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From the very beginning, I had to nurse, pump, and supplement with formula. It was basically a full-time job. For those who pump — exclusively, as part of combo feeding, and/or at work — I have no idea how you would do it without a hands-free pumping bra. As much as I disliked pumping, at least it was a time I could scroll vacantly through social media or catch up on text messages/emails. This bra also doubles as a nursing bra, which is nice. If I lasted longer at pumping, I would have invested in better-quality pumping bras, but I made do with cutting holes in old sports bras (haha!). If you do buy one of these, I advise buying a few, as I personally found I needed to wash them frequently. Not to mention when you’re getting the hang of nursing you may leak a lot. This bra is $27.99 at Buy Buy Baby, and a non-racerback version is available at Amazon for $34, eligible for Prime and free returns. Rumina Nursingwear Racerback Hands-Free Pump & Nursing Bra Psst: Looking for more info about nursing clothes for working moms, or tips for pumping at the office? We’ve got them both… This post contains affiliate links and CorporetteMoms may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
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Kid/Family Sales
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Paging Patty Mayonnaise says
Saw your post yesterday on “big” vacations with toddlers. I’d add the South of France to your list. We took our almost-2 year old to Nice for a week and had a blast. It had the beautiful beaches– they’re rocky, but we rented chairs in a private area a couple times. It wasn’t too expensive, and it was nice to have someone bringing us food and drinks. Plus, my kid loved to just throw rocks into the water over and over. The rest of the town was pretty kid-friendly too. There’s a huge playground near Vieux (Old) Nice and it has a huge fountain area that was full of young kids running through in their bathing suits. It’s a pretty touristy area (and France!) so generally kid-friendly. I LOVED it.
Anonymous says
Paris is super kid friendly too. I went there (alone!) with my 18 month old and we had a blast. We were visiting a good friend of mine, so I did have some help with childcare and there wasn’t much on the agenda besides eating and hanging out, but it was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. France (and Europe generally I think) is more kid-friendly than the US.
Anonanonanon says
It’s been so interesting to me to read all of these responses saying how child-friendly Europe is. It honestly never would have occurred to me that a trip to Europe with a small child could be at all pleasant, but it sounds like a nice European trip isn’t off the table after all!
Anonymous says
I think it depends what you want to do. If you want to go to Paris and see ALL THE MUSEUMS with a toddler, that will be exhausting and probably miserable. If you want to live like a Parisian, and spend your days at playgrounds and having picnics (with excellent wine and cheese, natch) then you’ll have an awesome time. Travel with kids is all about adjusting your expectations IMO :) And I like to go to cities I’ve been to before, because honestly you’re not going to “see” a whole lot in the tourist sense. But you can still enjoy the city.
Anonymous says
Yeah, we took our twin toddlers to Paris and didn’t really do many museums, but ate delicious food, walked all over the city, and checked out over a dozen awesome playgrounds.
Anonymous says
I agree that Europe is super kid-friendly (well, Germany and France is where I’ve spent most of my time). Just so many playgrounds and public spaces that kids love. And Europeans seem to bring their kids everywhere in a way Americans don’t.
lala says
Yes, this has been our experience. It’s the reason most of our kid vacations are in Europe. We only have experience in Spain and Italy, but both were super kid friendly. Especially Spain, they bring their kids everywhere and are just super friendly towards kids.
KW says
Any recommendations for a baby shower hostess gift? The hostess is mid-30’s, a single mom, and a teacher. Thanks.
mascot says
A nice tote that she could use for the pool or just general hauling of kid stuff? Like a boat bag or one of those Scout bags? I got fun fabric duffel in a weekender size for a hostess gift once and I’ve worn it out.
Anon says
I got nice umbrellas for my shower hosts for throwing the “shower”. Too cutesy? Maybe. Lol.
lsw says
That’s so cute!
PregLawyer says
Where did you get the nice umbrellas? I’m constantly on the lookout for high quality, cute umbrellas. I live in a rainy place and the umbrellas I get always break. Even the cute Kate Spade ones.
lsw says
I’m not the OP but Blunt makes an awesome umbrella that I’ve gifted several people, all of whom love it. Someday I’ll get one for myself!
