Being in the nursing wear business myself, I naturally get asked lots of questions from first-time and expectant mums. One of the most popular questions is: ”When do I buy breastfeeding tops and what size?”

This is quite normal considering you really don’t have a clue what to expect when that precious first baby arrives. Being a mum of two breastfed boys, I’ve been there and done that twice over, so here’s my answers to the above question:

1. First time around I was totally clueless and didn’t even know that breastfeeding tops existed! So needless to say I wasn’t prepared. I had a button-down nightie and that was it. Second time, I was well prepared and bought two proper breastfeeding tops that I took to hospital with me. This made life so much easier when visitors came around and I felt a lot more comfortable breastfeeding in front of them. The midwives were very impressed.

Tip: Buy 1 or 2 breastfeeding tops when you are pregnant to take to hospital with you when the baby is born. You’ll be glad you did with the amount of feeding you’ll be doing in front of people. Plus the tops provide quick and easy access for all the frequent newborn feeds.

2.  What size to buy? Again, first time around I thought my baby belly would disappear overnight in hospital and I would fit into my regular (albeit baggier clothes) with ease. I was a bit shocked when I realised even my ‘big’ clothes didn’t fit.  Having said that, after a couple of weeks my stomach did deflate quite rapidly (with all that breastfeeding) so my maternity tops were too big and I was soooo sick of them that I never wanted to see them again! So I needed regular sized tops for feeding in. So by the time Son, No.2 arrived it was great to have two nice new breastfeeding tops to wear when the baby arrived.

Tip:  Have something new to wear after the baby arrived.  Choose one breastfeeding top that will suit the transition period with a bit more length in the body or choose a size up from your normal size for the early weeks. However, you will lose your belly quite a bit in the coming months so you will need a few regular fitting breastfeeding tops to take you through the months of breastfeeding ahead. Trust me, you’ll never want to see your maternity tops again, so tops that look like regular fitting tops will be top of your list.

It pays to have a few different styles of breastfeeding tops. I recommend at least three different tops as you literally live in them while feeding and you definitely get your money’s worth out of them. Make sure they are easy to wash and wear as well.

Anyway I hope this has helped the new mums out there with their planning!