Nursing Bras
The bra I’m wearing right now is frilly and feminine and has an under-wire. Why am I telling you this? I’m revealing this personal tidbit because I want to get across to all you nursing moms that you won’t have to wear an ugly, milk-stained bra forever, despite how you may feel right now with regards to your status as a lactating machine.
I nursed for almost three years straight. I stopped nursing my daughter when she was fifteen months old (and I was five months pregnant) and then nursed my son until he was thirteen months old. During my four month respite in between the two my milk never stopped producing so I didn’t dare go back to any of my pretty bras because I didn’t want to ruin them…and besides that I couldn’t stuff my breasts into my old bras even if I wanted to.
I spent three years wearing horribly plain white nursing bras. I wore the kind with sensible straps and panels that opened in the front. They worked wonderfully for the purpose I needed them to serve. It was great to be able to somewhat discreetly unhook the front panel of my bra so my baby could nurse without giving everyone around me a peep show.  The thing I couldn’t stand was how horribly plain they were. I’ve always been the type of gal who wants to have a pretty bra on underneath my clothes so no matter how sloppy I looked or how much spit-up was dried up on my shirt I could still feel pretty under my shirt. With the plain white bras, however, I didn’t feel very feminine.
Isn’t it funny that I wouldn’t feel feminine despite the fact that I was doing something only women can do (nursing my babies, that is)?
At any rate, I spent some time looking into buying some more ornate nursing bras. You can find them in some stores at the mall, but none of the ones rivaled my pre-pregnancy bra collection. There are a few stores online offering really beautiful nursing bras that look like they came straight out of the Victoria’s Secret collection but the prices are usually pretty outrageous. I couldn’t talk myself into buying one of those because of the cost.
So if you’re nursing right now and you find yourself grumbling every time you pull on your plain nursing bra, don’t worry. The time will come – probably sooner than you realize – when you will own your breasts once again and can house them in any bra you wish. Until then, be sure to use nursing pads so you don’t stain the plain bras you’re wearing nowadays.
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Dawn Allcot says...
That’s funny, I actually love my nursing bras! In fact, I found one I liked so much at a little shop in Asheville, NC, that I bought two more online, so now I’m set. It’s pink cotton, very practical, but I like it!
I also bought a “sexy” leopard bra, but the flaps don’t fold down right and it’s kind of awkward to use. I bought another lacy white one, too, but when it’s been a while since a feeding, the snaps pop open.
One thing… I’ve heard that breastmilk (and any resulting spit up) doesn’t stain the way formula does. Is that true? Of course, nursing pads are great because you don’t want spots on your clothes, but, in my experience, the milks washes out. (Or have I just been lucky?)
Melissa H says...
The stains do wash out… but if you don’t rinse them the sour milk smell won’t
Tamsen Butler says...
Dawn, I don’t know if my milk is just exceptional or something, but I have plenty of stains on my bras and shirts to prove that it indeed leaves a yellowish mark that has to be bleached out.
Of course, I would like to *think* my breastmilk is “exceptional.”