Hellobee Boards

You're brave! I never nursed in public. I found that side lying was the best position for us once R had enough head control.

@mrsrain: I wear a 36 G and I bought Anita 5059 nursing bras from Amazon. I still wear them at 11.5 months postpartum and haven't nursed since NYE.

I loved my Bravado bras and tanks. Is there a close near you that specializes in fittings for nursing moms? There was another brand that I also tried that was quite supportive but I can't remember the name. Getting fitted at a local store specializing in nursing related things was life changing for me! I nursed in public all the time, it got easier after 6 weeks or so. I wore a cover the "Booby Trapper" or something like that...it was nice and big so I never worried about exposing myself. I eventually did drop the cover though cause I always wore a tank and lose shirt and that provided enough coverage. If you need some extra support maybe use your diaper bag and blanket to lay her on top?

No bra recommendations, but I loved the football hold!

I love my Elomi 5D bra. Nordstrom carries them and has free shipping. As for nursing, I usually tried to find somewhere private - nursing rooms at baby stores or the mall, or even the backseat of my car. Sitting in the car with tinted windows is way better than trying to deal with a cover, IMO. And it will get better and easier!

Have you tried nursing in the ergo/Moby? One of my big busted friends swears by this and tells me it's easy because she has more breast to maneuver around (ie she can get it to where it needs to be for baby to latch). I've not figured out nursing in the carrier but it seems really convenient/private.

I can't give great recommendations on nursing bras, but I can say this: I used a SPORT nursing bra instead of a regular one and found it to be SO much more comfortable and supportive. I bought three and with my two kids I basically wore those things out!!

As for nursing in public, taking the boppy (or whatever nursing pillow you have) with you is a great tip. I constantly struggled to roll up jackets, blankets, etc. to support baby because I needed two hands to nurse: one to hold the boob / push back top of boob so it didn't block baby's nose, and the other to hold baby's head in position. Both my kids were kickers so I couldn't use a nursing cover without flashing someone, so my husband would just stand in front of me holding up a blanket or REALLY large nursing cover. We rarely nursed in public because of this. I did a lot of nursing in the backseat of our car! (tinted windows!)

I've always used a cover because I feel really exposed even if I do the two layer, one up one down, technique. Lately, I've switched from nursing bras to mostly wearing regular bras that are stretchy enough to pull to the side to nurse. I've had a hard time finding nursing bras that were supportive enough, and Target has some great inexpensive regular bras. As long as they're unpadded (no thank you!) and unlined, they're plenty stretchy enough and they seem to do a better job of keeping everything in place.

@mrsrain: I have some obscenely large chest size (like, at least J+, I've given up trying to measure them), and Kohl's actually has some perfect bras!! They're just normal underwire bras, but no padding or much structure so I was just able to pull it down when needed. And really affordable!! As for nursing in public... I don't know that I can ever do it. I had to use one hand to keep my boob from smothering her, and then another one to hold her/keep the cover actually covering her but out of her face so she didn't swat it away. And then when she did swat it there is just SO MUCH white fleshy boob exposed, that it's super obvious even when only flashed for a split second. I ended up giving up trying, and eventually was EPing so it wasn't an issue anymore. I'm hoping I'll be more confident to try it with #2!

ETA: I think it's this one: http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-1731735/lilyette-bra-plunge-into-comfort-minimizer-bra-904-womens.jsp Definitely NOT very sexy, but the DDD size actually fits. I would totally recommend trying it on in the store! And if I'm remembering correctly, it was something like 2 for $35 on one of their constantly rotating sales.

@mrsrain: I ended up EPing because I had crazy low supply. I would pump for 6+ hours and only get 12 ounces on a good day, down to 4 ounces when I gave up at 5 months. BUT, I think I know why my supply was so low (severely limited my calories to try to lose weight asap - not so smart) so I'm giving it another chance this time! I started EPing at 4 weeks, and it wasn't too difficult. It was definitely easier at work (and I'd have been doing it anyway), but pumping at home required some assistance. I don't know how it would work once your baby gets mobile, because I quit at 5 months when she would still stay where I left her. DH was available to help with her about 75% of the time, but there were times when I had to pump and care for her, so I'd put her in the exersaucer, bouncer, tummy time, laying on the sofa next to me, etc. She was a really easy-going baby, so it wasn't too hard to pump and keep her happy. Oh, and you can set your baby laying down on the boppy next to you with a bottle propped up on pillows while you pump - killing two birds with one stone!
I didn't hate pumping necessarily, but I did hate it since my output was soooo low and I wasn't getting much for my effort - that was discouraging!

If you want to use a cover, I would recommend the bebe au lait one I got from BRU. It has a wire around the top so it hangs around baby and I can look down and see him to help with latch, etc.