March 2, 2012

I hate shopping for clothes for myself.  I actually dread it.  Nothing I like fits, and usually I can't find anything I like.  It takes forever for me to find just one outfit.  I would much rather shop for the kids, and whenever I am out to get an article of clothing for myself, I usually come home with something for one of the kids.  Today was no exception.  But I kind of had a good reason why I had trouble.  There was nothing in the mall for nursing mothers.  I checked with the maternity store, and they don't carry anything (formal or semi formal) for non-pregnant nursing mothers.  Most of their clothing is for pregnant women that they can wear to nurse after they give birth.

So I decided I would search for a dress or blouse that had either a cross-over look or buttons, so that I could descreetly remove part of my top to nurse while I am at a wedding reception in a couple of weeks.  Well tried on a few dresses that had that "cross over/wrap" look, and with my nursing boobs they practically fall out, and it is not a look that I like.  There wasn't any dresses or blouses that had buttons at all, it was very disapointing.  Why hasn't someone targeted this audience?  Wouldn't a store like Sears, The Bay or even a higher end maternity store like Thyme, invest in products that women might wear for a year or more after their child is born?  Afterall we buy maternity wear that we use for about 6 monts only....Seems as though there is a missing market here! 

I ended up buying  a skirt and an inexpensive shirt that I am going to modify to make it more accessible for nursing.  If anyone knows of a store where I can buy pretty (grown-up) nursing clothes that are not meant for pregnant women, please let me know!