Do ‘Plus Sized’ And ‘Mommy’ Go Hand-In-Hand?

I was reading the Luscious Lactivist Blog the other day and she had a great post entitled ‘BIG Booby Trap’ in which she discusses the difficulties of being a plus-sized mom. This got me to thinking that I should share my knowledge. I FELT her pain. I was a plus sized mom when I was pregnant and when I was breastfeeding my son and it was a big motivator behind me starting my own business. I am always on the look-out for great maternity and (especially) nursingwear for plus-sized moms. So I wanted to share my finds with you.

Let me start by giving you a little history about me. I was >200 lbs when I got pregnant, so closer to 225 or so when I actually gave birth (about a size 20-22). I was determined to breastfeed my son and a good friend of mine suggested that I look into nursing clothing. My son was an AVID nurser and literally nursed every hour for the first year of his life. I quickly learned that wearing nursing tops meant I could be out in public, could easily breastfeed my son AND could keep my belly from hanging out while I did so. But finding these hidden ‘plus-sized gems’ was another adventure all together. I went to many local maternity stores that carried a smattering of nursing tops – none of which fit my GIGANTIC 40G breasts (yes, my breasts were larger than my son’s head for the first year of his life – but that is another story all-together…_). The selection in the local stores was dismal – so I turned to on-line stores. But similar to Laura from The Luscious Lactivist, I found that sizes varied greatly from brand-to-brand – and what fit me in one style might not fit me in another style – even from the same manufacturer! Most brands didn’t even carry plus sizes, so I had to find X-Larges that were cut big enough to fit me. Needless to say I spend a lot of money on postage trying out different styles and sending them back when they either didn’t fit or weren’t flattering on a plus-sized body.

So when I started my own store, I was determined to make shopping for plus-sized items easier for moms like me. I now carry bras from 32-48 band and from A to K cups and I have clothing ranging in sizes from XS through XXXL.

Below is a summary of some of my favorite items:

Let’s start with bras. Earlier this year, I blogged about a new nursing bra for women with large busts. It starts at a DD cup – so you really have to be voluptuous to wear this baby. AND it comes with an underwire – so many nursing bras for larger breasted women don’t come with an underwire – and I don’t know about you – but my gigantic G’s really needed the extra support offered by underwire bras. This bra that I am talking about was launched earlier this year – and I am WEARING it even though I am no longer nursing – IT IS THAT GOOD! You can read my review of it from when I first discovered it. This bra sent from Heaven is the Smoothing Nursing Bra by Elomi. I don’t think I will ever stop wearing this bra! It goes from a 34-48 band and a DD to K cup. This bra is the best!! Another great bra for moms blessed with large bosoms is the Goddess Comfortzone Nursing Bra. It offers great support and lift without an underwire. I am always on the lookout for bras for well-endowed mamas – so as I find more – I will be sure to pass them along!

Pajamas: Every new mom wants a comfy pair of PJs to keep her feeling great when she just doesn’t want to get up and at ’em. And despite the bad-rap that La Leche League got on the Luscious Lactivist blog, they do have FANTASTIC pajamas for breastfeeding moms. The Wendy and Sandy PJ Sets are two of my best sellers. They are cut generously and look flattering on all body types – and they come in sizes from S through 3X. These PJ sets are amongst my best-selling items for plus-sized moms. And how about sexy PJs? This little Lace Chemise from Annee Matthew is to-die-for! I even had several moms write to me and thank me for carrying sexy lingerie for plus-sized moms.

Dresses: I have been so lucky to find a large selection of dresses for plus-sized moms. My favorites are the Carmen, Kate and Giselle Dresses from Annee Matthew. When I first started carrying the Annee Matthew line, she didn’t do any plus-sizes. But I convinced her that there was a need, and now every season she has great new items for the plus-sized mom! (You will see more below when I talk about tops!) I loved these items so much, that I even asked my good friend @AlainaFrederick to model them for me. You can see her in the photos on this page as well as in this previous post about plus-sized clothing for breastfeeding moms. My best selling plus-sized dress was the Bianca Maxi Dress – it sold like hot cakes in all sizes – but I think I may have sold more of this dress in 2X and 3X than in any other size. It is a spectacular dress that is unfortunately out-of-stock until Spring – but you can check it out and then come back in the Spring to see it for yourself!

Tops and Tanks: Again, I have scoured the globe to bring you only the best in plus-sized nursing tops and tanks. Annee Matthew tops my list with some great styles – my personal favorite is the 3/4 Sleeve Rouched Top in Bamboo – this tops feels like a million bucks! It is super soft, eco friendly and comes in sizes from S through 3X in three fabulous colors. For tanks, my favorite has got to be the Glamourmom Full-Bust Nursing Tank. I know, you hear glamourmom and you don’t think about plus-sized mamas – most of their tanks, while great, cater to smaller sized mamas. But when they came out with the Full-Bust Tank – they not only “got it right” they SURPASSED all expectations. This top is exclusively designed for moms with large busts and it is fantastic. I never thought I would be able to wear a tank without a bra, but this one really does the trick! Designed to fit sizes 32-48, D-J, this tank will be a pleasant surprise for any well-endowed mom.

