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.

Nursing bras are essential for moms who are planning to nurse. There’s so many to choose from – from $15 styles at Target and Motherhood Maternity, up to $110 leopard print nursing bras from Agent Provocateur (as seen on Gwen Stefani!) In the last couple of years nursing bras suddenly became pretty and are now available in many styles and colors, with lace and attractive details definitely an option.

What about nursing wear? What shirts and tops do you wear over the bra to make nursing as easy as possible? And do you really need special nursing clothes at all?

Nursing tank tops, and nursing t-shirts in plain colors are easy to come by, and work nicely at home, or to layer with other tops.

Maternity stores are starting to carry more fashionable nursing clothes, like this shirt that would be perfect for summer, and this pretty purple dress.

But on the whole, stylish nursing clothes lag far behind nursing bras. And as the average breastfeeding mom nurses for 6 months or more, we can’t be expected to make do with a couple of shirts.

Most moms wear nursing clothes at first, when access needs to be as easy as possible, and style is usually the last thing on a mom’s mind when you have a tiny newborn.

Once breastfeeding is going well, most moms can wear many of their pre-baby clothes to nurse.

Any shirt that can be pulled up, or down, or unbuttoned, can be a nursing shirt.

In the early days, a low-necked shirt that can be pulled down is usually easier to manage, avoiding a big bulge of fabric over baby’s head which will prevent you seeing what baby is doing and whether they are latched on correctly. Do this with old shirts because it will stretch out the neckline.

Then, once you and baby are experts at nursing, pulling a shirt up, or unbuttoning, to nurse is more discrete. It won’t stretch out your shirt’s neckline either.

So, it is possible to combine breastfeeding and style. Here’s to fashionable nursing!