Maternity and Nursing Clothing Experience

amother

Kiwi

Sun, Jul 10 2022, 1:30 pm

Are you doing research for a new company? If so, I hope you will find a way to produce good quality maternity clothing at an affordable price point. My friends and I agree that you know the baby is almost due when your maternity clothing starts to come apart in the wash.

For nursingwear, it was hard to find things that weren't too huge. I actually preferred regular three-piece outfits (pulled the top up from the waist and a cardigan or jacket covered the side - easier and more discreet than trying to figure out the openings in specialized clothing) but if I did use nursing clothing, I prefer the crop-top to go all the way around rather than just a panel in the front. Looks more like regular clothing.

BH Yom Yom

Wed, Jul 13 2022, 3:27 pm

amother [ Yolk ] wrote:

I'll echo what others said about:

1. I want to look good but I mostly just want to be comfortable. That means breathable fabrics. And not having to wear a shell underneath because then what's the point? Too many layers and tucking things back in and lifting things up etc.

2. Hava Tribe had the BEST stuff and I'm devastated that they closed down. If you're asking because you're starting your own line, please talk to her and maybe even buy her patterns.
She used a lot of invisible zippers – in the darts, not the sides! – so everything looked normal but it's also SO easy to nurse in them.
A lot of the dresses I try have openings on the side and it's the biggest pain to get the opening all the way around, it makes it hard to nurse discreetly, and it's just not comfortable either.

3. I don't like buttons or zipper openings from the neck because they're not very tznius. No cover stays up all the way until the neck. And if I'm home with my kids I don't want them seeing that much.
(I also don't like the look of buttons on me, but that's a different story.)

4. I hate paying a lot for clothing. I understand though that this is a niche industry so I'll do it anyway. What I do ask is that if I'm shelling out hundred(s) for a dress, I need to love it and it needs to last.

...

What has worked well for me is to get long sleeve shirts and sweaters that have tznius necks and wearing a tank top underneath. Shirt goes up, tank goes down, shalom al yisrael.

But there's something so nice about just putting on one dress and done. Especially in the summer.

(I also wish shell manufacturers would make nursing friendly shells because then I could wear things with shells and do away with the tank tops – tank tops AND a shell is just too many layers. When I requested this, I was told that they already make these cut off and that should be good. But I don't just need access, I need my stomach covered while I lift my shirt! I need something with a slit across the middle, not just something that ends in the middle.)

All of this but ESPECIALLY the bolded!!!!!!

metacognizant

Wed, Jul 13 2022, 4:08 pm

I am chiming in here that while a lot of people seem to hate maternity/nursing being one garment, I prefer it. I have nursed throughout all 3 of my pregnancies AND I don't lose postpartum weight very quickly, so I need to wear maternity clothes long after childbirth and nursing clothes during pregnancy. I'd much rather buy one garment than two. But I try to choose maternity clothing that doesn't "look" like maternity clothing or which is flexible enough to wear when I'm not pregnant. I don't like cheap synthetic fabrics, so if I can, I buy things which are made of natural fibers and will last longer. (If I can! It's hard to find!) And if I have a super flexible elastic waistband I'm happier than with an elastic over-the-bump thing but I will wear the over the bump style if necessary, even when I'm not pregnant, since it just feels comfortable on my huge hips and rear. I hate the "Motherhood Maternity' style tunic-and-leggings outfit with the dividing line between your chest and your belly bump. Like others have mentioned it makes me feel like I'm highlighting certain body parts and ugh. It is comfortable and flexible though and sometimes at the end of pregnancy it's the only thing I can wear. My favorite brands are Nom Maternity and Gap, mostly because of the options for natural fibers and styles that feel more "me."

amother

Catmint

Sun, Jul 17 2022, 11:18 pm

If it's not too late to chime in--

I want to also add my vote that being PETITE and also pregnant (and I carry big, maybe because I'm petite?) made it extremely difficult to find clothes. Just getting a bigger size totally doesn't cut it when I'm still 5 ft tall, with narrow shoulders etc. We need PETITE maternity clothes!

And re nursing access--remember that it needs to be easily opened and closed with one hand, ideally. Otherwise it's only good for nursing at home or in a very comfortable private spot where you can put the baby down and then close the dress etc. (So like zippers that are hard to open or close with only one hand, possibly the non-dominant one--not so great for those early days where you may need to nurse anywhere at the drop of a hat).

I found it easiest to just have a very loose t-shirt size top, possibly over a stretchy tank top for pulling down so really everything was covered and with the loose top, I could really keep coverage where baby's mouth meets breast both for latching on and even while nursing. I would love just more tops like that in many pretty colors--I had only one t-shirt that was perfect for that but it was black and boring.

amother

Poppy

Wed, Oct 19 2022, 1:16 pm

amother Catmint wrote:

Another vote for petite maternity!
I also carry big (as in HUGE) and often end up with too broad shoulders.