Pumping mama professional wardrobe

[MrsE]

Do any pumping mamas have any wardrobe staples that are comfortable and easily accessible for pumping, yet professional for work? I need some serious wardrobe help and just realized that most of my work clothes either fit slightly differently now or are not pumping friendly (I’m looking at you, extensive sheath dress collection). Bonus for links! 😊

Also, random, but while two of my suits still fit, is the style going back to wide legs pants again?! I can’t keep up and don’t know what to buy!

[kath16]

I wore a nursing camisole under virtually any top -- pull the top up, unhook the camisole and pull down, away we go

when I was nursing at church, it was more difficult, but I invested in a couple of Pink Blush dresses and felt they were worth it. they don't "look" like nursing tops, so I still wear them. if you prefer dresses, I would start there!

[ssmjlm]

I wore a lot of wrap dresses or cardigans with camisoles and pants. Lands End usually has a lot of wrap front or true wrap dress options.

No clue on the wide leg pants. I wear skinny ankle pants most days.

[icedcoffee]

I basically just wore whatever I wanted, but avoided dresses because then I'd be sitting there naked. I just pulled my shirt up, hooked up my pump and then let the shirt rest on top. Easy peasy.

[corgimom]

I wear a nursing bra and a low cut cami or a nursing tank under every shirt. I pull up my top and unhook the tank or pull down the tank and unhook the bra to pump. I also wear wrap dresses when I need to dress up a bit. I have a huuuuge dress wardrobe and used to never wear anything else and tried to go back to that but hated feeling like I was sitting there naked, even thought I covered up with a nursing scarf so I just stopped.

[steamboat185]

I had a few nursing camisoles and just wore them with my normal tops. Plus one to avoiding most dresses. I never really understood the “nursing” clothes.

[nicolewi]

I wore nursing tanks all the time under cardigans and stuff.

[Susie]

I wore a ton of wrap dresses.  Faux wrap didn't work that well (I'd end up stretching the neck out and then it would be too low cut to be work appropriate) but true wrap styles were great.  They were nice because they still fit as I lost weight gradually, they made for one-step dressing/no coordinating required, and were generally machine washable.  When I was newly back to work and changing sizes fast, it was so frustrating/exhausting trying to keep up with what pants fit, of what color and what cut, that could be worn with which shirts for a passable professional outfit.  Dresses streamlined all that so, so much.  I would wear a nursing camisole underneath to raise the neckline without making pumping hard, and usually a half slip to smooth things out and keep lightweight material from clinging to tights in the winter.

I aimed for ones with fuller skirts or some kind of gather at the waist, since I didn't lose all the baby weight until I weaned, after well over a year of pumping.  Favorite brands were Maggy London, Loft, and Ann Taylor.  I also favored patterns over solids because if I dripped milk or anything, it hid it much better.  

Loft also has some wrap tops that would probably work just as well, but I haven't tried them myself.  Button downs are good in theory, but my boobs were a lot bigger while pumping and none of my old button downs fit.  I also was just more comfortable in a stretchier knit fabric with all the pumping logistics.  Cardigans were ok with nursing camisoles, but sometimes did not feel structured enough.

ETA:  I am trying to avoid pre-shopping too much since I won't know my postpartum "starting work" size for a few more months, but these two dresses have the kind of draping across the belly that I found really flattering:

www.maggylondon.com/martine-wrap-dress-gsl48m

www.maggylondon.com/philomena-wrap-dress-gsl47m

I have 4 or 5 Maggy London wrap dresses from my return-to-work after baby #1 that I plan to wear again.  You can sometimes find them at Nordstrom Rack for less.

[Mrs.flang]

I wore/ plan on wearing a nursing tank every day under my regular tops. Last time I didn’t ever wear a real bra to work but I’m also in need of a new wardrobe so I’m not sure if I can pull that off again. I may invest in a supportive nursing bra. My body feels a lot different this time around, and I haven’t seriously searched for new tops yet but as long as your wearing something for nursing underneath it should make pumping easier.

[Ashley&Scott]

If you like the dresses you have and they fit then I would consider getting a lightweight robe to pump in. Take off the dress then put on the robe while you pump. It will provide more coverage than just sitting in your underwear but you won't have to buy a bunch of new clothes.

[joy]

Feb 19, 2019 10:38:07 GMT -5 Ashley&Scott said:

If you like the dresses you have and they fit then I would consider getting a lightweight robe to pump in. Take off the dress then put on the robe while you pump. It will provide more coverage than just sitting in your underwear but you won't have to buy a bunch of new clothes.

Or keep a light blanket at your desk to bring during pumping!

[namasteak]

Figure 8 maternity has a lot of good options.

[estrellita]

I wore a nursing bra or tank under any shirt. My dress code is pretty lax so I wasn't wearing anything fancy but I'd think any regular shirt would work, especially button ups. I never really wear dresses but definitely didn't while pumping (I avoided longer tunics too just because those are harder to pull up).

[clseale]

I lived in wrap dresses/tops & button downs.

[hbomdiggity]

Maybe because I had a private pumping room, but I didn't really have much wardrobe considerations for pumping at work. I would just take off whatever top and go topless while I pumped. Therefore dresses were not ideal unless I could unbutton/zipper just the top portion and fold down.

[brooke77]

I still wore a lot of my sheath dresses PP. They zipped in the back so I could easily unzip and slide down the top half to pump. Wrap dresses made me look pregnant so I avoided those PP. I also did a lot of pencil skirts and camisoles.

I didn’t need to make too many accommodations for pumping. The only thing I did avoid was side-zipper dresses. There is no way to pump in those except to take off the entire dress.

[VillainV]

Undercover Mama tanks clip into any nursing bra and turn it into a nursing camisole. I wore these with just about any top (loose sweaters, cardigans, blouses. Shirt up, cami down. When I got proficient at pumping, I slipped the flanges into the cups of my nursing bra.

[mysticmuffin]

I had a private room to pump, so the only consideration I ever gave to wardrobe was whether I could undress and dress myself without assistance.

[Mushe]

It sounds like two questions, clothing that’s conducive for pumping, and things that fit a differently shaped body.

FWIW, I usually wear only dresses, but since I’m pumping in the car to/from work now, I have almost entirely shifted to skirts and blouses/sweaters. I’ve found what works really well is to wear a camisole under, so I’m still covered. I am able to pull the cami down a bit, and access my Ollie Gray pumping bra that way.

As to the different shape, I’m just muddling through. I’m under PP weight, but feel fluffy in the middle. Stupid c-section. I already feel so constrained in what I can wear that I’m letting that part go.