Nursing Product Review: Modest Middles

As long as I've been nursing my babies, I've had so much difficulty finding nursing tops that fit my unique shape.  I was very happy to have discovered Modest Middles - it's a nursing tank top (or nursing undershirt) that has a "U" shaped front that fits under your bra line to cover your back, sides, and tummy while you lift up the non-nursing shirt of your choice to nurse your baby!  

 So I recently contacted Amy Maschue (owner/designer/mom of 5/superwoman) about writing this blog review, and she was kind enough to send me a Modest Middle to try!  Amy - you are a genius for inventing Modest Middles, and on behalf of breastfeeding moms everywhere,

 thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!


(Please note that though Amy generously provided me with a Modest Middle to write this review, no amount of money (or free stuff) can buy my opinions, which are, of course, priceless.)

 Here's what I love about Modest Middles:

• I can wear whatever nursing bra and shirt I want - I'm no longer limited to nursing shirts!
• Because you don't have to buy a new nursing wardrobe, you save a ton of money!  
• The fabric is super soft, lightweight, and stays in place well - keeping your back, sides, and tummy completely covered - it doesn't "ride up."
• The straps are adjustable, so you can customize your fit.
• The tanks are slightly longer than regular shirts, to give you extra coverage.  You can tuck them in or leave them untucked for a layered look.
• Breastfeeding in a Modest Middle is SO EASY!!   I've had first-hand experience with wearing tank tops such as this one underneath my regular shirts.  The problem?  Aside from the awkward way the slit bunched up underneath my shirt, hungry babies do not like to wait patiently while you lift your shirt, unhook the tank's clasp, unhook your bra clasp, and then navigate your breast through that darn slit.  Modest Middles makes it as simple as lifting your shirt and unhooking your nursing bra!
• This is a great option for those brave women out there who are breastfeeding while pregnant!  I wish I would have known about Modest Middles a year ago when I was struggling to find nursing tops that could accommodate my growing belly!
• They're available in black, white, and nude - good staple colors to go with whatever you wear.  But Modest Middles will also be introducing grey and purple colors in June!!

Any Issues?

• Sizing - After reading the sizing guide, I requested a white, size large.  It seemed to fit great, but when I stretched it over my tummy/hip area, the fabric seemed to become transparent (so you could see my colored skirt through the tank).  So Amy sent me an XL, and it worked much better.  I guess having two kids back to back has left that area slightly larger (...okay, maybe a bit more than slightly)!  :o)
• Straps - Sometimes the straps tend to fall off my shoulders.  However, this is an easy fix that Amy's already addressed online.  If you secure your Modest Middle strap inside your nursing bra clasp, they will stay in place perfectly.

Pricing

About the price - I consider $29.99 expensive for an undershirt.  Yes, there are cheaper versions out there, and yes, I have tried some of them.  None of them come close to being as comfortable to wear and easy to use as Modest Middles - so considering how much use you'll get out of them, (not to mention the money you save by not having to buy a whole new wardrobe of nursing shirts), I think it's well worth the price.  One more thing - right now, you can buy two tanks for $53.99 (making them $26.99 each) or three tanks for $69.99 (making them $23.33 each)!

And as a special treat for just for YOU, my dear readers...

I absolutely love Modest Middles and would definitely recommend them to any breastfeeding momma!  Click here to visit the Modest Middles website, here to like them on Facebook, and here to follow them on Twitter!  


If anyone decides to try Modest Middles, please comment and let me know what you think!  I hope you love them as much as I do!!

Thoughts on Weaning, Tandem Nursing, and Grown-Up Food

Giving babies bites of grown-up food is like giving dogs scraps of table-food. Now whenever I eat, Isabelle won’t leave me alone until I share MY food with HER!


I started feeding Isabelle baby food sooner than I would have liked. For me, crazy pregnancy hormones were not only messing with my sensitive digestive system, but my milk supply as well. I was so worried that Isabelle wasn’t getting enough milk, so I supplemented her diet with YoBaby organic whole-milk yogurt, baby food, and goat’s milk.

Feeding her baby food certainly has its benefits. After seven months of exclusively breastfeeding, a new world of freedom was opened to us both – she was no longer dependent on me for food, and other people were able to give me a little break by feeding her. It was nice.  And, for the most part, she loves to eat food.

After a while, Isabelle was just nursing for comfort – just to go to sleep for her afternoon naps and at nighttime. But I wanted her to learn other ways of being comforted, because with little Lacey on her way, I knew I wouldn’t be able to nurse her all the time (like when I was in labor and we were staying overnight in the hospital).

For us, weaning was easy and effortless. I just brought her in the nursery and rocked her to sleep. She rooted around only a few times, but never cried. She was completely weaned in early October, about a month ago. And it was a good thing too, because my ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor) ended up putting me on antibiotics and steroids to get rid of my cough (which worked, by the way, my cough is almost gone).

It’ll be interesting to see what happens when Lacey comes in a few weeks. In a book that I’ve been reading, Adventures in Tandem Nursing, many mothers have shared stories about their weaned toddlers wanting to nurse again when they see the new baby nursing. I don’t know how I feel about this. On one hand, I’ve heard that it can be a wonderful bonding experience for us as a family. And I don’t think I’d mind nursing both of them when we’re at home. But when we’re out somewhere, like Mass, someone’s house, or shopping, I don’t want to have to struggle to nurse both of them.  It’s one of those things that I’ll have to wait and see how everything goes.  All I can do is try to be flexible and respond as best I can to my babies' needs. 

And I have to say, that Isabelle is so cute eating grown-up food.  She loves rice and gravy, and the other day when my parents came to visit, she ate the spaghetti I made!  And now whenever I eat something, she thinks she's entitled to some as well!  Annoying sometimes, but cute.  And good practice for eating what the rest of the family is eating, and not just "kid food."  That's what I want to try to teach my kids to do, lol.  I was a very picky eater (still am sometimes), so we'll see how that works out. 

Breastfeeding Etiquette

Dear Isabelle,
Momma has made you a list of guidelines for nursing.  I would appreciate it if you would take these into consideration, or Momma will wean you.

1. Do not bite. 
2. When we're in public, do not grab Momma's nursing cover and move your arms about.  Momma does not appreciate it when you try to flash everyone around her.   
3. I am aware that you like to look around when you hear the slightest noise, but it hurts Momma when you suddenly break your latch, so please "nurse gently," and refrain from doing so.   

Pregnancy Update

I haven't written too much about my pregnancy this time around for a couple of reasons.  I haven't been feeling well at all lately, and I don't think it would make for a very interesting blog if I got on here and whined about it every day.  Without going into details of my various sufferings (some of them are quite embarrassing and personal), I will say that it's been a rough pregnancy so far.  It's almost like the endless first trimester.  I'm still getting sick several times a week, and I'm constantly exhausted.