Anonymous says
This is a thing? I’ve never gotten a gift for hosting a shower. I think if you want to do something a gift certificate for a massage or pedicure would be nice. Or a consumable like wine or chocolate…something to unwind since shower planning can be stressful.
lawsuited says
The OP might be looking for a gift to say thank you to the person who is hosting her baby shower. In which case I think a spa gift certificate or nice lounge wear is always a lovely gift for a mom. If you’re looking to take a gift to the person hosting a shower you are attending, my first thought is that it’s not necessary, but if you really want to then I agree chocolate or another shelf-stable consumable is good.
LHW says
I’ve received a blue NEST candle, monogrammed cooler bag and another candle. I’d say the NEST candle was my favorite.
rosie says
Lived in this br* while exclusively pumping. I had both, but preferred the non-racerback option. I found a bit more comfortable & it worked better under a variety of shirts.
Anonymous says
But did it make you as happy as this model?
rosie says
Sadly, no. I do not think I ever had a smile this big while pumping (or while walking around with bottles attached to me hoping they didn’t fall).
Spiprograph says
Thanks for the laugh!
Anonanonanon says
I mean, her smile is happy but her eyes are kind of dead, so I’d say it’s a pretty accurate new mom face.
Anonymous says
I had this one, too. It was great for pumping. In the beginning when I was bigger, I could wear it all day. But as my size evened out, I just wore it while pumping for the functionality. All the layers didn’t lay as nicely and showed through my shirts.
Favorite maternity leggings? says
Looking for recommendations for high quality and comfortable maternity leggings. I realized I have several maternity tunic tops and nothing to wear them with now that my belly has outgrown my stretchiest normal leggings. I want to avoid the “sag as soon as I walk around” problem if possible. TIA!
rosie says
I liked Pea in a Pod (got several pairs from Macys) over-bump. I had a pair of under-bump from Old Navy that were comfy as well, but less opaque.
Anonanonanon says
I loved my Seraphine maternity leggings. They didn’t fade, they didn’t grow and sag throughout the day, and they were comfortable. Bonus was the over-the-bump style came in handy when I ended up having a C section and couldn’t stand things that hit right at my incision.
I wouldn’t wear them without a top that covers the bum, though. But since you mentioned tunics I think they’d be great.
GCA says
Ingrid and Isabel, both the seamless belly leggings and the active ones with the crossover panel. Team over-bump all the way – there is a point in late, late pregnancy when even the maternity shirts cease to cover everything…
Pogo says
I had several over bump versions, I believe from Old Navy. But I also used hand me downs from a friend that didn’t even have a tag.
LH says
I lived in these (and a maternity sweatshirt from Target) in late pregnancy: https://www.target.com/p/maternity-underbelly-panel-leggings-isabel-maternity-153-by-ingrid-isabel-174-black-m/-/A-52310889
I couldn’t do anything over my bump, it felt too tight and confining.
KateMiddletown says
Gap Fit and Mamalicious (from Asos)
SG says
Unpopular opinion maybe, but I really liked my LuLaRoe during pregnancy. Another pregnant wife of a friend was selling so I didn’t feel as awful supporting her when I’m very normally anti MLM/”network selling.”
Anonymous says
I don’t know if I’d call them “high quality”, but my Motherhood Maternity ones were super comfy. I wore them a ton during pregnancy and in the months after. I wore and stretched them out a bunch. I’d replace them if I had another pregnancy.
Update says
I posted recently about my 5 month old baby who was suddenly fighting her normal (for her) 8-9 pm bedtime and refusing to go down until 11 pm or even later – people had a lot of helpful suggestions, but it turns out she needed to drop her last nap of the day, which was sometimes ending as late as 6. Now her last nap ends by 4 pm at the latest, usually closer to 3 pm, and she has no problem with an 8-8:30 bedtime. Just wanted to share the story has a happy ending and we didn’t even have to get blackout shades or put her down at 6 pm. ;)
Anon in NYC says
That’s great!
AwayEmily says
Yay!
Recruiter Suggestions? says
We’re discussing relocating to the Raleigh/Durham area in the next year or two. Any suggestions for local recruiters in the legal field, or national recruiters that would be good to contact? I’m in patent prosecution, so the Research Triangle area makes sense, although I understand it’s a fairly competitive market. Ideally it would be an in house move.
I’ve got the names of a few recruiters that have contacted me in the past, but I’ve got no sense of who has a good reputation or not.
Any suggestions on making a move to that area, or a geographic move in general would also be most appreciated!
Thanks in advance!
NC anon says
No advice about the law field, but I’ve been in RDU since 2010 and would be happy to talk about life here.
