Nursing Clothes - the good, the bad, the ugly

Hi! So baby's here and I have less time than I did before. And I thought I was busy before baby... ha!! I have a million things I want to write about, but it's going to take too long to start at the beginning. Instead I'm going to start with right now. My current concern is dressing myself in breastfeeding and pumping-friendly clothing. And from reading the Facebook mama groups I'm in, I see that it's a common concern. Let me show you a few options that work:

• Target Gilligan & O'Malley Nursing Tank
• Pros: a nursing basic must-have. Nice comfortable straps, not too tight but not loose either. Buy a bunch of these! I lived in these day and night for the first few months
• Cons: I could use a little more coverage

 

• KOHL'S Oh Baby by Motherhood Nursing Tanks and Nursing Tees

• Pros: stretchy neckline makes it very easy to pull down and breastfeed/pump
• Cons: not the best quality. The tees are already pilling a bit. Very few color options. You expose your whole breast when breastfeeding - not great if you're trying to be discreet (not that you should have to be)

• Old Navy Tulip Hem Tee
• Pros: you're barely exposing any skin in this shirt. Just slide the top layer to the side and you've got easy access to the goods. Cute style
• Cons: the shirt is transparent in the lighter colors. Go for dark in this style. Too warm in the summer

• Amazon BellyMoms Empire Waist Top
• Pros: love this style! It has the panel that stays up top so you get maximum coverage with maximum access. Supposedly also works as maternity shirt.
• Cons: maybe because I wore it so much, but the fabric started degrading. Clean it in the gentle cycle and consider air-drying so it lasts longer

• Target Zipper Top
• Pros: cute, comfortable, and zipper is just the right length to give baby access to the breast
• Cons: very flowy and may show some bumps

• Old Navy Cap-Sleeved Wrap Dress
• Pros: YES! Soft, comfortable, perfect. I love this dress. So much so that I bought two and I don't even dress up very often. Tip: you're going to need a tank top underneath - may I suggest the Target tank I listed above?
• Cons: Make sure you don't pull the fabric too much or you might stretch it out, but really, I have no cons yet

And a few I didn't like:

• KOHL'S Oh Baby by Motherhood Surplice Top
• Yikes, I hated this one. SO. MUCH. FABRIC. 
• Old Navy Cross-Front Jersey Tee
• It was too tight around the stomach and too bulky up top
• Amazon Bearsland Women's Sleeveless Floral Breastfeeding and Nursing Dress
• I wanted to love this because the patterns are so fun, but it was way too short and tight. If you still want to try it, size up and be prepared to show some leg! 
• Old Navy Striped Sleeveless Linen-Blend Tunics
• Scratchy fabric and huge
• Old Navy Dobby-Stripe Pullovers
• Huge, long, and too see-through
• GAP Nursing Top
• Fit terribly

And new ones I haven't tried yet but that look promising:

• GAP Scoop Neck Nursing Top
• Athleta Heathered Wrap It Up Dress
• Looks like it might work, but I do worry I'd stretch out the fabric... TBD. Also, must wait for sale.