dress best for breastfeeding

andthepigsaidtothecow

I was looking at styles for wedding dresses today and even though I know what I like now.

When the wedding is we'll have a 2 month old who (hopefully) will be breastfed. 

Are there any particular styles (top half wise) that you think/know would be best for breast feeding for during the day (I guess not sewn into it and easy to pop your boob out of)

Sue-n-Kevin

Well, I breastfed my kids, but not when I had to consider a wedding dress, LOL.

I'd think a halter style would be the easiest & most secure. A strapless will have boning and built in bra, and you'd have to unzip.........although you might also have to unzip with a halter depending on how far up the back comes.

If it were me, I'd simply pump as much as possible the day or two beforehand, have enough available, on ice in a diaper bag, and if it's an emergency, go to the ladies room and feed your baby.

Congrats on your baby AND wedding!

mcda04

I agree with Sue. A halter would be the easiest.

Pumping would be a good option but if you produce a lot of milk, you'll need to stock up on pads and probably will have to pump during the reception.

bridalmarch

I'm not sure why you would have to leave your own wedding reception to sit in a bathroom stall and nurse your baby, or why you'd EVER want to nurse your baby in a bathroom, but I agree a halter will be best. 

monkeysip

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_dress-best-for-breastfeeding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:ee3d4b66-ecee-4d57-a4d1-31599fceb396Post:931ef45b-5669-42d1-8112-2a2977529527">Re: dress best for breastfeeding</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm not sure why you would have to leave your own wedding reception to sit in a bathroom stall and nurse your baby, or why you'd EVER want to nurse your baby in a bathroom, but I agree a halter will be best. 
Posted by bridalmarch[/QUOTE]

Some women prefer not to pump, but want to exclusively feed at the breast.  And the venue may have an actual room for this... not just a bathroom.  Even if she didn't feed, and just pumped, it's still the same problem. 

Barbiiieee

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_dress-best-for-breastfeeding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:ee3d4b66-ecee-4d57-a4d1-31599fceb396Post:931ef45b-5669-42d1-8112-2a2977529527">Re: dress best for breastfeeding</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm not sure why you would have to leave your own wedding reception to sit in a bathroom stall and nurse your baby, or why you'd EVER want to nurse your baby in a bathroom, but I agree a halter will be best. 
Posted by bridalmarch[/QUOTE]

<div>OP didn't even say anything about breast feeding in a bathroom. Her venue may have a bridal suite she could use. Most venues I've looked at has a bridal suite on site. </div><div>
</div><div>OP- I've never had a baby, but I would imagine you'd just want to find something easy to get in and out of, I think PP are right, that a halter might work out well for you! </div>

bridalmarch

Sue mentioned OP excusing herself to the ladies room to feed the baby. I find that unnecessary. I nursed my daughter discreetly in public, usually in a carrier so people never even knew.I never had to use a bathroom to breastfeed. 

IF op feels more comfortable nursing in private (some do, especially at first), a bridal suite or private sitting room would be a much more appropriate place than a ladies room.

Pumping may be a good solution if OP wants to go that route. I would make sure bottle feeding is well established by that point though. You aren't going to want to deal with baby refusing to eat in the middle of the reception. 

I'm sorry to be preachy about this, but I work with breastfeeding moms and the public attitude about it bothers me sometimes. There's nothing unnatural or shameful about it. 

mcda04

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_dress-best-for-breastfeeding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:ee3d4b66-ecee-4d57-a4d1-31599fceb396Post:d91e485e-eda4-4b15-ae07-b1e92ccbd305">Re: dress best for breastfeeding</a>:
[QUOTE]Sue mentioned OP excusing herself to the ladies room to feed the baby. I find that unnecessary. I nursed my daughter discreetly in public, usually in a carrier so people never even knew.I never had to use a bathroom to breastfeed.  IF op feels more comfortable nursing in private (some do, especially at first), a bridal suite or private sitting room would be a much more appropriate place than a ladies room. Pumping may be a good solution if OP wants to go that route. I would make sure bottle feeding is well established by that point though. You aren't going to want to deal with baby refusing to eat in the middle of the reception.  I'm sorry to be preachy about this, but I work with breastfeeding moms and the public attitude about it bothers me sometimes. There's nothing unnatural or shameful about it. 
Posted by bridalmarch[/QUOTE]

I nursed both of my children for over a year and while I find nursing in public very natural, I was never able to do it myself. To say that she should just pop it out and nurse at the reception hall is just bizarre (she's probably going the halter route). Not everybody is comfortable doing this, she's the bride, no matter how discrete she's being, everybody will know she's nursing. I think it's better to nurse or pump in private. If you work with breastfeeding moms, you should know that not everybody nurses in public and there's nothing wrong with that. If the OP doesn't want to bottle feed her two month old infant, she can nurse him in the middle of the reception, IT'S HER BABY.

