Today I’m hosting a guest review from a mom friend who just had a new little baby! Check out her blog Here! She got to try out a Nursing and Pumping Bra from Simple Wishes. My little guy is almost 3 so I’m done with these but I was happy to get to share!
I was excited to get to try a different nursing bra; my experience with them so far is that the comfortable, easy-open ones aren’t very supportive, and the supportive ones are hard to use discretely. I subscribe to the “out from under” versus “out from over” method for nursing in public, and I don’t use a nursing cover usually; some bras are easier than others for privacy!
This bra has a good balance of structure and flexibility. I really like how adjustable the closure is in the back. It has 6 sets of loops instead of just 2 or 3, so it’s more adaptable. A snug fit around the body is essential for support, so this really helps!
The fabric is not as thin as my cheap bras from Walmart. It feels a lot more sturdy, though still stretchy. It is structured like a sports bra rather than an underwire, and it has removable foam/fabric pieces to make the front thicker so that bunched-up or wrinkled nursing pads won’t show through, even if you’re wearing a thin or stretchy blouse. I got a size medium, and I found that the bra was comfortable and supportive even through a long day of chasing after my active older kids. It kept its elasticity and didn’t stretch out even after several days of consecutive wear.
What makes this bra really stand out, though, is that it doubles as a hands-free pumping bra! It’s always a bit of a pain at work to have to add a pumping bra on top of a regular bra, and this bra eliminates that. I haven’t gone back to work yet, but I will be glad to have this when I do!
The issue with a 2-in-1 deal, though, is that there’s more to pull down to nurse. I’m not very heavily endowed in the bust, so there was a little learning curve to getting everything in the best position to nurse. Having the two sets of “flaps” on the front also means two different sets of front closures. I found the ones at the top (to let down for nursing, the pumping ones are a little lower) were a little difficult to use. It took me a few tries each to get them undone, but by the end of the day I wasn’t having trouble anymore.
Overall, I’d give this product a 4.5/5, taking off half a star for the difficulty that the extra thickness made when nursing instead of pumping…. Really, though, I can’t think of a way to solve that problem and still maintain the 2-in-1 function! I’d recommend this bra to any of my friends who need a nursing bra, whether they need to pump or not!