MOMMA’S CLOSET: What to Wear When Breastfeeding

***Momma’s Closet is a series dedicated to all mothers. My goal is to give you fashion inspiration: clothes, shoes, bags, make-up, etc. I aim to help mothers understand how to make fashion work for their changed bodies and find style inspiration from other mothers.

When it comes to breastfeeding, especially in public, the fear that people are watching you can make the experience extremely daunting. I know because I have been there. Breastfeeding in public as a first-time mum made me so anxious I would not have enough milk for my little girl. This was mostly because I thought people were looking at me when in fact nobody was particularly interested. To avoid feeling like I was over-exposing myself, I taught myself how to dress in an appropriate way that would make feeding Elly easier and would ensure that I was sufficiently covered up.

Photo Credit

Recently actress Olivia Wilde was featured in Glamour magazine breastfeeding her son and many women not only identified with her but also said that it was good to see a celebrity embracing breastfeeding and that in, public. While you may not fancy bearing your bare chest like she did, below I’ve rounded up a few of my tried and tested tips and tricks that make breastfeeding so much easier.

Buttoned dresses

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I wear dresses A LOT so when I got my baby, I had to acquire some that either hard buttons or zippers in the front. My biggest secret for covering up is to wear a spaghetti strap top beneath my dress/shirt so that when I open up my buttons, I pull up the top/vest and it acts as a cover-up (Elly hates having a sheet/shawl over her head so we have come up a solution that makes us both very happy).

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Vintage dresses like the polka dot one above are among my favorites. Ones with open-able fronts are quite easy to find (I am selling some. Email me at inchestostyle[@]gmail[.]com if you would like any).

Wrap-dresses

You know that wrap-dress you wore during your maternity period, you can keep wearing it post-baby since it has a front opening. The jersey-knit variety are even better since they stretch easily and you won’t have to worry about opening it up too far that you accidentally undo the tie-strings.

Boyfriend Shirts

 Yes, you can raid your boyfriends’/husbands’/brothers’ wardrobe and add a few shirts to your post-baby wardrobe collection. Pair your boyfriend shirt with a skirt (pencil, skater or even maxi), strappy sandals and some pretty earrings. Or you can wear it with your pencil jeans or pants and look chic while breastfeeding.

Blazers and cardigans

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In the event that I wear a t-shirt or top that can’t be opened up at the front, many times I wear a blazer or cardigan so that I don’t expose my sides or back while breastfeeding.

These are just a few tips and tricks that I have adapted while breastfeeding. While they may seem obvious, it doesn’t hurt to have a little guideline (even though it is not exhaustive).

What has your experience been like? Did you have to get a whole new wardrobe to make breastfeeding easier like I did? Do share in the comments below, on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Happy Tuesday and thank you for stopping by!