Barbiiieee

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_dress-best-for-breastfeeding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:ee3d4b66-ecee-4d57-a4d1-31599fceb396Post:d91e485e-eda4-4b15-ae07-b1e92ccbd305">Re: dress best for breastfeeding</a>:
[QUOTE]Sue mentioned OP excusing herself to the ladies room to feed the baby. I find that unnecessary. I nursed my daughter discreetly in public, usually in a carrier so people never even knew.I never had to use a bathroom to breastfeed.  IF op feels more comfortable nursing in private (some do, especially at first), a bridal suite or private sitting room would be a much more appropriate place than a ladies room. Pumping may be a good solution if OP wants to go that route. I would make sure bottle feeding is well established by that point though. You aren't going to want to deal with baby refusing to eat in the middle of the reception.  I'm sorry to be preachy about this, but I work with breastfeeding moms and the public attitude about it bothers me sometimes. There's nothing unnatural or shameful about it. 
Posted by bridalmarch[/QUOTE]

<div>I'm totally on the same page as you. I've never had a baby, but I am certainly on the pro breast feeding in public side of things. However, I also think it would be impossible to do anything discreetly on your wedding day and if OP feels more comfortable excusing herself from the reception for a few minutes, she should do so. Also, I think it depends on her venue. I think if her wedding is at an upscale hotel or something, many of them have comfortable seating areas with comfy couches and things, and if it were me I would think that is an okay place to breast feed. </div>

premv2014

Pump the day before, and/or earlier the day of.

bridalmarch

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_dress-best-for-breastfeeding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:ee3d4b66-ecee-4d57-a4d1-31599fceb396Post:57799791-6f4a-4087-a9f4-228646159e09">Re: dress best for breastfeeding</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: dress best for breastfeeding : I nursed both of my children for over a year and while I find nursing in public very natural, I was never able to do it myself. To say that she should just pop it out and nurse at the reception hall is just bizarre (she's probably going the halter route). Not everybody is comfortable doing this, she's the bride, no matter how discrete she's being, everybody will know she's nursing. I think it's better to nurse or pump in private. <strong>If you work with breastfeeding moms, you should know that not everybody nurses in public and there's nothing wrong with that.</strong> If the OP doesn't want to bottle feed her two month old infant, she can nurse him in the middle of the reception, IT'S HER BABY.
Posted by mcda04[/QUOTE]

<div>In the post of mine you quoted, I said not everyone is comfortable NIP, and if she's not, the bridal suite or a more private room is better for that. If you're going to quote something, you should read it first. It's fine if she's not comfortable nursing at the reception (or in public in general), there are just much better places for private nursing than a bathroom. </div><div>
</div><div>I would also keep in mind that most receptions are four hours long and most two month old infants are still eating every two hours. Breastfeeding can take 15-30 minutes when feeding patterns are well established, and longer if mommy and baby are still getting the hang of it or the baby is super hungry. I wouldn't want to miss an hour (minimum) of my reception to duck off and feed the baby. Additionally, if she's going to do it in private, the style of the dress doesn't matter as much, as she can just unzip it. </div>

Gumby68

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_dress-best-for-breastfeeding?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:15Discussion:ee3d4b66-ecee-4d57-a4d1-31599fceb396Post:0f888102-c497-466a-9272-4124d902dcb4">Re: dress best for breastfeeding</a>:
[QUOTE]Pump the day before, and/or earlier the day of.
Posted by premv2014[/QUOTE]

<div>I don't have any children myself, but none of my friends with children have been able to go more than 4-5 hours without pumping or feeding their child because you can't just choose to stop producing milk. If you wait too long, it can get incredibly painful because you're so full. I'm not sure OP will have the choice to just pump the day before and skip pumping or feeding the day of for convenience. </div>

andthepigsaidtothecow

Thanks for all your advise. 

I'll start looking for halter-necks.

(I will need to feed the baby during the day and not just express. And I wouldn't feed a baby in a loo or go to another room - Adults eat in public if I'm comfortable with it babys should to - plus it's my wedding I'm not going to up and leave it when I can feed and still enjoy it)