You’ve received an invite to the wedding of the year. It’s going to be fabulous and you’re tingling with excitement. Thoughts turn to what to wear; you want, like all wedding guests, to look smart, elegant, just your absolute best.
Hang on though, there’s a catch. You’ve recently given birth, you’re a nursing mom, and you need to dress for breastfeeding, so that effectively rules out all your favorite outfits.
Typical wedding outfits such as elegant Western-style fitted dresses rarely offer the easy opportunity to breastfeed. The requirements of nursing-friendly clothes are to be comfortable, to give baby access to the breast without lots of awkward, embarrassing fumbling, and for most moms, there’s a need to feel they are nursing fairly discreetly.
Your existing wedding outfits probably don’t match this description.
When you mix the need for a baby-friendly practical outfit with all the dos and don’ts of wedding guest attire, then choosing an outfit suddenly seems super stressful.
Before you give up hope and resign yourself to something dull and drab (or worse still, decline the invitation), there are a few style secrets that mean you can pull off looking incredible, without making feeding your baby impossible.
1. Invest in a Beautiful Shawl or Pashmina
Many moms like to feed relatively privately, and by investing in a great cover-up, you can be sure that you stay discreet without feeling you have to leave the celebrations.
Use a wedding invitation as an excuse to invest in a really incredible pashmina type scarf, or something similar, in the best fabric you can find. Not only will this allow you to nurse privately, but it’ll also keep you warm and ensure you look sensational.
The garment can be reused long beyond your time as a nursing mom to go with evening dresses or winter-wedding outfits, so it is well worth the investment now.
2. Adapt a Favorite Outfit
If you are handy with a sewing machine, or know of a trusty seamstress, it may be worth looking through your existing wardrobe for a dress that can be adapted. For example, you could alter a shoulder seam to be fixed with hooks and eyes so that each side can be dropped to allow for breastfeeding.
Combine your altered outfit with a color-coordinated pashmina or shawl for an elegant look and discreet feeding.
3. Look for Breastfeeding-Friendly Necklines
You’ll know by now that some necklines are more breastfeeding-friendly than others. For example, a crossover top will work much better than a scoop neckline, and that a button down garment can make a higher neckline work for breastfeeding.
By looking for clothing specifically designed for nursing moms, you can often find fabulous outfits that do away with the need for separate scarves, shawls or nursing covers without compromising on glamour.
Thankfully, there are retailers who know how to make a stylish nursing dress for wedding-type occasions. Dresses from such retailers will include hidden access that would allow you to nurse easily. And because they understand the needs of nursing moms to look great, too, these pieces rarely compromise on style.
4. Consider a Two-Piece Outfit
Although dresses are often our wedding go-to outfit, there is an abundance of other options that often make nursing easier. You could look for a stylish blouse in a luxurious fabric to match with tailored trousers or a skirt. Perhaps you could look at wearing a sari in a beautiful fabric which can easily be pinned in a way that makes breastfeeding very easy.
5. Concentrate on Shoes and Accessories
Finally, if you still feel that you’re having to compromise on the ideal outfit, you can still put some glamour into the occasion by going all out with some incredible new shoes, a sumptuous fragrance, some bold accessories, or dazzling jewelry.
Getting your hair styled in readiness, or visiting a makeup counter for advice on a great new look, will make you feel a million dollars, too.
AUTHOR BIO
At 16, Merril Bainbridge began her career in the Australian fashion industry. In her early 20’s she left to launch a successful Pop Music career which saw her at the top of the US Music Charts. Retiring to start a family, she found a new purpose of helping breastfeeding women with her fashion label, Peachymama.
5 Genius Wedding Style Tips for Nursing Moms
