BREASTFEEDING AT WEDDINGS!

So you have a wedding to attend and and you need a dress to be able to breastfeed in! Well you're not alone.

At Maternity Revolution we seem to have just as many requests for feeding formal dresses as we do for formal maternity wear. Guess what? Practically nothing exists!

Nursing Wear has come a long way in the past 5 years and while you are spoiled for choice when it comes to smart casual or basic dresses and tees, the choice of formal feeding dresses is practically non existent.

"Why?" I hear you ask.

While I'm not totally sure, I suspect that is has firstly to do with the best design for a feeding garment. Most of them have one of the following access designs:

• built in bra with drop down clips for access
• Double layer front that you lift up
• Hidden panel under bust that can be unzipped or lifted
• Crossover bodice with modesty band that you pull to the side for access

The built in bra is not great for larger busted ladies or those with arm issues as they usually have thin bra-like straps.

The double layer won't work for a dress unless the layer can be incorporated into just the bodice.

The hidden panel under the bust can be a bit obvious and requires a very stretchy fabric.

The crossover is really the only style that works well in an evening dress.

Fabric is also tricky. If the crossover style is going to work then the fabric has to have a lot of stretch and stretch fabrics are often clingy so the design has to have a fitted bodice with a flowy skirt as there are few women that have just given birth who are looking to wear a fitted, figure hugging dress. 

Stretchy fabrics have a habit of being much like a t-shirt fabric and this really isn't the classiest fabric for a formal dress. 

Satins, etc, have no stretch and one of the biggest draw backs is their tendency to stain. The last thing you want is leaking milk or baby dribble on a satin dress. You can try washing out the stain while at the venue but the water mark is there until you dry clean it. Nothing more embarrassing than a big water mark on your breast!

So that leaves the jersey type fabrics, which do work very well.

Next issue is price. Nursing wear is often more expensive than maternity wear because there is more work in the construction and design, particularly in anything with a built in bra. 

Now there are two maternity dresses that are perfect to wear to a wedding when breastfeeding. They are always popular because they can be worn pregnant or not, have a permanently pleated skirt that hides a post baby belly and a crossover bodice in a stretchy fabric that allows access for feeding. The cocktail length Szabo Sunray Pleat dress is great for the semi formal wedding and the Szabo Formal Pleat Dress is perfect for a formal occasion. The only problem with the cocktail length dress is the fact that the hem is slightly longer at the front because it is designed mainly for maternity, but it's not that noticeable and could be altered. The formal pleat dress has been discontinued so I have no idea what my "go to " formal dress will be once that's gone. 

Over the years I have seen styles come and go for formal feeding wear but not many good ones.

I'm hoping things improve over the coming years but for now, I think you have to look at the 2 styles I mentioned, or wear a skirt and top so that you can easily lift your top in the parents room without completely stripping (as you would have to do with a dress), look for a dress in the normal stores that meets all the criteria mentioned above, or express before you go and take the bottles with you.

Szabo Sunray Pleat Dress

Szabo Formal Pleat Dress

For any of you designers out there...please consider a reasonably priced, well designed breastfeeding dress or two. The breastfeeding ladies of Australia would be very grateful.

Bye for now.

Lisa

Maternity Revolution

Maternity Revolution Morphs Into Discount Revolution

Laila and Spot Feeding Tee $30

Ninth Moon Foldover Suit Pant Reduced to 48.95

Ninth Moon Crossover Work Top Reduced to $45

Ninth Moon Summer Dress with Removable Straps Reduced to $30

Ninth Moon pant or shirt only $9 (not yet on website)

Ninth Moon Rouched Tee $30

Szabo Linen Floral Top Reduced to $69

Szabo Drape Feeding Top Reduced to $69

Szabo Lace Collar Knit Top reduced to $45

It seems everyone wants everything cheap these days! Maternity Revolution has listened and we are changing to meet your demands.

Once upon a time I worked in a maternity store that was all about specials. The owner of the store would buy whatever specials she could get her hands on and admittedly the prices were great but for me it was frustrating. Often the sizes were Small or XL. Getting holding of a medium or large was like gold! This meant that customers would come in and see a garment they liked but we often wouldn't have it in their size and were unable to order it in.

It was this frustration that led me to open my own store. I was determined to stock well priced items but to have full size runs and permanent stock availability on good basics, like work pants. I also wanted to have some beautiful evening wear, even if this was going to be a bit pricier, because every girl likes to dress up.

For the first few years this formula worked. We had so many different maternity work pants, shorts, skirts, 3/4 pants, bras, feeding tops etc As well as the basics we had a good variety of new season fashion items. It was amazing! But unfortunately people's shopping habits have changed and their wallets have shrunken. Now it is all about price and no one really cares about variety, quality, fit, service. Consumers have become price conscious at the expense of being fashion conscious. I swear I could put the most horrible, poorly fitting, unflattering garment on a specials rack and if it's cheap enough, someone will buy it.

Well I'm not about to start stocking crappy, ugly clothes just so I can have cheap stock but I am going to be very price conscious with what I do buy. I'm on the hunt for past season's fashion, discontinued lines, etc. Who really cares if it was last Summer's style if it's cheaper than this Summer's style?

This Summer will feature as much as I can find under $50 and sure we may not be able to offer the service of re-ordering or the range of sizes but it seems that what people want.

Of course we will always stock our good basics and keep full sizes but even these items will be reduced and we are eager to be given the chance to match other people's prices in the unlikely event that you find it cheaper elsewhere. (Having said that, we can't sell one of our top sellers for $20 because someone only has a size 6 left and is clearing it out but you want a size 14 in it. We'd go broke that way!)

Anyway, we are trying our best to please and we welcome any feedback or suggestions!

Oh and by the way. I apologise in advance if the photos aren't that great for new discount stock but often I won't have access to professional images and will have to settle for putting them on a dummy and snapping a shot here in store.

Regards,

Lisa
Maternity Revolution