OP says
Thanks — I may send out a bat signal at some point soon — it’s too soon for me to even wrap my head around what questions I’d ask — we’ve been down there once so far and liked it. One take away was that there were a lot of neighborhood areas that we’d have to keep in mind.
Another NC anon says
I recommend Holly Davis at Davis Search. She’s based in Atlanta but has relationships with many of the large RTP/Raleigh-area IT companies (Red Hat, IBM, SAS, etc.). I’m an NC native and love the area.
OP says
Thanks! The recruiter recommendation is great — SEUS is of general interest, so she sounds like a great person to reach out to.
IVF and multiple pregnancies says
We will be starting IVF with ICSI soon (after 6 months of trying, a visit to the RE, and testing that revealed it to be our only option for biological children).
We’ve always wanted 3 kids. But i feel like i hear about people who had one baby via IVF, or maybe two. I never hear about more. Am i deluding myself to think it is possible?
To be clear – i’m not talking about multiples (although if we had spontaneous twins we’d be thrilled) – but we’ll transfer one embryo at a time.
Anonymous says
I’m only on my first child from IVF, but I think if you have the money and the will (and the time) it is definitely possible to have three. On our first cycle of IVF we got four blasts and the second transfer resulted in our daughter.
That said, going through IVF, there are more obstacles to having a larger family:
– Will your insurance help cover IVF treatment?
– Will your first cycle be a success?
– Will the transfers be a success?
– Will having a child be more challenging than anticipated?
– Did you start having kids later in life, thus fewer optimal childbearing years?
– Are you prepared to absorb the daycare costs for each child, plus the cost of continuing medications for additional pregnancies?
These questions, along with the lesser likelihood of an unplanned pregnancy, have all been factors for us in determining how many children we plan to have and when.
Anonymous says
Not sure if this is a helpful anecdote, but a friend has 5 kids, 2 sets of twins and a single. I know that the 2 sets of twins were from IVF, but not sure about the single baby. The twins are fraternal, so I imagine that they transferred two embryos at a time.
Pogo says
It all depends on why you need IVF. I have a diagnosis of PCOS, so I didn’t ovulate. But my eggs are fine and I made plenty of them, they all fertilized fine, the blasts grew great, etc and I have embryos on ice waiting.
There are many reasons to go to IVF and many of those reasons will lead to very few eggs and even fewer embryos – meaning instead of having embryos on ice waiting for kid #2 or 3, you’ll have to start the whole process over again. I think that then you have to look at the monetary, physical and emotional costs of multiple harvests and transfers.
Pogo says
Sorry, I realize that wasn’t super helpful. I was trying to say I guess the correlation of IVF with low fertilization/embryo survival rates is likely why you don’t hear of people with >2 kids, not because it’s impossible or anything.
Big hugs. IVF was really hard, especially to undergo while working full time.
KW says
I agree with this. I’m pregnant with an IVF baby, which we needed due to male factor issues. We have an older child who was conceived naturally and all of my testing was normal. So after doing PGS testing, we ended up with several chromosomally normal embryos, which means we have some left. If we decide to have more kids then (which we might), the only cost would be thawing and transferring another embryo, making it much more cost effective than if we had to do the whole process over again. If we didn’t have any remaining embryos, the cost, which was almost $20k out of pocket, would definitely deter us from repeating another cycle (or two).
IVF and multiple pregnancies says
Thanks, this is all very helpful. I appreciate the detailed responses!
Our reason for IVF + ICSI is male factor infertility. Apparently, my numbers are “spectacular” – what our doctor says she expects to see from her 25 year old egg donors (and I’m 38).
I do “maybe” have a blocked tube (or it just spasmed from the test) but that is a moot point given the male issues. Also have a fibroid that she considers to be extremely low risk (and much lower than risk of removal).
Pogo says
Good luck! IVF was hard but I am so, so glad we did it.
anon says
A close friend is currently on her second IVF cycle trying for #3. They were on the fence for a long time because of the cost of the process, which I assume is prohibitive for many.
ElisaR says
My boss had 4 kids via IVF (one set of twins). I don’t think there’s any issues beyond cost of having a big family with IVF.
rosie says
Sorry your in this boat, but I would not lose hope for the family size that you want. So many factors enter the equation–insurance coverage, how the cycle will go for you (maybe you’ll get lots of embabies to freeze and then you wouldn’t have to go through more stims & retrievals). Not sure where you are on the finances, but if you would need insurance to make this possible, start looking at job options.
