Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Brigadeiro's Nursing Style/Tips

A little while back, Anonymous wrote:

(...)Being pregnant myself, I really enjoyed your post on how to dress during pregnancy. Thanks for all the good tips! I would love to hear your thoughts on how to dress while nursing. As you say, I think that will be more difficult than dressing while being pregnant, so please, can you offer some advice?(...)

Firstly, apologies for taking so long to get back to you; ever since lil J's arrival I feel like my time is no longer my own...Now, I must admit that at times I struggle to find a decent outfit to wear that will allow me to nurse whilst out and about, I was told that dressing whilst nursing was harder than dressing when pregnant, and that is absolutely true. I have not lost one gram since lil J's arrival, so having to hide my 'pregnancy weight gain' as well as having to dress to be able to nurse at the same time is often challenging, so this is something I am trying to figure out myself. I have searched for 'nursing clothing' only to be flabbergasted at how unflattering and ugly the options available are. However, many of my staples that I wore during my pregnancy still serve me well:



I could not live without my Bonds maternity singlets and my many pairs of black leggings, they form the basis for most of my outfits. I also wear my Gap pilates black pants to death, so the pants and/or jeans that you may have been wearing during your pregnancy will continue to be of use whilst nursing. Some other 'principals' discussed in my 'pregnancy style post' still apply to my 'nursing style' too, that is why my maternity black singlets are so versatile, as I wear them under different cardigans, vests, button-shirts & shirt-dresses, coats and jackets:



Another item I have been wearing to death is my black jersey wrap dress, it is my 'safe go-to' dress and I try to change its look each time with different accessories. A stretch jersey wrap (or low v-neck) dress (with or without sleeves) is an absolute must for anyone's 'nursing wardrobe'. Be sure to pick one that is very stretchy and/or relatively low-cut so that you can pull it down when required.



Shirt-dresses are also great (I have used my TOV checkered grey shirt dress a lot):





I also look for tops/dresses that have buttons or a zip that go low in the chest (like the Willow cashmere sweater dress I recently purchased), Henley tops are great for casualwear:



I bought the Vanessa Bruno faux (the buttons do not unbutton) double-breasted jersey navy top (bottom left) a few years ago, and absolutely love it, now even more so, as I can still wear it whilst nursing...

Here are some items I have recently added to my wardrobe to facilitate my 'nursing style':



TOV checkered shirt dress (love the billowy style which hides my post-pregnancy bump, as well as the low buttons which allow me to nurse)

Dries Van Noten embroidered blouse (adds some interest to my 'basic' outfit)
Willow cashmere sweater dress with front zip at the top part of the dress (great for layering once again)

Vanessa Bruno wool jersey blouse

Yes, I bought the Vanessa Bruno tops in two colours...as I wrote in my 100th post (Brigadeiro's Shopping Tips), when you find something that works well (and these were at a very good price), it often pays to buy them in as many colours as you can find them in, as you never know when you will come across another piece like this.

It is currently Winter Down Under, so layering has been key, in addition, a lightweight scarf serves double duty as a stylish nursing 'cover'...Capes and capelets also work well as a stylish 'cover' (although I have yet to use this Burberry Prorsum ombre cape I purchased a few months ago):



Unfortunately, 99.9% of the time I have to wear clothes that can be spit up on, and I save the nicer items for special occasions (lately dressing up occasions have been few and far between)...

Do you have any tips on 'nursing style'?

Would it be helpful if I picked a few items that are currently available for another post?

11 comments:

  1. That Vanessa Bruno jersey blouse has got me wanting!

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  2. these are great tips for nursing .. it seems like a very difficult time stylewise

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  3. so great, loving every bit of it
    loving your blog as always
    keep it up, thanks for sharing!
    let me know if you'd like to trade links with COSMICaroline

    -cma
    COSMICaroline.blogspot.com

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  4. I'm not nursing but I love both of those jersey dresses!

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  5. hello all, what a wonderfull blog i too am obsessed with all beautiful and stumbled across your pages by chance while searching for pics of clothes(worn by aundrey tatou)from movie priceless...i also feel you pain with trying to dress well while pregnant and during nursing...ah soo hard especially when youre 20kg heavier...my answer was beautifull silk fine dresses with black opaque pantyhose and fine wool and cashmere knit tops underneaht.people always used to comment how beautifull and great idea it was...nursing was hard but thank god most of the 6 months were very warm so i had some great silk v neck with tie caftans and caftan style silk tops made up(inspired by my beautiful cavali caftan(found some great silks imports in tessuti fabric store).on the cooler days i found my fine knit wrap around dress fantastic and easy while nursing.things are easier now with my beautiful boy being 8 months and just 4 more kilos to lose to fit into my favourite clothes.now i just have to be carefull sellecting my accessories as my favourite large hoop earings and sunglasses get constantly pulled off by my curious baby,but theres no way iam giving up on my dressing up. good luck girls!!!xo

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  6. Très bon choix et difficile de choisir mais j'aime bien la dernière avec je crois un papillon.

    Séréna

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  7. During my last pregnancy a co-worker of mine mentioned that she had ordered some maternity clothes from Walmart. Throw on one of my favorite non-maternity jackets or cardigans over the top, and I’m good to go. Since I’m always hot, it’s nice to have the option of peeling that layer off during my work day, and wearing it just on the set. I was shocked – and we even more floored when I fell in love with the few things I ordered myself.

    Thanks for sharing great tips for nursing.. Wearing a girdle (in this heat !) also helps to make things look nicer on, and I wish I could wear my new j brand jeans since the mid-rise styles pack the flab in amazingly but Italy's too hot for jeans right now.. it seems like a very difficult time stylewise.

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  8. How do I get that TOV shirt dress? The website is wholesale only?

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    1. Unfortunately I cannot find this dress anymore, anywhere. I bought it years ago (over 3 years ago), and it sold out pretty quick, purchased it from Modcloth. Wish I could find it again!

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