6 months felt SO FAR AWAY when we were going through all of our early nursing issues. But now, nursing is easy breezy and so, so wonderful. I love it and am thanking my past self for persevering. YOU GO, girl!
To celebrate 6 months of breastfeeding my big boy, I signed up for a mama treat. :)
A few weeks ago, a fellow nursing mama sent me a link to Mama's MilkBox, and I was instantly interested. It's basically Stitch Fix, but for nursing moms. Of course, it's not exactly like Stitch Fix. There are definitely a few differences in how they run things. But the overall idea is the same. You fill out a style profile, a stylist picks out several items for you, they ship them to your home, you try them on, keep what you like, send back what you don't.
Some of the bigger differences include . . .
Your first box is a mega-box. They send you several items (I got 9!) to bulk up your breastfeeding wardrobe.
After that, you receive a regular sized box (3-5 items) every 6 weeks until you decide to cancel. Canceling is easy and can be done at any time. Stitch Fix, on the other hand, always sends 5 items and you can pick how often you get a box.
There's no discount for buying all the items, which I interpret as . . . they don't mark up the cost of the items to account for a possible discount. :)
It costs $39 to purchase a box, but that $39 goes toward any items you purchase. If you send all your items back, the $39 will apply to your next box. Stitch Fix is only $20, but if you send all your items back, you lose that $20 forever.
With Mama's, you have to pay the shipping cost to send the items back, which is around $8. Stitch Fix covers the cost of shipping both ways.
You can't gain referral credits by getting friends to sign up, which again I interpret as . . . they don't mark up the cost of the items to account for referral discounts.
Since Mama's MilkBox is sending nursing friendly items, they only send tops and dresses. Who ever heard of nursing friendly pants, amiright?
AND since the company is a lot smaller than Stitch Fix, I've already found that they're much better at taking my suggestions and sending specific items I ask for. Both Stitch Fix and Mama's MilkBox have Instagram accounts where they post items they sell. Stitch Fix has never once sent me an item I liked, or commented on, or pinned to my fashion Pinterest board. On the other hand, Mama's MilkBox sent me probably 5 items that I commented on or pinned. That's some top-notch service right there, folks.
Curious to see what they sent?
Can you spot what makes them nursing friendly? :)
I've already worn one of them out and about, and let me tell you, nursing-friendly tops and dresses make breastfeeding soooo much easier! I mean, we were doing just fine with me wearing normal tops and just pulling them up to access the milky makers. But these items made just for nursing mamas make it easier to keep nursing more discrete in public. AND I can finally wear dresses again! Most of my old dress wardrobe just doesn't work anymore, since nursing in them means basically taking them completely off to get up to the girls. Not a problem at all with nursing-friendly dresses. Woohoo!
And some of them even double as maternity clothing! God-willing, there'll be another pregnancy in my future, so I can add these gems to my maternity stash as well.
Alright. Let's do a quick piece-by-piece review and I'll show ya how they work.
Mothers En Vogue - $89
This dress is what made me fall in love with Mama's MilkBox. I commented on their Instagram pic of this one and said, "Signing up now and would LOVE this dress." They heard me loud and clear. Actually, I like this one so much, I'm wearing it as I type. I wore it yesterday too. I nursed in public at John Paul's well-check appointment this morning and it was so easy! There are little hidden zippers near my underarm that zip down for nursing. Love it! Plus, it has these over-sized pockets on the sides which fit my cellphone perfectly. A mother's dream! KEPT.
Mama's MilkBox - $49
It seems like Mama's MilkBox has their own brand! I love the simplicity of this top. The navy blue color is one of my faves. There's a panel on the front that lifts up for easy nursing. So cool! And it'll be a great piece for the fall, especially with a thick cardigan over top. KEPT.
Dote - $89
I definitely pinned this dress on Pinterest. :) Thanks for getting the memo, Mama's MilkBox! This one works similarly to the one above, where there's a panel on the front that lifts for easy nursing. It's super cute in general, but I just wasn't feeling it once I tried it on. Also, you can't tell from the picture above, but space was kind of limited for the girls in this one. Too tight in the bust. Plus, I think the pale pink doesn't really work with my skin tone. Oh well! RETURNED.
