In honor of World Breastfeeding week, I thought I would share with you one of my favorite, favorite bras that just came out a few months ago! Breastfeeding has been an incredible {and hard} but rewarding experience for my two boys and I! Please note that I am just trying to HELP other mama's who breastfeed and this is nothing against mother's that don't! Everyone is different and you have to do what is right for you and your families! :) This bra has made my life a TON easier as a working mom and I just want to share my experience!
Entering the world of breastfeeding and pumping can be overwhelming to say the least. You honestly never knew you could need so many accessories for something that everyone claims is "natural."
I realized VERY quickly that it is tough to find good breastfeeding accessories- especially bras that have good support and aren't ones that your granny would wear!! Its amazing to me that up until this point, nobody had come up with a supportive bra that you could wear for pumping AND nursing. I swear that I must've ordered 5-8 bras {some serious trial and error} but none of them were ever supportive enough for my nursing chest! I ended up finding the bravado nursing bra on diapers.com. It was the most comfortable, supportive and un granny like bra that I could find. But I definitely didn't LOVE how it looked. I'm always coaching and being active and it just didn't feel super natural to wear a “regular bra" while running around. Also, whenever I needed to pump I would have to put a hands free bra on over it {I've always used the Lansinoh pink strapless one-the others were never tight enough and fell down}. It was just an unnecessary step and made pumping when you didn't have a lot of time (or privacy) difficult. I’ve never been the type to just wear a normal bra while breastfeeding and lift it up so my baby can eat- I just don't think its functional especially when you’re nursing 8-10 times a day for up to 6 months {and still up to 5 times a day still at 10 months old!} so I always liked to have nursing bras.
As I was nearing the end of my second pregnancy I had accepted that I would be using the bras that I had used with Max's nursing. One day I saw on instagram a bra that was about to be released and it was created by a woman who used to design for lululemon {this got my attention right away}. I'm always game for some LULU! The bra could be used for pumping and nursing, AND was cute. I pre- ordered right away and honestly prayed that it would have enough support. When Seb was 7 months old, I finally got my bras! And omg, guys. I don't wear anything else!
How cute is this packaging??
Functionality:
I can 100 % nurse AND pump with this bra. All I have to do is easily slide the flasks in the bra and power on! YAS. Pumping in the car now becomes so. much. easier. If I’m traveling and wearing a looser/flowy top or dress, I can pump wherever. Nobody can even tell what I’m doing. It comes with a white cover which is also really great for those semi-public pumping sessions or car rides. It could also be used as a nursing cover in public. I haven’t generally nursed a lot in public, and when I do I don’t use a cover. I usually wear clothing that doesn’t reveal a lot and I want my baby to be comfortable, not stifled under some wrap. But if you did use a cover, this would be a great one to use. Thin, breathable and easy to get on and off.
My only criticism of the functionality of the bra would be that there aren't two straps so when you go to nurse, sometimes the strap falls down and you're searching for them on your back as they've fallen down. Especially when babies get more mobile as they're older, finding the strap when you're juggling the baby is kind of annoying! They did say that they were working on that for their next model though!
Support
The support I would rate is very good. I definitely would not go for a run or do anything super active in this bra, but it gives me (32dd) enough support if I'm going for a walk, coaching, or chasing the littles around.
Style/Comfort
So comfortable. The material is really breathable and I find that if I forget to wear nursing pads {{the bra obviously still gets wet }} it holds the moisture so much better than a regular bra. Same thing goes for sweat! Really easy to wash and dry and of course there's no wires which is ideal for breastfeeding. Style wise it comes in your basic neutral colors (black, white, nude) and a couple of fun patterns so they cover all of your bases!
All in all, this is the bra to get if you are starting your nursing journey or you are still searching for a great nursing bra and you pump as well. Their price point is pretty competitive (around $60) to what you would pay for any other decent nursing bra. Trust me, it is worth the $. Love this bra and company! Thank you Ollie grays! #lifesaver.
To purchase: www.olliegraybras.com
Nurse on mamas! xo
Alex