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Key elements of design

Oh, where has my style gone?

It's true. The darkest stories of my fashion history belong to The Nursing Ages. First of all, nursing probably means you are still larger than you used to be and most of your clothes don't fit (or don't fit right). Second of all, you need easy access to the nursing targets, creating fashion requirements hard to satisfy with clothes that actually look nice.

Requirements:

• Camoflauge large body
• Easy nursing access, preferably without too much unbuttoning and hiking
• Spit-up and milk-stain hiding
• Distract innocent bystanders from direct views of stomach area
• Not too itchy or scratchy for soft newborn skin, whose head rests on you the majority of the day
• Make bullseye-like nursing pads less obvious
• Easy to launder (and launder)
• Look semi-stylish and not like a complete frump-o-rama mama

The impossible dream! Just about!

Granted. Nursing clothes have made some advances over the years. I think, mainly, to make it much more easier and discreet to nurse in public. I'm talking about those tops that have hidden panels in a second underlayer that allow you to breastfeed while (mostly) covering your still-doughy and possibly grotesque abdomen. (I'm speaking of myself there.) I have a bunch that I ordered from Motherwear which has an extensive line of nursing clothes. These do make nursing easier when I'm out and about. Of course, you have to make sure the shirt is pulled just right when you're done in order not to have the underlayer misaligned, making your shirt look messy and awkward.

Those nursing tops that have a cross-over wrap design are the easiest in terms of feeding, if you don't mind popping out a boob out of the blue (although a blanket or zip-up hoodie can come in handy). I love them for their ease. One of my tops I bought looked fabulous on the model in the stylish baby-gear website, but I soon discovered that a) it is hand wash only--Who has the time, I ask? b) any small drop of milk produces a clear dark spot on the fabric, existing until said hand-washing c) the wrap style is way low cut and hardly covers any bra, and d) that model on the website clearly was not wearing nursing pads nor leaking milk as the top makes either EXTREMELY CLEAR to passerby.

My favorite top just may be the one in the picture. Although hard to see since it's black (slimming!), it's got shirring along the bodice that minimizes strange lumps and bumps, it hides milk dribbles like a charm and has that easy cross-wrap opening that I love.

That's one. Out of many.

Nursing. This is seriously a labor of love.