and what's in your budget.
Anyways, I hope that is helpful for you in figuring out whether or not you actually need the fancy breastfeeding shirts and sweatshirts, a lot of the time you really don’t need them, but for specific situations they do come in handy. I really liked to use the sweaters with the zippers during my pumping sessions because at night I would just get so cold, and holding up a blanket the whole time is super annoying. I also wore them for nursing my third baby because I coslept, and sweater on me with the zipper open is safer than having a blanket. I do not instruct or recommend that practice without very extensive research into the safe sleep seven, this is what I personally did and for others it can be very dangerous so I am recommending. I am just sharing my experience.
Check out some of my related posts for more info on milk supply and exclusive pumping!
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