Boob - $89
Another one that I pinned and love the look of! And another panel top. But the fit wasn't working for me. Overall, it's too baggy and probably a little too long. The color combo and polka dots have me swooning though. Sigh. RETURNED.
Milk Nursingwear - $45
Actually, I pinned this one too! You probably can't make it out in the picture, but it has a lovely lace detail up top. And I love the length of the sleeves. But it felt just a bit baggy on me. And I'm starting to think I don't like dresses made of the jersey knit material, unless they're really something special. Otherwise, they all start to seem like the same ol' dress to me. RETURNED.
Bun Maternity - $39
You can't tell from the picture, but this top has snaps up on the shoulder that make the straps of the shirt easy to pull down for nursing. Actually, each side has two shoulder straps, so even while you're pulling one down to nurse, the other stays up, making nursing super discrete.This tank top would be a great piece for layering, and I love the stripes! But it was wayyyy too tight around my bust and too small overall. RETURNED.
Another jersey knit dress that makes me go, "meh." RETURNED.
A plain, teal top with a lacey v-neck and a panel style for nursing. Again, "meh." It would be great for layering and is a lovely staple piece, but I was kinda bored by it. Also, I wasn't digging the lace detail on this one. RETURNED.
Loyal Hana - $79
I pinned this top on my Pinterest board too because . . . SWOON! Isn't it lovely? I would have never imagined such a fun, fashion-forward nursing-friendly top! At first I wasn't sure since it's a little baggy, but I'm thinking the bagginess totally works with this look. For nursing, there are little zippers hiding near my underarms that zip down the v-shape on the front of the shirt. Sneaky, right? And a huge bonus with this one is that John Paul has some red and black flannel pants that match it perfectly. Mom and baby in matching outfits? Super win! KEPT.
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And there you have it! Nursing fashion for the win!
I have to say, I'm pumped to get my next Mama's MilkBox in 6 weeks. Sorry, Stitch Fix, but you're on hold for a while.
Unrelated to this, I also backed a nursing dress kickstarter a few months ago, so I'll be adding those to my nursing wardrobe soon too. :)
You probably noticed that nursing friendly clothes are kinda pricey. Eek! I wasn't exactly expecting that. But I'll probably just keep one or two pieces from each box in the future, and that'll keep things a little more affordable overall.
Now, if someone could point me in the direction of some nursing bras that hold up the girls as high as my favorite non-nursing bras do ... well, that would be a HOME RUN!
I was going to ask if you can select a range of price like with SF. It will be awhile until I'm nursing again but I love this idea! The prices make me think I should start saving now, though. :)
ReplyDeleteI think you could definitely tell them what your price range is when you first sign up and they'd try their best to adhere to that. I read somewhere that their shirts range from $40-$90 and dress from $50-$100, or something like that. So in general, it's just outright pricey. But if you keep only one or two items each time and, like you said, start saving now, I think it's totally worth it. Plus, every one of the items was high quality, so you're paying for a better-made item than what you'd typically buy at, say, Target. I think, overall, it's worth it. Let me know if you use them someday! I'd love to see what you get. :)
DeleteOne of the worst parts of shopping right after Kate was born was the impossibility of finding dresses I could nurse in! And we were invited to over 6 weddings in the 12 weeks after she was born (fault of summer babies, for sure). I had multiple hormone/sleepiness induced tear fests about it. This is SUCH a great idea and I am definitely bookmarking it if/when baby #2 happens!
ReplyDeleteYES! Dresses are SO HARD. And I was pretty happy with my dress wardrobe before John Paul came along, so it was just a little sad to say goodbye to some of my faves for a while. Totally worth it, but I guess it just wasn't something that crossed my mind before getting pregnant, so it sorta hit my by surprise. Derrr. 6 weddings in 12 weeks?!? Holy smokes! I don't blame you for the tear fests. I hope you get to order a box at some point!! If you do, you better post pics!
