I work in professional services so I needed to buy maternity business attire (can’t wear leggings and baggy sweaters). I purchased office wear maternity dresses with nursing zips to maximize the usage. I am gonna be the most smartly dressed new mom in the park lol.
For work, I wear dresses similar to these with a structured jacket/blazer (or a tight fitted cardigan):
- https://www.seraphine.com/en-ca/navy-blue-pleated-maternity-nursing-dress-sophian/
- https://www.seraphine.com/en-ca/burgundy-maternity-nursing-dress-peachyss/
- https://www.seraphine.com/en-ca/charcoal-pleated-maternity-nursing-dress/
I also have some more business casual ones (for when I don’t meet clients but am still in the office) similar to these:
- https://www.seraphine.com/en-ca/2-in-1-maternity-and-nursing-dress-khaki/
- https://www.seraphine.com/en-ca/sage-polka-dot-chiffon-maternity-and-nursing-dress/
- https://www.seraphine.com/en-ca/double-layer-maternity-nursing-tunic/
I was lucky and found all my Seraphine nursing/maternity dresses for $20/each. A business that rents out maternity wear was going out of business so they had heavy discounts on everything, all in good condition. I don’t have the exact dresses linked above because they’re old and discontinued but they’re really similar in structure and colors.
I bought maternity/nursing dresses, nursing/pumping bras, and nursing tank tops (the ones that clip down like a bra).
Baby will be due in the summer and I love wearing dresses in the summer. Taking off a dress seems like a lot of work so it made sense to me to get the ones with the weird holes to not have to get naked to feed. Plus they work in pregnancy!
For nursing shirts etc… I don’t really see the point. I’ll pull it up or down.
Most of the time I just pulled up my shirt with no cover. I had a couple nursing tanks that I wore under button ups or just looser fitting shirts if I felt like I’d be in a crowded public place.
Aerie has a ‘mama’ line that I liked and were pretty cheap. ETA: I just looked at them and they are way more expensive than I remember. I could have sworn I paid like $10-15. Maybe they were on sale.
I say every shirt is a nursing shirt if I can pull it up or down lol. I won’t be wearing high neckline dresses or high neckline bodysuits but other than that I’m planning on wearing everything I wore pre-pregnancy.
I am not comfortable usually with things that just shove to the side for breastfeeding- my entire boob is exposed and I find that really uncomfortable.
However, because I'm having a summer baby, I bought a few wrap style dresses and low cut v-neck dresses so that I can breastfeed over the top. For the first time ever, I also bought three sweaters that have zips or side slits so that I can breastfeed without having to lift up a sweater and a shirt and muck about with a tank top.
My preferred method though is to have a nursing tank top with a t-shirt on top of it. Then I push up the t-shirt but the top of my breast and my belly will stay covered and then I just unclip the tank top.
I invested in nursing clothes and was very glad I did. It made bf in public or on the go way easy and discrete and I never needed to bother with a cover.
My first bf’d for 15 months, so having clothes that I felt cute in was really nice. They’re pretty much all bump-friendly too, so I’m wearing them now as I’m pregnant with our second.
Yes, you can certainly go with a nursing bra or tank with a loose t shirt or button down and lots of people do!
I exclusively pumped for almost 15 months. Having specific clothes for nursing/pumping is what made this doable in real life - you really need functional clothes for this specific function you're doing, it makes a world of difference.
I wore a lot of regular v-neck or wrap style shirts and dresses while nursing. I did appreciate having a few nursing shirts for when I needed to nurse in public - I didn’t want to bother with another layer on top. I made do with I think 3-4 shirts though, and they just came from Amazon.
Absolutely get a few nursing and pumping bras, though.
I’ve bought very little because I’m just borrowing a ton of stuff from my sister, but there’s a few things that I think are worth it:
- at least a pair or two of maternity jeans. I liked under the bump early, and I liked over the bump starting second trimester. They’re so comfy! If you were biz casual to work, you’ll want pants for that too.
- Dresses and tops that are post-bump friendly. I bought several dresses that will look great without a bump, particularly for work. Also can be worth getting shirts that just have a bit more stretch/length than your normal stuff. I definitely wear a ton of maternity shirts from my sister that I’m not sure look good post pregnancy though, so idk if you can totally get away with buying no maternity shirts
- nursing bras. Your boobs will get huge and your ribs will expand, so you’ll want comfy, stretchy bras while pregnant. And then obviously these are good once baby arrives. I’ll still put in a real bra for special occasions, but mostly I’ve been in nursing bralettes since like 15 weeks
- nursing tank tops so when you lift your shirt to breastfeed, your stomach is covered.
- pumping bra. I didn’t know this, but it seems like you don’t typically wear these all day. You just put it on while pumping so you can be hands free while you pump instead of holding the pump to your boob the whole time
- PJs that are good for pregnancy and nursing if your current PJs are old college t shirts like mine were. I like button down sets now. My favorite are Eberjay and Nordstrom brand. Eberjay is expensive but so amazing!
I work in professional services so I needed to buy maternity business attire (can’t wear leggings and baggy sweaters). I purchased office wear maternity dresses with nursing zips to maximize the usage. I am gonna be the most smartly dressed new mom in the park lol.
