After I published Maggie’s birth story here on my blog, lots of you reached out to ask what nursing bra I was wearing in the photos. It’s actually an Aerie bralette (this one, specifically), rather than a nursing bra.
I’ve worn bralettes pretty exclusively for the last year or so, I’d say. I wore them both before and during pregnancy, and I love that they’re comfy and supportive, and if the bralette shows a little, that’s okay — they’re made for that. No more worrying about hiding those pesky bra straps? Sign me up!
While I was pregnant, though, and planning to breastfeed, I assumed I needed to stock up on nursing bras. That’s what you do, right? I researched and read reviews, then bought a few. Some for sleeping, some for during the day — I thought I was all set. (Oh, I also grabbed some nursing camis from Target.) Then Maggie was born, and I realized I still wanted to wear my bralettes. Turns out, they’re pretty much as functional for nursing as a “real” nursing bra (you can just push them out of the way to nurse or pump).
I ended up returning my unworn nursing bras and, instead, grabbed a couple more Aerie bralettes (in size medium, rather than small, which I typically wear). At night, I wear a Target nursing cami (I have a couple from H&M as well, but MUCH prefer the Target ones), but during the day I exclusively reach for a bralette.
Since sharing this with some friends, I’ve had a couple of you fellow nursing mamas give the bralette route a try and like it as well. I’ve found it to be so easy and comfortable. Plus, because this was my routine pre- and during pregnancy, I’m able to feel more like myself than I found I did in nursing bras. Bralettes are normal and familiar amidst this still-new-to-me world of breastfeeding.
I love Aerie bralettes in particular because many of them don’t have adjustable straps, meaning that you never have to worry about the adjustment part peeking out. Some people are fine with that, but it’s not my favorite look. I go for the super seamless styles, and exclusively buy those. Plus, the Aerie bralettes are so affordable, are nearly always on sale, and come in lots of colors. (Oh, and if you use Ebates, you’ll get 2.5% cash back on your Aerie purchase!)
So, to summarize: I recommend these bralettes to anyone at any stage of life: pregnant, not pregnant, nursing — they work great for all of these, as far as I’m concerned!
Here are my top Aerie bralette picks:
- Longline Boho Bralette (an awesome strapless option!)
a bralette type of bra is just perfect.