I have been nursing and pumping for 13.5 months so I consider myself an expert in nursing bras and while I’ve tried a variety of them throughout the course of my breastfeeding relationship, the Nourish by BeliBea bra is by far my fave.
After months of nursing and pumping, my once perky, full-of-milk boobs had started to get a little deflated and saggy. Even though I was still nursing I was about to go out to Nordys and throw myself at the mercy of the sales gal there and beg them to help me find something to make the girls look good again.
But then came the Nourish by BeliBea bra. I’d been chatting with the company for a bit so I was well versed on the story behind it:Â a new mom was unhappy with the available bras out there so she created her own, a bra she could both pump and nurse in. I was a little skeptical at first. I’d tried other pumping/nursing bra combos and the bras never seemed to get tight enough to hold my breast shields in place. I often times pump on the way to work in the morning so I really need a bra that requires so hands or fussing.
Even though my nursing days were winding down I jumped at the opportunity to test it out.
The logistics:
The bra has two layers: the inner layer is super thin and soft with a hole cut in the middle for your breast shield to pop through. This layer hooks on the lower hook of the strap. The second layer is the outer shell of the bra and it hooks on the upper hook. You have to unhook both layers to expose your boob for the baby. I used the bra for pumping or nursing but the other benefit of this bra is that you could hook up one boob to the pump and nurse from the other.
The pros:
- My boobs look hot. I think it’s because of the light layer of padding. It’s not stuffed in the bra but rather a removable shell. It defines them without giving me a uni-boob. And adds some nice cleavage.
- Great under t-shirts. I’m a big v-neck tee fan and some of my other bras were too straight across so they poked out of my shirt. This one doesn’t show. Also the light padding means my nipples don’t show so I can wear this even under sheer shirts
- Super comfortable. The fabric is so soft and everything is flexible but snug. I’ve also been wearing this bra non-stop for almost two months and the straps don’t stretch out like some of my other bras.
- It works! I was able to wear just this bra all day, switching between pumping and nursing. I was even able to wear this bra while I pumped in the car in the morning. Even though it was super soft it was still tight enough to hold the shields in place.
The cons:
There is only one thing that bugs me. The double hooks sometimes make it annoying for nursing. When my daughter wants her milk she wants it now and sometimes the double hooks cause me to fumble around and take longer to actually get the nipple in her mouth. This also can be annoying when hooking myself back up. Sometimes I’ve hooked the wrong layer to the wrong hook.
Overall, I am a huge fan of the Nourish by BeliBea. I will likely wear this exclusively until I am completely done nursing and I would definitely recommend this to any nursing or pumping mom.
You can buy the BeliBea Nourish on amazon.
Related:
- Heather’s very strong opinions about nursing bras
- The pumping project, our place to share pumping stories
- Why does my pumped breastmilk smell and taste funny? Maybe the lipase.
Disclosure: I was provided a free sample of the bra but all opinions are my own.
[All photos by Whitney Mattocks, all rights reserved]
- Nourish by BeliBea is my favorite nursing pumping bra - April 23, 2015
- Hitting the trails with your baby {Rookie Moms Challenge #16} - November 20, 2014
- High Lipase Milk [An Explanation for Stinky Breast Milk!] - November 20, 2014
