The BEST Breastfeeding Hack That Will Save Your Style

Are you looking for the best breastfeeding hack that will save your style?  Look no further, I’m sharing it here today!

Even though I’m no longer nursing any of my children, I’ve spent many years “in the trenches”.  Our first baby, a daughter, I breastfed for 6 months.  Baby number two, Jack, was 18 months.  Then came Alex who nursed for 13 months.  When I unexpectedly (but happily) became pregnant while still nursing Alex, I weaned him as I became extremely sore.  I would sit with tears streaming down my face, biting my lip from the pain.  So even though I had always dreamed of tandem nursing, it wasn’t meant to be.  Along came Sam who nursed for a little over 18 months too.  And finally, our last little one nursed for almost 2 years.  

So that means that I spent over 6 1/2 YEARS breastfeeding our children.  When you add it up that way, it sounds crazy!  But I honestly loved nursing for so many reasons.

If you want the hack, skip directly to the bottom.  Otherwise, keep reading to learn a little bit more about breastfeeding.

I Loved Breastfeeding Because:

• Convenience:  I seriously loved not having to wash bottles, mix formula, and worry about having formula with every time we left the house. 
• Perfect Temperature:  When my milk dried up at 6 months with Hannah, we did formula till she turned one.  However, that little tyke expected her bottles to be the exact same temperature as my breastmilk had been.  Which is extremely difficult with all these automated faucets everywhere!  Cue:  PANIC ATTACK!
• Cost Efficient:  Literally free.  Sure, if you pump and store milk, there is a small cost to those supplies.  Thankfully, insurance usually pays for a pump.  But in essence, breastfeeding is free.
• It’s Always There And Ready:  The best part was that the milk was always ready when baby needed it!  And my body knew to increase the supply when baby nursed more.  

If You’re Having Breastfeeding Issues:

Now, I know that the sucky truth about breastfeeding is that doesn’t come easy to every baby and mother.  That’s okay!  Don’t give up yet.  Make sure you find a knowledgable person to help you.  I highly suggest looking for a local La Leche League and reaching out to them.  They are extremely helpful and can help check for latching issues as well as give tips, tricks, and hints for things like increasing your milk supply.

Word of warning:  The nurses at the hospital may not be the best option.  With our second, the nurse asked how baby was eating and I told her he didn’t want to latch.  She came over, pinched my boob and shoved it in his mouth.  Not only did that NOT help, I was left with a nasty bruise the next day!   So make sure you seek out help from a mom who has been in the trenches or a compassionate trained person.

Now, On To The BEST Breastfeeding Hack That Will Save Your Style

After having our first baby, I was so excited to ditch the maternity clothes and try to find something fashionable again.  However, I quickly realized that it wasn’t going to be so simple.  Many of the nursing tops I found had weird cutouts and designs.  Not to mention, they honestly weren’t even very good about letting me breastfeed discreetly!  On top of that, these nursing tops were quite expensive too.  I was so disappointed.  

#1 Breastfeeding Hack 

Then, I discovered it.  The holy grail.  It’s the BEST breastfeeding hack that will save your style.  Are you ready?  WEAR YOUR OWN CLOTHES!  All you have to do is layer a light tank underneath your regular shirt.  I highly suggest the ones without the built-in bra.  And then find yourself a nursing bra that can be pulled down as opposed to a clasp.  (But that is my personal nursing bra preference.)

So now, not only can you use your regular clothes as nursing tops.  You are also now able to do so discreetly.  Just lift your regular shirt up and the tank will keep your belly covered.  Then pull the top of the tank down to allow access to your nursing bra.  And then latch baby on and go!  It’s really simple once you get the hang of breastfeeding.

So Discreet And Modest

And I love the fact that the tank top keeps my stomach concealed while my regular shirt helps shield the top part of my breast.  This allows us to nurse easily, anywhere.  I’ve had people come up to talk to me and don’t even realized I’m feeding my baby!  When you’re wearing a large tent, everyone knows you’re breastfeeding.  When you use this best breastfeeding hack that will save your style, you’ll be amazed at how very few people even know what’s going on!

NOTE:  

Yes, your tank will get stretched out over time.  But honestly, I just get them at Kohls with a 30% coupon and they are less than $10!  Usually, I can even get them for around $6.  And they last me at least six months before they are too stretched.  So it is a much more affordable way to have a “breastfeeding shirt” versus purchasing a dozen nursing tops that tend to run $50+ each.  I tend to grab three tanks when I start nursing: black, white, and grey.  That way, I’ll have the perfect color to layer under any of my shirts.

If you have some money to splurge, Janessa swears by the Bravado nursing tanks. They are a little bit pricier but she promises they are worth the expense. She said she has one Bravado tank she has had for over 8 years now and used a LOT and it’s still in good shape! 

So tell me, have you ever heard of this breastfeeding hack that will save your style before?  I’ve used this breastfeeding hack for over 6 years now and I swear by it!  If you’ve tried it, let me know what you think in the comments.