IVF and multiple pregnancies says
My insurance doesn’t cover it, but my husband’s does, so I’ll switch to his during open enrollment.
Definitely wish I’d thought to check that when we got married and I thought “you know, my insurance has always been great for me – i’ll just stick with it!”.
rosie says
That’s so great! I also had coverage through my husband (although no longer, so any subsequent cycles would be out-of-pocket unless something changes). One thing to keep in mind is that insurance often requires IUI before IVF, so talk to your RE about getting their help showing the insurance company why they should cover IVF right away.
ginger hb says
This may out me to some but oh well. Our firm “year” ends today for review purposes. I’ve busted my butt to position myself for my partnership decision this year (I’ve been told by all it’s very likely but who knows) but I’m just drained by getting everything in and this self-assessment we have to submit on our year. I’ve only taken two days of actual vacation this past year because the rest was spent on sick kid time or conferences. I’m thinking of taking this Friday off to treat myself to a spa day and a day of nothing but feel guilty taking a day off before reviews start next week (though I’m in a branch office where no one sees me anyway). Am I overthinking this?
Anonymous says
Yeah I think you’re overthinking it. Take your vacation day and enjoy!!
GCA says
Wait, you have to use your own vacation days on conferences?! That’s awful and I’m sorry. (Is that standard practice for law firms? – not in law) Anyway, if you need to take Friday off to recharge, I would absolutely do that.
NewMomAnon says
My experience with regional law firms is that they don’t offer “vacation time” – you need to hit your billable goal, and you need to work however many days it takes to hit that. You get to take vacation only if you exceed your hours at other times of the year. So sick time and conferences would definitely eat into one’s ability to take vacation.
Anonymous says
+1. My last firm actually offered “vacation time,” but in practice, you had to make your billable hours. Any time spent on anything non-billable–sick time, conference, non-billable work–cut into the time you had for billable hours. Most people took very few days of real vacation, although a few (non-parents) managed to figure out ways to work while traveling–things like ski or beach vacation where they’d spend an hour or two skiing or on the beach, 8 hours inside working, and have dinner with their partners or friends.
ginger hb says
Yes that’s the case here. No one tracks vacation – it’s all about hours or other receipt targets.
Anonymous says
+1 You have to hit your hours. What you do with “the rest of your time” is up to you. I’ve seen a few firms that allow first and second year associates to count some personal development hours towards billable hours while they’re learning the ropes. But that’s definitely not normal.
CCLA says
Know your office (and especially the folks making pship decisions), but I’d do that in a heartbeat. Presumably they’ve already made their decision, and one day away where you may not be missed wouldn’t be a big deal. Relax and enjoy!
Anonymous says
Do it!!! (I’m already a partner and am considering taking a half-day mental health day this week – just because I’ve been so busy lately).
Artemis says
Take your day! Enjoy it! You deserve it!
Seriously, now that I have been out of a law firm for 3+ years, I read posts like this and remember how sick law firm life can be. People whine about corporate jobs and I know everyone has challenges, but sometimes I just want to tell people, there’s crummy corporate jobs, and then there is the fresh hell of a midlaw firm with crummy comp and biglaw hours.
That’s not a criticism of you, OP, and your ambition–congratulations, truly!–just, when you look at this stuff from the outside, if you’re someone like me who wanted to get out, or have never been in a law firm, it just sounds icky.
lawsuited says
Does anyone know where I could find a solid coloured puddle jumper for my toddler, or are the bizarre cartoons on them unavoidable?
NewMomAnon says
What is a “puddle jumper”?
Lana Del Raygun says
It’s a kind of life jacket for toddlers.
Anonymous says
The one with attached arm floaties that just goes around the top part of their chest.
Anonymous says
Stearns’ site has one that’s blue with blue stripes– not solid but not cartoonish.
Anonymous says
https://www.swimoutlet.com/p/stearns-puddle-jumpers-tahiti-kids-uscg-life-jacket-8128760
(I ordered from this website before & it was fine, return was easy enough although not free)
H13 says
Does anyone have very different mattress needs/wants from their partner? How do you find something to accommodate both of you?
My husband is a side sleeper and is never comfortable in bed. I am a stomach sleeper and prefer a firmer mattress. We are on our third mattress in 10 years and he has fashioned all manner of foam pads, down comforter layers, pillow configurations, etc. in vain attempts to get comfortable.
