In my personal opinion, the hardest part about being a new mom is getting out of the house. First there is the anxiety that comes with packing up your entire life just for a 45 minute outing. Do I have all the things I need? Did I pack enough diapers? Did we remember the sound machine for the car seat and the little clip on fan for the stroller?
Then there is the fear of being away from the safety net that is your own house. Preparing myself that inevitably I may have to change a diaper in a public restroom, crawl around on the sidewalk for a missing pacifier, or breast feed the baby in the back seat of the car in the parking lot of a gas station.
And last but not least there is the age old saga of what on earth am I going to wear!?
I have spent so many days as a new mother having to make the choice being wearing an outfit that looks good or wearing an outfit I know I can easily breastfeed the baby. Most nursing dresses and tops are built for comfort. They are stretchy, made of cotton, and usually with the typical v-neck criss-cross fabric across the chest that is the least flattering silhouette for a newly large chest. And they usually come in a solid color or print that reads “I don’t really care what I am wearing.”
But the truth is we do care what we are wearing. And in the season of our life when our routines are changed, our lives have changes, and our bodies have changed, it would still be nice to have the comfort of looking and feeling good in our clothes. So what on earth should I wear? Well let me introduced you to Ellie and Becca nursing dresses.
Just because you are a new mom, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice wanting to dress up, to feel feminine, and to look good in dresses that actually fit your body. Ellie and Becca’s mission statement reads as follows: “We believe nursing dresses should offer more than convenience; and make women feel beautifully at home in their bodies. We seek to inspire joy and confidence through our feminine, effortless, and environmentally sustainable designs.“
The Emilia Nursing Dress is the perfect light weight shirt dress in the most beautiful blue organic Liberty cotton fabric.
The best part of the dress are the two hidden zippers allowing you to modestly nurse your baby anytime, anyplace and then when you are through with your breast feeding journey the zippers are so invisible that you can continue to wear the dress for as long as you want!
I have breast fed all four of my children and as much as I like to believe society has shifted its views towards complete acceptance of breastfeeding in public, there is still that need to want to do so modestly. I love to wear dresses but so many of my nicer dresses do not have low neck lines and would require me pulling the entire dress over my head. Not very discreet! And dresses that have a low neck line or button closure work well for nursing but then your entire chest is still exposed. And in my experience throwing a blanket over my baby’s face not only draws even more attention to me and baby, but my babies have always pulled away the moment the blanket hits their cheek. The dresses from Ellie and Becca allow you to perfectly feed your baby without compromise!
And as a side note, if your husband’s pair of old college Nike sweatpants and raggedy old tee shirt brings you joy the by all means wear THAT! On a lazy rainy Sunday, I am right there with you. I also know not everyone loves dresses so Ellie and Becca have also created an adorable nursing top that would go great with a pair of high waisted jeans.
Ellie and Becca have partnered with Sewing the Seeds and for each dress sold, they donate $5 towards purchasing sewing machines and training for disadvantaged women in Tamil Nadu, India. Their commitment to sustainable labeling and packaging and orgnaic fabrics and their dedication to philanthropy is unlike most brands out there and something I have come to really respect in a brand.
So after you are done here, head on over to Ellie and Becca and shop around for yourself or for the new mom’s in your life!
xx Priscilla