Breastfeeding issues - part #2

So, breastfeeding is going just fine with Thomas (despite my choice of title for this post) - he eats like a champ and has since Day 1.

My issue is with nursing bras. (well, and breast pads, if you read the last post)

I have used the same 2 nursing bras through 3 children.  I bought them right before I had Maria.  I went into Motherhood, picked out 2 white bras - one with underwire and one without, tried them on to make sure they fit, and left.  The whole thing took about 15 minutes.  They fit great, were amazingly comfortable (two of the most comfortable bras that I have EVER owned, nursing or not), and lasted through 3 nursing babies.

Well, it's been 9 years since they were purchased, and yeah, they are rotting now.  Literally, rotting.  As in, there are holes in one of them.  So it was time to get some new ones.  No big deal, right?  Wrong.  Apparently, I got lucky the first time around.  Not so, this time.

I went back to Motherhood (since that's where I got lucky last time) and there were no white bras at all.  Just ugly beige ones and navy blue and black.  I don't like dark bras because they limit what you can where them with (unless you like the whole - "I'm a skank and I like my dark bra to show through my light shirt" look.  Personally, I'm not a fan).  And I don't like beige bras, either.  They look like old lady bras to me, and with garments underneath them, they show through light shirts like nobody's business.  I tried some on anyway, in case I couldn't find any anywhere else and they were...okay.  Not really that comfortable. And I feel like a bra (especially a nursing bra) should be really comfortable since you wear them all the time.  

The other weird thing about all the nursing bras at Motherhood now (and at every other store I tried)?  They ALL have padding.  Unless you are buying a sleeping bra or a sports bra, they all have padding.  Weird.  And not very comfortable to wear when you are nursing (too stiff for engorged boobs) and not easy to manipulate to make room for your baby when he/she is feeding (again, the stiffness of the pad is a problem). I mean yeah, they make your boobs look great, but they are really not very functional.  The stiff pad keeps folding back up in Thomas's face while he tries to eat - annoying.  Maybe this wouldn't be a problem if I had big huge knockers to hold the pad down (but of course if my boobs were bigger, then the pads would be bigger, too...), but we've already gone over this - my girls are small.

So, I decided to look elsewhere.  And do you know what I found?  If you do not have huge boobs, your options for nursing bras is severely limited.

I went to JCPenney -nothing in my size, and all the bras there were sleeping bras anyways (which look TERRIBLE, by the way).

I went to Target - nothing in my size.

I went to the outlet mall and checked out 4 different stores - nothing in my size, or sleeping bras only, or they didn't even sell nursing bras.  You've got to be kidding me.

I ordered some at Kohls.com - They ARE white, which is nice.  But I've tried them on and they don't fit so great with my new nursing pads (see the previous post for that story), and they are really not comfortable, just like the ones I tried on at Motherhood.  They are really tight around the ribcage (and if I go up a number size the cup is WAY too big) and just all over uncomfortable.  Oh, and they are padded (we've already discussed the problem with padding here - it just gets in the WAY!).

So I guess at this point my choices are either keep wearing the rotting ones that are super comfortable (but, um, kind of gross since they have holes in them) or wear really uncomfortable ones that don't fit OR function quite right.

Again - why do companies have to fix what's not broken?  Motherhood had great bras for nursing at one point.  And yeah, I'm sure that the ones I bought 9 years ago did not appeal to everyone, but why not make new ones in addition to the current version?  Did they really need to wipe them out completely and offer such limited options in their place?  Oh well - what ya gonna do?

The verdict?  Between the new bras and the new pads, I guess my boobs get to be uncomfortable and unattractive until I wean (yeah, and then they get to look even WORSE - because we all know what happens to our "ladies" we wean - so sad...)

Boo. 

Breastfeeding issues - part #1 / Am I the only one? #32

Am I the only one who HATES when a company changes a product that was wonderful just the way it was?

I've used Avent Breast pads for years - as in, since Maria was born.  I loved them and have never used any other brand since they are so nice.  The adhesive strip is sticky enough to stay in place, but not so sticky that it leaves a residue.  They are super absorbent and really soft (which means they are comfortable to wear), not at all crinkly like some are.  They are a good price.  I could buy a box of 100 for about $11 - not bad, right?

Anyhow, so I bought three boxes of them before Thomas was born because that's about how many I needed for the whole year of breastfeeding with my other kids.  Well, some how or another, I've burned through almost all three boxes already, and Thomas is just over 3 months old.  I have no idea how I did this - maybe I am leaking more, maybe I was changing them too often (meaning that I changed them when they were wet instead of waiting until they were saturated like I did in the past) - who knows.  So, I went out to buy some more the other day.

My first annoyance was that they changed the packaging - instead of getting 100 for $11, you now get 60 for $10 - um, ripoff, anyone?

My second annoyance was that they completely changed the thickness of the pad, and I hate them now.  They are about half the thickness.  I'm sure the company will tell you that they are just as absorbent, but I find that hard to believe.  This loss of thickness also means that I don't fit my nursing bras properly (yes, I have small boobs), which makes my boobs look um, not too great under shirts.   In addition, thinner pads get kind of crushed and smushed when you push them down to feed your baby.  When you go to put them back in place after a feeding, they are all mashed in weird ways and take some maneuvering to get back to the right shape in your bra.  With the thicker, sturdier version, they just fold right back up into place with no problem.

My third annoyance is the new contoured shape.  This is supposed to be nicer, to fit the breast better, but for those of us who are smaller busted (and again - I am in this crowd, BIG time, no pun intended), the contoured shape just leaves a gap between boob and pad - not good.  Feels weird and looks bad, and let's face it, we all want our boobs to look nice, right?  Don't lie - you do, too.

Oh, and after using trying them out - 2 weird things.  1- as they get wet with milk, whatever they use to make them absorbent turns into this gel-type stuff - very creepy, and reminds me of disposable diapers.  Yuck. 
2 - as they get more and more wet, they start to crumble.  They started to do this after not even 24 hours of wear.  It both looks AND feels gross.

So yeah, Avent used to be the only nursing pad that wasn't ultra thin and contoured shaped and cheaply made, and I loved that about them.  Apparently not everyone did, though, or they wouldn't have changed it, I guess.

Why did I have to go and use up all my pads so quick this time?  Dang it!!

Anyhow else out there have a product that they loved that was changed at some point and now they hate it?

Do share!