We have a very high quality mattress right now and I feel like we could sink money into this problem forever if we aren’t careful. Is a sleep number bed the answer? Separate beds? Help.
Anon in NYC says
I’m confused – does he prefer a softer bed or does he not know what he likes? Have you picked out these mattresses in person and he’s laid on them? I found it really helpful to go to a physical store and lay on a bunch of mattresses to find one that worked for us (although my husband and I have similar mattress preferences).
H13 says
It’s a good question. He thinks he likes soft (he likes to sleep on the couch sometimes) but I am afraid he will never find something that works for him. We have got to the store each time. Still isn’t working.
NewMomAnon says
Is it possible this isn’t so much a mattress issue as a tense muscles issue? I get extreme knots in my muscles, and any amount of pressure on my hips, sacrum, or shoulders is uncomfortable. I used to buy the softest, cushiest mattress I could find, and then pad it with featherbeds and mattress covers. Once I started getting regular massage and using a foam roller, firm mattresses were much more comfortable and now I get whiny if I have to sleep on a soft mattress (especially one with deep indents).
Also, I learned this during pregnancy – if I’m side sleeping, I need a pillow between my knees to keep my hips in alignment and a firm roll (I use a memory foam pillow) under my head to keep my neck/spine position neutral. So….try a bunch of other options before buying another new mattress. And if you do buy a new mattress, buy one from Ikea so he can hate it with lower repercussions. Sometimes I think the anxiety of a big ticket purchase makes the thing less comfortable. Removing the financial pressure sometimes increases my enjoyment.
H13 says
Honestly, I think you might have hit the nail on the head. He works out a ton and complains of things like his shoulder getting smashed into the bed (or his ear, or his elbow). He does roll out and I have been encouraging massages but he protests. He also buys new pillows like kleenex…
Anon in NYC says
I would force the issue of massage before buying a new mattress.
Anonymous says
try two different twin size mattresses in a king size frame. You’re still in the same bed but you each have a mattress that works for you.
h13 says
He actually suggested this! I didn’t know it was even a possibility.
BTanon says
Agree this might work. Two twin extra-long mattresses equal a non-California king. I think people sometimes go this route when they can’t logistically get a king frame into their bedroom due to narrow hallways, etc. Places like BBB sell “bed-bridges” to help smooth the gap, and you can still use king-size sheets. I don’t know how well it would work with two different style mattresses though, because heights might be different. You’d want to try to match them and you would probably still feel the join when lying on it.
lawsuited says
My husband and I have both ended up changing the way we sleep so we can both be comfortable on the same mattress (he was a back sleeper and I was a stomach sleeper, now we are both mainly sleep on our sides), but I think getting a king bed frame and 2 different twin mattresses to put in the frame can be a good solution for this problem.
NewMomAnon says
Had four meetings on my calendar this morning and have been stood up by 3 of the 4 with no advance notice. Plus it’s the last day of the month, my time entries are due, my CLE reporting is due, and there is SO MUCH TO DO. Why why why?
Anonanonanon says
Ew, I’m sorry! That’s so inconsiderate! I hate when people do that, especially when you can tell it’s from their own disorganization rather than a true emergency.
JTX says
Any ideas for good gifts for daycare teachers? Our son recently “graduated” from pre-K and will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. We would really like to get gifts for his pre-K teachers to express our appreciation for how wonderful, kind and patient they have been. The problem is we know one of them much better than the other but we would like their gifts to be roughly equivalent cost and thoughtfulness-wise. We usually give cash to daycare teachers (and did so at Christmas and Teacher Appreciation Week back in May), but that doesn’t feel right for this occasion, for some reason. They are both women in their mid-20s. The daycare did provide information a few months ago listing their favorite snacks, restaurants, stores, etc. in advance of Teacher Appreciation Week.
Right now I’m leaning towards buying them each a simple piece of jewelry – probably a necklace. If anyone has a favorite jewelry or etsy store to recommend, I’m all ears!
octagon says
Cash. They want cash (or Target gift cards).
If you don’t want to do that, then gift certificates to their favorite restaurants, or catering in breakfast/lunch for them one day.
Every teacher I’ve known prefers consumables or gift cards to stuff.
Ms B says
+100. MIL is a retired kindy teacher and she says (only half joking) that the mugs, totes, candles, hand soaps and other cutesy things pushed her towards retirement.
