I was in church last Sunday for the first time since my little man was born.  Everyone made such a fuss over him, and he ate it all up!  One of the older women asked me slyly “So, are you breastfeeding.”  When I said yes she seemed so proud and excited that had made a good choice.  I even overheard her talking to her friends later “…She’s breastfeeding. “  “Can you tell this baby is breastfed!”

I thought this was very funny.  When I was a child it was apparently taboo to breastfeed or talk about breastfeeding.  It seems that there were a select few who still did it, and those people appear to get very excited that they were right all along :)  This woman was so convinced that breastfeeding was the right way, it was neat to see her bragging to everyone that I had made such a decision.

Then I got started thinking about those who are unable to breastfeed or make the decision not to for some reason or another.  The same question directed at a mother who is unable to breastfeed may have made for a lot of uncomfortable feelings.  I was just reminded that we all need to be careful how we address breastfeeding to others and not act like we’re elitist or the only ones who care about our babies.  I think the tendency is to do that

Anyway, just a rant for today.  How do you all avoid uncomfortable questions about how you decide to parent?

Let’s get one thing straight; despite what you may be told, you don’t need a nursing bra to successfully breastfeed. Breastfeeding women in many cultures do not wear nursing bras - a simple piece of cloth wrapped around the breasts suffices. However, many women are used to wearing bras and appreciate the support they give therefore when it comes time to breastfeed choosing the correct nursing bra is important.

You might ask: won’t a normal bra work just as well for breastfeeding? Well, if you’re comfortable wearing a normal bra when breastfeeding, find it gives you the support you need, is easy to use and is discreet, then yes, wearing a normal bra is fine. However, many women find that wearing a normal bra to breastfeed their baby is just not practical and a good nursing bra allows for better breastfeeding.

Making sure a bra fits correctly is important; it is even more important when choosing a nursing bra. There are many different types and they come in all shapes and sizes. A nursing bra that does not fit correctly fails to support your breasts and can block your milk duct causing milk production to decrease - in extreme cases blocked ducts caused by a badly fitted one can lead to mastitis.

Many large breasted women prefer the support offered by underwire bras. But you should avoid under wire nursing bras in the early postpartum weeks. Having said that, many breastfeeding mothers do like underwire bras - just avoid underwire for the first weeks and make sure you buy an underwire nursing bra that fits you correctly. There are many excellent ones on the market; Medela Extended Size Classic bra and the Playtex Fancy Me Underwire Lace Bra to name but two. If you want to spend that little bit more, the Bravado Supreme Nursing bra is especially designed for the fuller-breasted woman and is made from delicately embossed fabric, which is strong yet silky to the touch, allowing clothing to glide over it.

Many nursing bras make breastfeeding easy and discreet because they are designed to open at each cup. A good nursing bra should open at the cup but still provide plenty of support for the breast. Also, before you buy make that you can open the cup with one hand; you should also be able to close it one-handed as well - if you can’t then don’t buy it. Most brands come with plastic clips - such as Medela and Elle Macpherson nursing bras, or eye and hook - such the Goddess and Bravado maternity bras. For nighttime use, you don’t really need an open cup nursing bra - just a simple stretch fabric nursing bra is fine - you don’t need the support so much and breastfeeding is simple as you just pull the fabric over your breast.

Most good nursing bras are designed to allow the insertion of breast pads. Leaking breasts cause many breastfeeding mothers much embarrassment - breast pads give a breastfeeding mother confidence when she goes outside the home.

Choose a maternity bra with wide, cushioned straps as they will make wearing a bra more comfortable by better distributing the weight of your breasts. Also, make sure that it has 100% cotton lining in the cup - it’s important that your skin breathes as sweat combined with breast milk can cause rashes and mastitis.

The shape of a breastfeeding mother’s breasts change over time; in fact the shape of the breasts change throughout the day. Nursing bras are very adjustable. Most good makes, such as Medela, Bravado, and Playtex are designed to allow adjustment at the strap and also at the cup.

You should invest in a number of nursing bras - you’ll need a clean one each day. You don’t have to buy all of them before you start breastfeeding, in fact it’s a good idea to buy most of them during the time you breast your baby as the shape of your breast will change over time.

Finally, if you can afford it, buy a really pretty, feminine nursing bra for those special occasions. These days you can now buy a really sexy one, although they don’t usually come cheap. The Elle Macpherson nursing bra is a very beautiful nursing bra.

About the Author

Robin O’Brien is founder of Breastfeeding Information.com. The site promotes the benefits of breastfeeding. Find out more about nursing bras like the Elle Macpherson Nursing Bra.

I think we’re still dealing with thrush in my nipples.  The baby doesn’t have any white patches, but I definitely still have the shooting, burning pain, especially on the left side.  This is so discouraging that I have to grimace and pinch myself as my baby nurses.  I think blissfully of those few weeks where breastfeeding was totally pain free for us.

Even though it’s painful, I look down at his little face and I know he’s enjoying it so much and getting the nutrition he needs.  It’s completely worth it.  Even so, I wish that breastfeeding could be easier.  Why aren’t mommies who choose this path rewarded

I suppose we are rewarded in so many ways, and I’ll look back on these days and forget the pain and just remember the wonderful bonding experience.  At least-I hope so…

If you’re struggling with Breastfeeding like I do sometimes this forum may help

Breastfeeding has become very painful for me these last couple of days.  It feels like a burning sensation when the baby nurses, and sometimes there are burning pains and shooting pains even when he’s not nursing.  A quick plop of these symptoms into google reveals that I may have a case of breastfeeding thrush/overgrowth of yeast organisms.

I was afraid this would happen because I had had so many antibiotics during labor, my c-section, and two rounds to eradicate mastitis.

My baby does not have any of the white patches in his mouth, so I’m not 100% sure that I have breastfeeding thrush, but it sure feels like it!  I’m going to use yeast infection cream and see if that can’t help.