There are many more items specifically designed with larger moms in mind – I have only highlighted a few here. If you are a plus-sized mom, tell us what your favorites are by leaving a comment on this post. If we don’t carry them already, we will be sure to add them to our repertoire of must-haves for plus-sized moms!

9 comments to Do ‘Plus Sized’ And ‘Mommy’ Go Hand-In-Hand?

  • This. I HATE almost all of my clothes as a plus sized nursing mother.

  • […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Judy Masucci, Judy Masucci, Judy Masucci, Bettina Forbes, Dinker & Giggles and others. Dinker & Giggles said: New from @MommyNews – Do ‘Plus Sized’ And ‘Mommy’ Go Hand-In-Hand? http://ht.ly/30aNI […]

  • Aw Slee, I would be happy to make some recommendations for you. Let me know if there is anything in particular you are looking for. — Judy

  • This is a great post. You will undoubtedly help many new moms feel much better about themselves. True beauty is on the inside … and moms literally glow!
    -Deb for Ouidad

  • Heather

    The problem is that the plus size stuff is so freaking expensive, it might as well not exist as far as I’m concerned. I’m a 38I and have been nursing for 4 years and just use a bra with an overlarge band so I can just pop out from under and back in. The bra store I went to to get fitted was horrified and said that’s terrible for the bra. Well, these bras have lasted 4 years and still look like they did 3 years ago, so… LOL, guess not.

    I often wonder what it would be like to wear nursing clothes, but at $48, I’ll never buy a nursing bra. Especially in nude or white–two colors I just will not wear :(

    As a plus sized mom who would never spend more than $20 on one item of clothing, I just wear totally normal clothes–with no problem.

    Although if I were ever going to get a nursing-specific accessory, it would be a nursing undershirt

    I want one, actually. You’d only need a couple and they’d go with anything instead of being just one piece of clothing. They’re really cool and do exactly the only thing that the under-the-shirt method doesn’t do perfectly: cover my tummy.

  • Hi Heather, You have a good point and I totally forgot to point out nursing undershirts! They are great because they can convert any shirt into a nursing shirt by covering what we all want covered – our tummies. Here are a few different types: a sleeveless undershirt that can be worn year-round for only $19 (sizes S-2X): http://www.mothersboutique.com/nuun.html. A long-sleeved version to help keep you warm in cooler weather for only $31 (sizes XS-3X): http://www.mothersboutique.com/undershirt.html

    And the tummy tamer version – which not only offers the ability to nurse with any shirt that you own, but also holds everything in a little bit too! http://www.mothersboutique.com/tanksalittle.html

    Thanks for reminding about these great accessories that any mom can afford! — Judy

  • Olivia

    I have to agree with Heather. If it’s over $30 I can’t afford it, and even that is a stretch. I wear size 22 and 42DDD, and I’ve just had to make do without nursing tops. For pajamas, I found nightshirts that button down the front. I did buy two bras, but they are not very supportive, so I turned to converting my own supportive bras into nursing bras with instructions I found online.

    The one area I had to spend money, was on maternity pants. I could only find them online and they were expensive. I really wish stores carried them so I could try them on and save on shipping.

  • Thanks for your comments Olivia.

    I totally understand the pricing issues. Unfortunately, with nursing clothing, you don’t get the economies of scale that large companies like Walmart and Kohls get – so the clothing does cost more – it also has more labor to make the nursing openings and make them fashionable. Most of the companies who manufacturer nursing clothing are run by moms who were frustrated with what was available and did something about it. I have worked hard to bring in great nursing tops for plus sized moms because I know how difficult they can be to find – but you are right, they are generally expensive. The best option for those on a budget are the undershirts which convert any top into a nursing top – they come in sleeveless ( http://www.mothersboutique.com/nuun.html0 and sleeved ( http://www.mothersboutique.com/undershirt.html) versions.

    Thanks again for your feedback.
    Judy

  • LOVE that rouched Annee Matthew top! Wish I were still in the early days of nursing, it’d be on my wishlist for sure. I’m finding that now that the “baby” is 18 months, she’s so big that she covers my tummy no problem. She also is more capable of waiting a little bit if I’m in a super awkward location, so that helps.

    I did have a few nursing tops, none I really loved though. What I did most of the time was to either wear the bella band and then pull my shirt up – tummy and back are covered that way similar to a nursing top. I also had a few maternity camisoles that were super lowcut, so I’d pull the cami down and my shirt up. Worked fine for those “drop everything and nurse” days during her first year. Thanks for sharing your finds!

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