Living in Germany means that I see a lot of nursing moms who don’t bother with nursing tops. I don’t quite have their body confidence or their quickly regained svelte figures, so I prefer to keep my fat rolls under cover by wearing nursing tops when I expect to be breastfeeding in public.
The most readily available tops in Germany are H&M Mama nursing shirts (available online in Scandinavia, Germany and Austria). These shirts are pretty comfy and at 19.90 Euro, are pretty affordable. The downside is that they tend to lose shape after several washings, and I also find the nursing openings to be a little more difficult to use than other tops, although with practice, I did get used to them.
By my Christmas visit to the US, Oliver had been nursing for six months and I knew that we would continue our nursing relationship for quite some time. After trying on everything at Target and finding that nothing fit, I decided to invest a little in nice nursing shirts and ordered three tops from Japanese Weekend (available mostly in North America, but the website does list a couple of international shops). At $60-$80 a pop, I was a little disappointed in the quality upon opening the box they arrived in. I expected the same quality that a similarly priced non-maternity shirt would have. They are nice shirts, and the nursing openings are great, but I wouldn’t consider them quite worth the money. I should also note that the styles I bought are no longer being shown on their website. Anyways, I wore my Japanese Weekend tops happily for another couple months, then decided I needed some further variety in my wardrobe.
In random surfing, I came across GapMaternity’s nursing section and decided to order a couple of their tops. The price was right, at about $35 each, but unfortunately they only shipped within the US. I shipped them to a relative and had them sent on to me. These are by far the best price/quality-ratio nursing shirts I’ve come across. The stretch cotton shirts are stylish, flattering, and comfortable with easy to use nursing access.
I’d read a lot of good things about Boob, a Swedish maternity and nursing clothing company, so I purchased a couple of nursing singlets (tank tops, 35 Euro each) and a nursing camisole (40 Euros). The clothing is soft and stretchy. The camisole would be great for wearing while pregnant or while you’ve still got your pregnancy tummy, but now that mine has shrunk pretty much back to normal size, I just feel pregnant in the camisole. In other words, it’s not all that flattering. The nursing singlets are awesome though. They hug me in just the right places, disguising my fat folds while making me feel skinny. Boob’s clothing is available pretty much world wide through stores that can be found using the store locater on their website.
Finally, I heard about a UK brand popular with all the posh nursing mamas, Isabella Oliver. I suppose I was on a reckless online shopping spree at the time, cause I decided to order their nursing tops (they’ve got two, and have come out with a nursing dress for the fall as well) to see what all the fuss was about. At 90 Euro a piece (now 85 Euro), I thought that they could be great pieces that I could wear when I wanted to dress up a bit. I also figured that if I didn’t love them, I could return them and my curiosity would be sated. Well, the matte jersey fabric is fabulous. It drapes in just the right way and the cuts are flattering. The nursing openings are perfect and I feel glamorous wearing the tops. Getting a little glam in my life as a nursing mother is worth the higher price! And if you order the dress and a nursing top together right now, you get 25 Euro off the price of ordering them separately. Isabella Oliver has US, Canadian, UK and EU online shops.
What’s your favorite brand of nursing attire?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
By far, my favorite nursing tops are Motherwear. Check it out at http://www.motherwear.com. The quality is pretty decent and they are quite functiona. There is a Value Line — basic, cheaper than their main clothing line that I use. Also, seconds, overstocks, etc. are sold on e-bay at the Motherwear store. If you sign up on their mailing list, there is a sale, free shipping, etc. etc. on a frequent basis. That said, if I want a “fancy” nursing shirt — Japanese Weekend, etc. (I look for used in the Baby-oriented second hand stores.) I have several Motherwear T-shirts, a hoodie, tank tops, and a tankini. I have other brands, but prefer Motherwear.
I also like Motherwear. Target worked for me though, so I usually went that route. Also, Old Navy has added maternity and some of those look like they’d work for nursing. :)
I had great success with the Japanese Weekend offerings. They have a D&A (during and after) line. I didn’t find it until after Bubba Joe was here, but I always felt sexy in them.
I did not like the quality of motherwear. I ended up using their shirts to sleep in.
Great to see that Gap has nursing stuff - I loved their maternity!
I tried ordering from Motherwear several times and was never satisfied, either design or quality were not good enough. I really envy those who did, because they are really affordable. I found another producer that makes nursing clothes to my taste - http://www.fancymom.com. They also have e-shop where you can buy clothes online.