Mamas, one of my very favorite things about blogging is you. Our readers. I love that there is a virtual army of awesome moms at all of our fingertips, always ready to share advice, tips and support. You guys rock. And our latest example of your awesomeness is this guest post from reader Crunchy Con Mom.
After our article about finding nursing-friendly day dresses on Zappos, we received an email from Crunchy Con Mom:
I noticed a comment someone left on your recent post about nursing in dresses. She was baffled at your categorization of cowl necks as nursing friendly and I could totally empathize with her. I'm down to about a G cup now that my son is 2, but was a 34J at first, and even stretchy necklines generally can't hold up to that kind of stretching and still look good! I wondered if you might be interested in another guest post?
Um...YES. Abso-freakin-lutely. At the biggest, my nursing rack hangs out around a D (M's is bigger, but only by a bit...and WOW I know an awful lot about my friends' chest sizes since becoming moms, LOL), but clearly there's a whole lot more to think about for the truly busty nursing mama. So let me turn this topic over to someone who has lived it, Crunchy Con Mom:
(BTW - this is not a picture of Crunchy Con Mom. Just thought I'd clarify. It's the Elomi Beatrice Nursing Bra model.)
The first time a friend mentioned pulling necklines down to nurse, I was frankly, confused. Eventually, the geometry of the situation made sense. To nurse, you have to pull your neckline not just down 6-8 inches but also out the distance your breasts stick out. For a mom with a C cup, that’s just 3 more inches. For a mom with a J cup, like me when my milk first came in, that’s 10 more inches. So a mom with a bigger cup size might be asking their shirt to stretch twice as much as a mom with a smaller cup size. That’s a lot to ask of a neckline, and the smaller you are other than your breasts (i.e. small band size), generally the less fabric you have in your shirt or dress to do that stretching. So when I saw another ANMJ reader similarly baffled at a suggestion S made to buy a cowl neck dress to nurse in, I wanted to help.
So, once we accept the premise that some of us just can't make the geometry work to pull down necklines to nurse, what’s an ultra-busty mom to do? Here are a couple of styles I’ve discovered work really well for me while I’ve been nursing (I included mostly day dresses, but also a few that would be more appropriate for date night or a wedding you’ve been invited to!):
Solution #1 Button & Zipper Fronts
Both classic button-front dresses and edgy zipper-front dresses are stylish while still allowing easy access when you are ready to nurse. Put a cami underneath and when it’s time to nurse, unzip or unbutton and pull your cami up for modesty on top. Or, wear a cardigan over the sweater and button just the top button while nursing. Most of the styles I found were fairly fitted, so they’d probably be best for once your tummy is back close to “normal” size/shape again.
Solution #2 Real Wrap Dresses
Wrap dresses provide great flexibility for nursing moms. With most of these your cami will be showing, so buy a cute one intended to show! I especially love lacy ones-they provide a little bit of sexiness and modesty at the same time! You can match the accent color of the dress, or go wild with something like a red lacy cami under a leopard print dress. Most of the wrap dresses I found would be pretty flattering even with a pooch because the ties naturally create a nice waistline with some drape underneath. Look for one that ties wherever you are smallest!
Solution #3 Deep V’s
Look for deep plunging V-necks. The less stretch in the fabric, the deeper you need the V to be. Again, your cami will be showing so look for a cute one. These sexy deep V’s are easy to pull aside to nurse, and many of them would be pooch friendly, like the red one with the fun ruching, or the black flowy belted one. Some of them are quite short, but would be adorable with leggings underneath, especially in the cold weather of early spring.
Also, here are a few cute camis that can be layered underneath:
So there you have it: 3 basic types of dresses to look for if you are a nursing mom with a large bust who wants easy access for your little one - without stretching your neckline out of shape. There is so much variety within these 3 shapes you’re sure to find one in a color and pattern that makes your heart beat fast.
Happy shopping mamas!
--Crunchy Con Mom
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Want to see more from Crunchy Con Mom? Read her blog, find her on Twitter (@CrunchyConMom), or check out her other guest post on ANMJ called Whoa...Skorts??
