Who said breastfeeding mums can't look stylish? This is a
question I asked myself after becoming a mum back in
- At that time breastfeeding 'fashion' generally
consisted of clothes which were more geared towards
women in their 50s or 60's than in their 20s and 30s.
Either that or they were geared towards pregnant mums,
despite the fact that when you're breastfeeding you tend
to no longer have a massive baby bump!
Breastfeeding can be challenging enough with sore
nipples, leaky boobs, the baby not latching properly etc,
but a lack of breastfeeding friendly clothing can also
make it even more of a struggle. You can't just stick on
your pre-baby clothes as you now need to be able to wear
something which allows you to easily whip your boobs
out, whenever and wherever!
For me though, it wasn't just about functionality, it was
also about fashion and feeling like the old 'me', I wanted
to be able to wear clothes which I had worn before I had a
baby. I was 29 when I became a mum and, although I
certainly wouldn’t say I was uber stylish, I did like to dress
in a way which made me feel trendy and still young (ish!).
But when it came to finding trendy breastfeeding
clothing, it was a challenge. So after having my first
daughter, I resorted to using a breastfeeding apron. It was
a bit of a faff to put it on (especially with a hungry,
screaming baby) and I did look like I was wearing a giant
tent but it did the job. After my second daughter was born
though, she refused to be covered with anything,
including a muslin, so the breastfeeding apron was out
the window!!
So I started searching for breastfeeding friendly
clothing but felt so disappointed by what was out
there as they all tended to be quite frumpy and old
fashioned, or else had obvious flaps. I'm very much
a T-shirt and jeans kind of girl and when I couldn't
find a breastfeeding T-shirt I could feed in I decided
to design my own. So I designed the Milky Tee
which looks like a standard T-shirt but has hidden
zips at each side which allow mums to breastfeed or
express, easily and discreetly. Due to the zips being
concealed to look like seams, with the zip handles
sitting just under the armpit, the T-shirts look like a
standard T-shirt and can be worn even after you
finish breastfeeding. Initially the design was just for
me to use but I soon realised lots of other mums
could get use out of it too - and so The Milky Tee
Company was born.On the Doorstep caught up with the brilliant Lauren, Managing Director of the Milky Tee
Company, to find out more behind this stylish Kent based company. Mums you need this one!
Page 43