A friend of mine went on a trip to Vegas recently. While she was there she made a trip to the local Victoria’s Secret store for some yummy bra’s. Her score reminded me that I really need to do some bra shopping myself. I have been putting it off for a while now and I’m not doing my breasts any favors. It can just be so hard finding a good nursing bra! I am always on the lookout for hot bras as a nursing mom. In the recent past, I have found some, sadly not in my local area, so I have to order online or travel a bit to get a look-see. My girlfriend swore she saw nursing bra’s during her shopping spree at Victoria’s Secret. Hello! Nursing bras at Victoria’s Secret?!?! Yeah!

When I first heard this I thought they must have some super-sexy bras to offer the nursing mama, then I took a look. They have two, but they are not super-sexy, laced out bras. They are kind of similar in style to the typical Walmart Warners. Although, that nursing plunge bra is kind of hot, if you love the plunge neckline, which I do.

I don’t think we have any Victoria’s Secret stores in Canada, but we do have the infamous catalogue. I wish I could touch and feel those bras before purchase. Anyone using a Victoria’s Secret nursing bra? Especially that plunge bra, it really is hot.

Everyone needs a basic tee that fits them perfectly. Such a thing is hard to find when you nurse-on-demand. If you are uncomfortable with showing off your stretch-marked torso when you breastfeed, your favorite non-nursing tee will just not do. I know, I’ve tried. Sometimes the sweater or jacket just doesn’t offer the coverage you’re looking for.

I wasn’t as concerned with this when I breastfed my eldest daughter. I think it was because most nursing tops were terribly homely back then. Back then was only five years ago, but oh how maternity and nursing clothes have improved in the last five years. I felt horribly ripped off the first time around – need I remind you about the half shirt look? Eeew. This time, I feel much better and have been very willing to don the nursing clothes, obviously. I figure hey, the clothes are much better, definitely not as frumpy as they once were and if I’m going to nurse as long as I did the first time, I might as well make it easier on myself.

So begins the search for the perfect nursing tee. I am still undecided about the V-Neck Nursing Tee from Motherhood. I mean, is this really as good as it gets? It is a basic tee, but I think it would look much better if it wasn’t two t-shirts in one. Seriously, this is two t-shirts in one; the outer layer is a full t-shirt and the under layer is a full shirt with nursing openings. It is thick and a little bulky if the two layers aren’t placed just right. It can be tricky to pull up that outer layer if you haven’t used a dryer sheet to reduce the cling. The good side is the shirt hangs away from your body just enough to cover those spots you may not like so much. It does have good shape, but I just don’t know. Seriously, I just don’t know if the perfect tee exists for nursing moms, but I will not give up the search! Should I find one, you will be the first to know.

Earlier this year I promised to review each nursing top I wear to give you the pros and cons of each style I try out. Since I am a fashion hound, I have quite a selection of nursing tops and am quickly developing likes and dislikes. I love to breastfeed, but I just can’t bring myself to don the “all around” style of nursing top. Am I a fashion mistake wearing a midriff bearing top over a t-shirt? I think not. I will find a nursing top I absolutely and truly love, yes I will. This first top is not quite THAT top.

I was pretty excited when I saw the Sleeveless Faux Wrap Tank at Motherhood. It was black, it was a tank top and well, its summer. I must say, this top has worked out very well. It has the nursing shelf bra inside which is rather comfortable and snug, so it has good support, in the beginning anyway, but I digress. You simply pull aside the outer wrap layer to access the nursing openings in the bra layer underneath, simple, comfortable, not terribly revealing. I’ve been wearing this one quite a bit, on its’ own, under sweaters and jackets, it’s been a great all around nursing top.

Sadly, I think that is its’ downfall. It’s such a great nursing top that I’ve been wearing it so often and as happens when you breastfeed, you leak and soak your top with breast milk so you have to wash and dry it so often that it becomes faded and not so snug. My top is now faded and not so snug. The outer cross wrap layer has stretched out and has started to sag. The outer wrap layer drops below the inner bra layer, so what you see is a band of black fabric, bare skin, and then the rest of the top…not so attractive. The only way to make that top bounce back is to dry it on hot so it shrinks a bit, but give it an hour or two and that outer wrap layer is sagging…once again, not so attractive.

This is a great, basic piece for your nursing wardrobe, and I will most likely grab another one because the one I have has now been relegated to bedtime wear. That faded sagginess will not be seen out of doors again. So I have learned a few things with this first nursing top. What have I learned? If you find a basic breastfeeding top that has the potential to become a wardrobe staple, buy more than one! Wash on gentle and line dry.

So, I’ve been wearing a Bravado Nursing Bra - the classic design for a few weeks now and I have to ask: What is the big deal? Who do so many nursing moms claim this bra is their favourite? I don’t get it at all. The snap is not one-hand-easy, I have yet to unsnap ot snap it with one hand (I can when I wear my Warner’s). It is not as supportive as my Warner’s, and nowhere near as comfy as my Warner’s. Am I wearing it wrong? Do I have the wrong size? What is the deal? I thought I would spend the extra money, I figured it has to be a beter bra. It costs more. And yes, I was seduced by the claim that cup fabric stretches and contracts with your swollen pregnant/nursing breasts. I loved the claim that this bra would be the perfect bra to wear through the pregnant/nursing transition. I am finding that I am not so impressed. If I lie on my side through the night, the cup does not keep my breast in place, which means my breast pad does not cover my nipple.

Come on ladies - what is the deal with the Bravado? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Please tell me because right now my reply to “Bravado is the #1 nursing bra” is “My Butt!”

I have never worn a nursing top, EVER. Yes, I was a full-time breastfeeder with my eldest daughter, but nursing tops were so freaking homely in 2002, I wasn’t going to touch them with a 10-foot pole. I am a breastfeeder, but I am a fashionable breastfeeder. I just can’t sacrifice fashion for function.

Now that I am a full-time breastfeeder again and will be through the summer, I decided to take a look at nursing fashion to see if it has improved over the past 5 years. I was pleasantly surprised! There are some nice nursing tops out there, in black! Sure, there are plenty of homely tops and tiny floral prints and that “half-shirt” design (who the hell could wear that and look at themselves in the mirror?). But there are plenty of black T’s and shirts that could work.

I brought home a selection of shirts and T’s in different styles. I am going to test them all and report back on those I like and those I really don’t like. Man, I am such a clothes horse.