Picture the scene: You’re six months postpartum, and you’ve finally managed to reunite with your girlfriends for your traditional Saturday morning brunch. Your little one is in their carrier, and the mimosas have been ordered when baby starts stirring, and you realize: it’s feeding time, and you forgot to wear a nursing top! What’s a mama to do? 

While nursing can be a wonderful part of being a new mom, it’s no secret that it can be a real roller coaster ride. One minute you feel like Supermom, the next, you’re ready to throw in the organic cotton towel. But there ARE some steps you can take to make nursing a bit easier (and one of them includes our favorite pastime, shopping!). 

Enter nursing-friendly tops: tops designed to let you keep your A+ style while nursing your newborn with ease. Investing in some high-quality nursing tops might be exactly what you need to make your life a tad more convenient throughout the whirlwind of becoming a mom. 

With that in mind, we’ve compiled a guide to our favorite nursing-friendly tops for your reading pleasure. 

Number one is possibly our favorite nursing shirt: the Longsleeve Nursing Tee, AKA the ultimate marriage of style and functionality. This longsleeve is made of crazy-soft organic Pima cotton and comes in three colors: black, white, and black/white stripes. It looks like your favorite go-to longsleeve, but it’s actually designed with a secondary overlayer that pulls down to hide a discreet slit, perfect for on-the-go feedings. 

We love this top so much because of how effortlessly it strikes a balance between comfort, fashion, and functionality. It’s deceivingly simple, extremely comfortable, and makes nursing a breeze. As far as nursing-friendly tops go, it doesn’t get much better.

In our opinion, the best nursing clothes feature high-quality fabrics and modern silhouettes. You’re taking care of a new little human, after all. You deserve quality clothes that will help you look and feel your best. 

With a super fine ribbed fabric and a romantic empire waist silhouette, the Softest Rib Nursing Dress does both. This dress is soft, like, crazy soft — we can’t emphasize that enough. It features a nursing-friendly snap-front placket, so it doesn’t get much easier to maintain your trademark style.

This nursing dress comes in four colors: black, pomegranate, denim blue, and ivory. As a longsleeve midi-length dress, it covers a lot of skin, but the dipping neckline and slit at the knees keep it fresh and modern rather than frumpy. No matter what types of nursing-friendly clothing you’ve worn before, trust us; you’ve never worn one like this before. 

We love The 24/7 Feeding Jumpsuit so much we could wear it 24/7 (hence the name). With a pretty pointelle pattern and two mega pockets for all the new-mama essentials you need to carry, this luxurious cotton jumpsuit is charming enough to wear on errands yet comfy enough to sleep in. 

It comes in three colors – amethyst, blue grey, and black – and has a line of buttons down the front for easy access anytime you need to nurse. For daytime looks, we love pairing it with The Everyday Nursing Bra for more support and comfort. (But don’t let that fool you: We’ve definitely worn that bra as PJs before.)

They don’t call the first few months postpartum the fourth trimester for nothing! Pregnancy weight and exhaustion might have you longing for your comfy maternity clothes, but now you’ve gotta nurse. This is where the Early Days Nursing Sweatshirt in luxe French terry comes in. 

This fleece-lined nursing sweatshirt features side pockets and a deep V for easy access and fully unbuttons into a cardigan style for the versatility and comfort we so desperately need those first few months after delivery. It couldn’t be easier to nurse.

Plus, the silhouette and quality of this sweatshirt make it easy to dress up for days outside the house. As far as nursing during those early days goes, this sweatshirt is basically your new BFF. 

If we say “nightgown,” and you picture a scratchy woolen gown that belongs in the 19th century, think again. Nightgowns make the best nursing attire, not just because they’re comfy (we could wear this one all day), but they’re also ridiculously chic.

Although the Pointelle Nightgown was designed as nursing-friendly sleepwear, the range of colorways (eight!) and the pretty pointelle knit fabric pattern make it darling enough to greet guests in. 

The Pointelle Nightgown features a placket front for easy nursing access, and the material is stretchy enough that you don’t even need to unbutton it to feed your new little one. 

We can’t forget a breastfeeding staple: the nursing bra. Nursing bras provide the support and comfort that you need from a bra, especially while your breasts are swollen and sensitive from breastfeeding. But they also incorporate clever details to allow easy access for feeding. If you decide to breastfeed, investing in a few high-quality nursing bras is a must. 

For a nursing bra that goes with nearly every outfit and occasion, we recommend the Everyday Nursing Bra. This wireless racerback bra features a one-handed clasp in the front, so you can hold onto your newborn (and your sanity) while undoing it to provide nursing access.

It also features a front strap adjuster and four back settings, so you don’t need to worry about constantly upgrading it through your post-pregnancy size changes. With six sizes and a luxury, feel-good fabric, this nursing bra will become your go-to while breastfeeding your little one. 

For a more casual (and CRAZY comfy option), try the Dream Feed Nursing and Sleeping Bra. This bra has no hardware or wiring – just a blissful, breathable cotton-spandex blend you can easily pull down for nursing capability. 

Breastfeeding your newborn might be a super special part of motherhood, but it can also be overwhelming. Investing in high-quality nursing-friendly tops is just one step you can take to make your life a little bit easier. If anyone deserves ease right now, it’s you. So take a deep breath, remember that you’ve got this, and know that we’re here for you every step of the way.

Sources:

37 Breastfeeding Tips Every New Parent Should Know | Parents

The fourth trimester: What you should know | Harvard Health

Breast pain and breastfeeding | NHS