HOW TO SPOT A GOOD BREASTFEEDING TOP
After having my first baby i was looking forward to wearing my wardrobe again, i had not considered that i'd actually have to wait another year or so until i could wear it all again. The reason being that i'd have to dress to breastfeed (and cover a pot belly).
At first i found dressing to breastfeed harder than styling a bump. There are more restrictions and seem to be less options. Plus there are no decent nursing clothes on the high street. But now that i understand what works and what doesn't i never let it get in the way of a good outfit.
Basically to get access to your nips - tops can come up / tops can come down / tops can open.
Here are a few tips:
Vests - I tend to wear vests under everything - i usually pull the vest down and the top up. That way my tummy stays hidden by the vest and my chest is hidden by the top and nipple and boob exposure is kept to a minimum. You can buy nursing vests which can be good but i found that any stretchy vest works (H&M do good ones). Its better if they are tighter and made of thin fabric otherwise your top can look a bit bulky. Also think about the colour eg. i have a leopard print vest (obviously) that looks cool under a slightly see through white top, i wear ones that are a similar colour to the top top and i wear clashing or patterned ones - its all in the detail.
Shirts and front button tops - the obvious choice, these can be unbuttoned or pulled up. Avoid plain coloured silk ones as any leakage, puke, sweat tends to show up more - plus they are a pain to wash and iron. The likely hood is that you won't be dressing up smartly every day and might be shopping with practicality in mind - denim shirts are great and always look cool as are checked ones.
Zips or loose bottom tops - i recently spotted a top from H&M that had two zips up either side, this would be great for breastfeeding. You could unzip the side you need access to and pull your undervest down, the zips would mean that you don't have to hunch the top to much and your baby's head would be covered. Most tops can be worn with the undervest technique but personally i prefer to wear ones that fit slightly looser around the tummy, they are more flattering and easier to pull up.