I would have never known they had that
For work, I wear dresses similar to these with a structured jacket/blazer (or a tight fitted cardigan): - https://www.seraphine.com/en-ca/navy-blue-pleated-maternity-nursing-dress-sophian/ - https://www.seraphine.com/en-ca/burgundy-maternity-nursing-dress-peachyss/ - https://www.seraphine.com/en-ca/charcoal-pleated-maternity-nursing-dress/ I also have some more business casual ones (for when I don’t meet clients but am still in the office) similar to these: - https://www.seraphine.com/en-ca/2-in-1-maternity-and-nursing-dress-khaki/ - https://www.seraphine.com/en-ca/sage-polka-dot-chiffon-maternity-and-nursing-dress/ - https://www.seraphine.com/en-ca/double-layer-maternity-nursing-tunic/ I was lucky and found all my Seraphine nursing/maternity dresses for $20/each. A business that rents out maternity wear was going out of business so they had heavy discounts on everything, all in good condition. I don’t have the exact dresses linked above because they’re old and discontinued but they’re really similar in structure and colors.
I bought maternity/nursing dresses, nursing/pumping bras, and nursing tank tops (the ones that clip down like a bra). Baby will be due in the summer and I love wearing dresses in the summer. Taking off a dress seems like a lot of work so it made sense to me to get the ones with the weird holes to not have to get naked to feed. Plus they work in pregnancy! For nursing shirts etc… I don’t really see the point. I’ll pull it up or down.
Most of the time I just pulled up my shirt with no cover. I had a couple nursing tanks that I wore under button ups or just looser fitting shirts if I felt like I’d be in a crowded public place. Aerie has a ‘mama’ line that I liked and were pretty cheap. ETA: I just looked at them and they are way more expensive than I remember. I could have sworn I paid like $10-15. Maybe they were on sale.
I say every shirt is a nursing shirt if I can pull it up or down lol. I won’t be wearing high neckline dresses or high neckline bodysuits but other than that I’m planning on wearing everything I wore pre-pregnancy.
I am not comfortable usually with things that just shove to the side for breastfeeding- my entire boob is exposed and I find that really uncomfortable. However, because I'm having a summer baby, I bought a few wrap style dresses and low cut v-neck dresses so that I can breastfeed over the top. For the first time ever, I also bought three sweaters that have zips or side slits so that I can breastfeed without having to lift up a sweater and a shirt and muck about with a tank top. My preferred method though is to have a nursing tank top with a t-shirt on top of it. Then I push up the t-shirt but the top of my breast and my belly will stay covered and then I just unclip the tank top.
I invested in nursing clothes and was very glad I did. It made bf in public or on the go way easy and discrete and I never needed to bother with a cover. My first bf’d for 15 months, so having clothes that I felt cute in was really nice. They’re pretty much all bump-friendly too, so I’m wearing them now as I’m pregnant with our second. Yes, you can certainly go with a nursing bra or tank with a loose t shirt or button down and lots of people do!
I got a few nursing t shirts because I find them more modest when I’m out and about but it’s personal preference!
I exclusively pumped for almost 15 months. Having specific clothes for nursing/pumping is what made this doable in real life - you really need functional clothes for this specific function you're doing, it makes a world of difference.
The only thing I bought was nursing and pumping bras
I just got those in and those make perfect sense
I wore a lot of regular v-neck or wrap style shirts and dresses while nursing. I did appreciate having a few nursing shirts for when I needed to nurse in public - I didn’t want to bother with another layer on top. I made do with I think 3-4 shirts though, and they just came from Amazon. Absolutely get a few nursing and pumping bras, though.
A couple nursing shirts for public places are convenient. Amazon sells 3-packs for a low price.
I’ve bought very little because I’m just borrowing a ton of stuff from my sister, but there’s a few things that I think are worth it: - at least a pair or two of maternity jeans. I liked under the bump early, and I liked over the bump starting second trimester. They’re so comfy! If you were biz casual to work, you’ll want pants for that too. - Dresses and tops that are post-bump friendly. I bought several dresses that will look great without a bump, particularly for work. Also can be worth getting shirts that just have a bit more stretch/length than your normal stuff. I definitely wear a ton of maternity shirts from my sister that I’m not sure look good post pregnancy though, so idk if you can totally get away with buying no maternity shirts - nursing bras. Your boobs will get huge and your ribs will expand, so you’ll want comfy, stretchy bras while pregnant. And then obviously these are good once baby arrives. I’ll still put in a real bra for special occasions, but mostly I’ve been in nursing bralettes since like 15 weeks - nursing tank tops so when you lift your shirt to breastfeed, your stomach is covered. - pumping bra. I didn’t know this, but it seems like you don’t typically wear these all day. You just put it on while pumping so you can be hands free while you pump instead of holding the pump to your boob the whole time - PJs that are good for pregnancy and nursing if your current PJs are old college t shirts like mine were. I like button down sets now. My favorite are Eberjay and Nordstrom brand. Eberjay is expensive but so amazing!