We got The Kid’s teacher a gift card to a restaurant on her “favorites” list in a large enough amount that she could take her family (two adults, two kids) for dinner there. We got a handwritten thank you in return, while some of the other parents got e-mails, so it was the way to go.
FVNC says
I second the suggestion for cash or cash-like GC unless you know they’re fairly comfortable financially. Daycare teachers are really paid appallingly little.
Anonymous says
They want cash or a gift card to a universal store like Target or Amazon.
JTM says
I would do cash or a Target gift card with a heartfelt note thanking them for teaching your child.
AwayEmily says
CASH. Definitely, definitely cash. Even better than a gift card.
lawsuited says
I always give a gift card and let my LO draw in the card to add a personal touch. I try to remember that we are not the only people trying to show our appreciation and that figuring out what to do with x number of trinkets per x number of kids per X number of years would make me completely crazy.
cheap hack says
So for the record I exclusively pumped for 8 months, and I just bought two snug sports bras from Wal-Mart and cut holes out for the pump. Total cost = $15 total (I replaced them around month 4 when they started to fray a little). But with the caveat that I am small-busted.
JFTB says
I did the same thing, and my bra (a Target special!) lasted for two kids – and I am not small busted.
Anonymous says
If you wanted to wear it all day, I think this would be nice. I was the poster who commented above that all the layers on this bra would bunch up and show through shirts. That seems less likely to happen with a sports bra. Also if you got technical fabric, the leaks and stuff would dry in no time. Did you have any issues with them being too tight, or did you just buy big? I’d heard not wear sports bras (that would actually work for the purpose of sports) often while nursing because the compression could bring down your supply.
cheap hack says
They DID dry in no time, and it was really a big benefit. Plus, and this might be TMI, but squishing my n*pples down a bit made them feel better after pumping, because they were super sensitive and otherwise didn’t seem to want to “retract.” I did buy them a bit snug, mostly because I wanted them to be hands-free and the weight of the pumping equipment + full bottles would pull them down if they were looser. My nurses showed me this hack in the hospital so I can’t speak to whether it would decrease an already-established supply, but I made enough for my twins for at least six or so months– the downside of exclusively pumping is that your supply doesn’t really increase with how hungry the babies are. But I did not like the one official “pumping bra” I bought– it didn’t hold the equipment against me tightly enough to keep the seal, and I found it really bulky.
cheap hack says
I should add that the reason I wore two at once is so I could “shift” the holes between the two so that they didn’t overlap when I wasn’t pumping, and then the combo acted like a regular supportive sports bra. Then when pumping I could line up the holes and fit the Medela stuff through.
Anonymous says
That’s a good clarification and makes a lot of sense. I though you just meant you had two so you could rotate through them!
Patty Mayonnaise says
Not sure if this will thread, but thank you for the south of France travel rec! That’s on our radar too – where did you stay? And did you rent a car? Thanks so much!!
Anonymous says
OP from above. We stayed in an Air BnB just north of the Jardin Albert 1er, a lovely 5 minute walk from the playground/fountain area I mentioned, which is called the Prom du Paillon).
We didn’t rent a car. We took the train a couple times to explore other towns/Monaco, but much less than we expected, because we were having such a relaxing time on the beach and just wandering Nice. The train ride to other cities was fine, the ride back was rough because we were all tired from walking around all day, had our stroller, and it was rush hour, so we didn’t have a seat on the train (plus I was in my second trimester).
I wouldn’t recommend our particular Air BnB because although it was stunningly beautiful, it wasn’t toddler-friendly at all (lots of breakable things at his eye level, fourth-floor walk up), but there were several contenders when we were looking, so I’m sure you could find something.
ITLady says
Am I the only one that just continued to wear normal nursing bras and just clip them down and wear a hands free bra over that only when pumping? My hands free bra zips in the front so it’s super easy on.
I like an underwire and padding to prevent ice pick nips way too much (and found they didn’t give me blocked ducts) so there’s no way I could wear something like this all day.
HSAL says
Yep, I did the same.
BettyS says
Am I the only one who didn’t wear any hands free bra and just used one arm? I could hold them in place easily with one arm, the suction from the pump kept them in place. Or I wore a stretchy v neck nursing bra which kind of held them in place.
Anonymous says
Me too. It was just too much of a process to switch to a hands free bra for pumping. And it messed up my hair ;)