How to Dress for Breastfeeding

If you have made the choice to breastfeed you must now prepare for the task. One of the last things women think about is how they need to dress when they are breastfeeding. Here are a list of ways to dress to make breastfeeding easier.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• nursing shirts
• loose shirts
• buttoned blouses

How to Dress for Breastfeeding

1. The easiest, although most expensive, solution is to buy clothing designed specifically for nursing mothers. The shirts have openings either on the sides or front. The openings are covered with another layer of fabric that is easily moved while nursing.

2. Another option is to use loose t-shirts. This is a great option if you do not have the money or desire to buy new clothes. The shirt is simply pulled up to allow the child to nurse. The shirt can be pulled down a bit to cover the exposed breast without disturbing the baby. With this option, the lower part of the body may be exposed.

3. If you like the t-shirt choice, but do not like being exposed you can layer clothing. Have a stretchable tank top under your shirt that can be pulled under the breast with the t-shirt pulled up. This extra layer will keep your skin from being exposed and may make it less uncomfortable for you.

4. If you like button down shirts, these can be tricky. While you might think it is best to unbutton where the breasts are, it is actually better to unbutton from the bottom (yes, I learned the hard way!).

5. Dresses are difficult to wear when breastfeeding. It may be easier to wear a shirt and skirt instead. However, there are a few things you can do if you choose a dress. If you have a jacket, you can unzip your dress and bring it down in front using the jacket to cover your back and a blanket to cover your front. The jacket can also be used to cover the front if need be. If your dress is lower cut, you may be able to move the fabric to the side to expose your breast, this may call for a slight unzipping.

6. Tighter fitting shirts can work, if you are able to pull them up without causing too much discomfort. You may want to try a combination of clothing for various situations. Of course, having a variety also gives you a larger wardrobe!

Tips & Warnings

• If you used belly bands during your pregnancy, you can use them when nursing to keep your skin from being exposed more than necessary. (layer them under shirts)

[sona1977]

on 9/18/2008 All this sounds complicated - I would buy about two nursing tops which makes feeding in public easy. Scrummy Mummy is good, so is www.milkbug.co.uk

[maggieb52]

on 8/4/2008 There are some nice specialist breast feeding dresses available on www.scrummy-mummy.com

[Savannah1033]

on 5/19/2008 I wear prints a lot while breast feeding. It helps to disguise if you leak or baby spits up on you.