I was expecting to buy new clothes while I was pregnant. I tried to buy things that I could continue to wear postpartum, like flowy dresses and loose-fitting, non-maternity-specific pants. I’ve continued to wear a lot of my “maternity” wardrobe as planned!

However, I was not prepared to buy another, entirely new set of clothes for breastfeeding. I felt like I had done so much research – how to do it, potential roadblocks, lots of encouragement – but I had not given a lot of thought to the actual logistics of it. Sure, I bought nursing and pumping bras, but only because I liked the idea of them. They sounded like a thing I needed, so I got them. (This is parenting in a nutshell, by the way!)

I spent my first postpartum Black Friday shopping for any clothes that would make breastfeeding easier, with bonus points if I could continue to wear them after my breastfeeding journey concludes. I scrolled through pages and pages of zip up, clip down, easy pull, low cut, etc. outfits, and got quite a few that I am really happy with and will definitely continue wearing.

That said, I do miss wearing my non-breastfeeding-friendly outfits. My t-shirt dresses, my tighter and more rigid tops, my spaghetti straps… you really don’t understand what you had until it’s gone.

I made a lot of sacrifices during pregnancy – eating healthy, no alcohol, limited wardrobe – and was completely ready to have full control over my life again after baby was born. I was a fool!