Breastfeeding is a completely different experience for every mom, with every child. For some, it may come naturally, but for others it may be a struggle. We were the latter at first. Disclaimer: I'm about to get really real right now. We just couldn't figure it out. I had flat nipples so Ever had a hard time latching and staying latched. Sometimes she couldn't find my nipple at all because it wouldn't go far enough into her mouth. I knew I wanted to breastfeed more than anything, and I couldn't bring myself to giving up, which may have had something to do with my pride, but now, looking back, I'm so glad that I didn't. About a week after Ever was born, I decided to try a nipple shield which was a huge blessing at the time. It finally allowed Ever to feel something in her mouth so she would know to start sucking. But we both quickly became dependent on it. And not to mention it was so hard to maneuver in public, while holding a screaming baby, and trying to put on a nursing cover, and then trying to get her to latch while holding it in place. But it got to the point that she couldn't nurse without it and I was terrified I might forget it at home someday and she would starve to death. Soon enough, we got comfortable and got into a system of how to nurse with the nipple shield.
Then, something new happened. My milk started spraying. And, though I didn't know this at the time, it was causing Ever some major discomfort because she couldn't keep up with the flow and she would choke and swallow way too much air. Whenever she would nurse, about a minute in she would start crying uncontrollably and then refuse to continue nursing. What I didn't realize at the time is that about a minute into nursing is when my milk would drop and become too strong for her. We thought it was gas, then acid reflux, then thrush, then tongue tie, then a lip tie, then neck aches, and so on and so on. But, one day, a friend reached out to me and said she had a similar problem, that her son would get upset because he was getting too much foremilk and not enough hindmilk. To put it simply, the foremilk is like the skim, which contains more lactic acid. The hindmilk is the fatty milk. Both, in balance, are basically perfection, but if the baby gets too much foremilk and not enough hindmilk to balance the acid, then they get an upset tummy. The other thing was that my flow was just too strong and she couldn't keep up with it. As soon as I found this out, it all made sense. So one day, I was going to try block feeding to get my milk production to slow a little bit, but that same day, miraculously, Ever started learning how to regulate her intake and not choke on the milk. It was amazing!
Then, after a while of using the nipple shield, I was just over it. It was just so annoying having to always have it clean and ready to go. So I tried once without using it, and Ever latched on like a champ! My nipples had softened enough for her to be able to latch, and we haven't used it since.
Now, we are pro-breastfeeders. Ever nurses on demand basically all day. She snacks when she's bored, (I think it's because she's burning so many calories while she's playing like a crazy woman that she needs to replenish them, ha), and she still has full on "meals" of milk. She's now 19 days from turning one and I don't see an end to our breastfeeding journey anywhere in sight. And I'm 100% okay with that.
I've shared so many intimate moments with my daughter through nursing that only I could have shared with her. This is a time where my body sustains her body. I keep her alive. I'm her comfort. Part of me belongs to her for the time being. Countless tears have been shed as we look deep into each others' eyes and the love is just too much to hold in. I wouldn't take this time I've had with her back for anything in the world. Not for my boobs to be firm again instead of saggy. Not for my nipples to be normal size. Not to have my body all to myself. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
All that to say, breastfeeding is a different journey for everyone. But, there's one thing that is the same: you need to feel comfortable and you need to feel beautiful. I had such a hard time finding nursing friendly clothes and bras that were comfortable and cute. So when Bravado Designs reached out to me to review their bras and nursing tanks, I was so excited! Where were they when I was new to nursing and a bra that was uncomfortable would put me over the top in my stress level? I wish I knew about them then. But now, with where we are in our nursing journey, aka nursing on demand all day every day, Bravado Designs is equally as essential. I've gotta be ready to go at a moments notice, because when my girl wants milk she will have her milk. And nothing will take her mind off of it until she gets it.
The Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra :
First of all, this color (garnet) is gorgeous. It's feminine and sexy, yet classy and practical. This bra comes in tons of different colors too. The fabric is super soft, but it's still supportive. There's no underwire, but there's a unique built-in cup shape that makes your boobs look nice and perky rather than the realistic saggy.
The Body Silk Seamless Nursing Cami :
This cami isn't like other nursing camis I've tried. It's very fitted so it will go under anything! If you're not able to pull your top down from the collar, then this cami is perfect for lifting it up but still staying covered. And it's seamless so it's super comfortable.
The Body Silk Seamless Yoga Nursing Bra :
It's so hard to find nursing sports bras. This one is, again, so comfortable, and has the same built-in cup feature so you don't look super flat like in most sports bras. I'd wear this as an everyday bra, too, because you can hardly tell the difference.
Bravado Designs has got you covered whether you're a new nursing mom, or a tried and true nursing mom. Check our their website for more cute styles and colors.