Advice to preggos everywhere:
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE CLOTHES THAT YOU CAN NURSE IN WHILE YOU CAN STILL GO SHOPPING SANS BABY.
It turns out my wardrobe is really really not nursing friendly. So, even though I can fit into all of my old clothes, I really can't wear much of it because I CAN'T NURSE IN ANYTHING I OWN.
I have exactly one dress that has a neckline that can be pulled down enough to nurse in.
ONE DRESS.
Are you freaking kidding me?!?
My wardrobe consists of like 85% dresses.
SHIT.
This conundrum has forced me to dig through all my clothes in search of low necklines and stretchy materials. I've found 4 or 5 tops that work, but do you know what the problem with tops are? It means I have to wear pants!
Ugh, I hate pants.
Seriously, I would rather wear a dress any day of the week over pants.
But until I find some cute dresses with low necklines...I'm stuck in pants.
Boo.
Also, I CAN'T GO SHOPPING WITH BABY.
I mean, theoretically I could...but not really, not here, not in SF.
This is one of those things that I just haven't figured out how to do yet. I mean, of course it's possible, women don't just NOT go shopping after they have babies right?
But...it's just not as simple as it used to be and I'm having trouble adjusting.
It would require me to either wear baby downtown and take public transport, which...how do you try on clothes while wearing baby?
OR
Drive downtown and take the stroller.
I shudder at the thought.
You see...I don't drive downtown. I'm anti downtown driving. ANTI DOWNTOWN DRIVING.
My other option?
Go to the local boutiques with baby in a stroller.
This is obviously the best option, but...I haven't done it yet.
I know I just need to suck it up and GO rather than whine about my lack of wardrobe, but to be honest baby is still a bit too new for me to set out on such grand adventures with him.
Maybe next week.
So for now I'm stuck walking around in my stupid pants, or...wearing my one dress several days in a row until it gets so covered in spitup that I am required to wash it.
To all you other ladies nearing the end of your pregnancies who are finishing up buying all your baby essentials, DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOURSELVES! And make sure you buy some nursing friendly clothing before baby arrives!
Also, are there any other style of dress besides wrap dresses that work to nurse in?
OMG! I know! I have just come to the same conclusion. I have no nursing friendly clothes. Ones that I thought would be, are not. I just ordered a few things online and I hope they work.
ReplyDeleteGood to know! I am definitely a dress girl too and probably own zero nursing friendly clothes, shit I'll have to look into this. Also - how is your baby already a month old???!! And, more importantly, how is your baby a month old when I still have 8 weeks left??!! He is adorable by the way :).
ReplyDeleteI ordered a few things online in advance from Gap, since I know my size there so I don't really need to try things on.
ReplyDeleteWrap dress, button-down/shirt dress, low v-neck, ... those are the kinds of necklines I can imagine would be decent for nursing.
Ah! Great tip! I will be sure to get some nursing tops. I don't actually like dresses for day to day wear, but I like the nursing tanks they have at target that just look like camis. The parenting magazines and a lot of "getting ready lists" actually suggest this, and I kind of ignored it and didn't put two and two together until your post!
ReplyDeleteAnother thing to add to the growing list of things to get ready!! :)
We actually used to live in SF for a while with ds. The public transportation down there is a breeze with a stroller. It might seem intimidating at first, but even the buses were very accommodating and the BART or Muni were super simple. And...if you do decide just to wear baby while on public transportation, trying on clothes is actually pretty simple too. Just plan ahead and bring a plusher blanket than you might ordinarily have brought and lay babe on the floor in your dressing room. Also, make sure you bring in stacks of clothes to try on at one time so you don't have to go hunting for different sizes. The dressing room attendants are pretty sympathetic to mothers, so you shouldn't have much of a problem.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you aren't addicted to online shopping yet. I do get out to the mall but I never go into the shops (double strollers are a nightmare) so I show exclusively online. Most places have really great return policies so it isn't very risky. I loved going to the mall when the boys were newborns, they slept the entire time!
ReplyDeleteGood luck, I love dresses too!
I hear ya!!!! I have 1 dress and 3 target maternity takes that work real well, that's it. I also have yet to take Logan shopping sounds so difficult. I've been to SF a few times when my husband lived in Palo Alto and yes way more difficult to get around. I did make an order from ON the other day when they had a big sale.
ReplyDeleteGood advice! I was just looking at a cute nursing dress on amazon, and that wouldn't require you to go anywhere ;-) I saved it to buy later but maybe I'll go ahead and get it since I may forget until later. I'm anti-shopping in a store for the most part but that's because I live in po-dunk and there's not much close by. If I were you I'd probably make the trip up to corte madera or somewhere outside the city that's easier to meanuver? Good luck gun, if all else fails order online! Xoxo
ReplyDeleteTHAT is why I dressed like a hoochie mama after Winston was born... need those low necklines to nurse, and with the super sized boobs....
ReplyDeleteYou can try nursing tanks with your maxi skirts and when it gets colder throw on a jacket... You might have to get a few more maxi skirts, but it's not pants!
cowl necks can work for nursing, or key-hole/slit-front necklines, with a button at the top, so you can undo and nurse. Those are harder to find though.
I have a very loose billowy blousey dolman sleeve top that I'd actually nurse through the arm hole it was so big and drapey.
Also, SNAP FRONT shirt dresses. Unless you're super fast at doing buttons.
you can try online shopping to get a few essentials at least! good luck!!
ReplyDeleteI never quite understood why new mom's felt they could not go out with their babies for several weeks after birth. We were out and about when our son was 6 days old and I was fresh off a c-section. Had it not been for the no-driving-for-2-weeks restriction I would have been out more but was limited those first couple weeks to my husband driving me. But otherwise...we/I took him everywhere. You just need to think ahead. Yes...it is hard to try on clothes while baby wearing...but if you have another option to drive and use the stroller...just go for it. Just put a little blanket over baby's seat and no one will bother him. Don't be afraid...he is just a baby. If he cries, you either find a way to sooth him or leave.... but...just give it a try...it will help alleviate some of that newborn boredom that exists in these first few weeks.
ReplyDeletekd
I also vote for online shopping- Old Navy & Gap seem to have pretty constant sales & VERY easy return policies, and both have nursing wear. I JUST bought a nursing tank top & bra today, and have a large order from Old Navy/Gap on the way with several more tanks to try on.
ReplyDeleteTwo words: Online. Shopping. It has saved my life. Check out websites like Ideeli and HauteLook for cute dresses on the cheap. And good luck!
ReplyDeleteLOL. I'm figuring this exact thing out right now! I was going to suggest that you can wear a tank-top under a regular shirt (lift outter shirt up and tank down), but that would require wearing pants/shorts.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any skirts. I have a couple that I wore during pregnancy that will continue to fit, but it is getting too cold here to wear them outside, in my opinion.
I will definitely be going through my wardrobe more carefully in the near future and figure out what I can wear out of the house and then also go buy a few nursing shirts. Thankfully public transport is good here with strollers. Now it if would just stop raining.
HAHAH I had the same issue after my sons birth! Its like I KNOW that women do things with their babies,.. but hooOOOOoooW!
ReplyDeleteI never thought of online shopping!! What a great idea! I didnt have any issues with breastfeeding though, jus liften up my shirt and Ninja feed him.
Ugh this has totally been pissing me off! Even worse all feeding tips are designed for peegnantvwo
ReplyDeleteEn....
iPhone fail
DeleteTops are designed for PREGNANT WOMEN which correct me ifvinam wrong I am no longer given I am FEEDING!
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