DeleteWOW! This is like a dream come true! Trying to find a dress for JM's baptism was the most impossible task. Congrats on making it 6 months!! Isn't it crazy how it becomes so easy? People told me it would, but I just didn't believe it!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, dream come true! I feel ya on the baptism dress front. I wore one that buttoned up the front, but no joke, my boobs were busting out the top. Eek! Congrats to you as well on 6 months! It's so hard to believe that it's going to get busy when you first start out because the learning curve is so freakin' steep! Thank goodness sleep deprivation makes it easy to forget all the struggles because I'm crazy enough to want to do it all over again now. :P
Delete*busy = better
DeleteI think I'm getting better at this (or figuring out your style?) because I picked all the ones you would keep and send back except one item this time before I looked at the answers. The only one I was wrong about was the black/pink dress. It looked great on you, so it's sad it didn't fit. I don't think the pink was bad at all on you! Glad you found some clothes to liven up your wardrobe. Sounds like an awesome service. Also, so strange that StitchFix would ignore all your comments/pinning, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! You picked out all my favorites instantly?? Serious skill. :) Or maybe I'm becoming predictable? I think not because no one figured it out on fb. Very strange about Stitch Fix. I think they're too big to keep track of all that now. But they do specifically ask for a link to your pinterest fashion board so they can get a sense for your style from there. And to be honest, the stuff they sent never quite matched it. Oh well! I still mostly liked my experience with them. Thanks for playing along. :)
DeleteSoma bras are my go to non nursing and they make a decent nursing bra as well. I have been mostly wearing nursing tanks from Glamourmom. They make a full bust nursing tank. :) I get them on Amazon with free shipping both ways. Then you can wear any shirt you can pull up and your belly is still covered.
ReplyDeleteSoma!!! I didn't even think of that. I'm going to have to look into Glamourmom too. I tried a nursing tank from bravado and it didn't fit quite right, so I (prematurely) gave up on nursing tanks all together. I *do* like how they cover the belly, though. Just like all these new nursing tops I just got. :) Thanks for the suggestions!
DeleteYou are adorable, and WAY TO GO...6 months is HUGE mama, congratulations!!!! Knew you would make it!!!! Nursing is a serious J-O-B but when it's over, you miss it terribly (at least I do!). And good thinking with the nursing items...I may or may not have had to unzip a dress at a rehearsal dinner and nurse in a coat closet at a restaurant. Or maybe that was a dream. Hmm nope, that happened. So good to catch up with you here! Keep on keepin' on!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, girl!! So happy nursing worked out for you as well. <3 Unzipping the dress to nurse, eek!! That's dedication. Oh, the things we do for our babies. :)
DeleteAside from the cost, this concept is awesome! I'll be sharing with friends so maybe the company will really take off. But ultimately I wish they were selling things in the more affordable range for real-life mamas!
ReplyDeleteI agree! Eek! The cost is not so great. They just started running an instagram account with discounted tops and dresses, so maybe check that out? I'm following and am hoping to pick up some more affordable pieces that way. :) It's @mmblastcall.
DeleteMerry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI liked the purple dress on you, just sayin'. But wear what you love.
I'm a 36H and I just, after 7 years of near-continuous nursing, found a bra that holds me where I wanna be. It's called the Croissant, by Cake Lingerie. When I first got it, it was very stiff and a bit scratchy and though I loved how it looked, I thought I could never wear it. I stuck with it for a couple of wears and washed it several times, and it's totally comfortable now. It's a pretty beefy bra, my husband makes fun of it and calls it a suspension bridge. I love it and will buy another one when it wears out, and I can't say that for any other nursing bra I've tried. It beats the famed Bravado bra...my "Original" is getting all stretched out and stringy after 6 months-and that's only wearing it a few times a week.
Ohhhh! Great recommendation. :) :) Thank you! Totally going to purchase! I'll be sure to wash and wear it a few times before I judge it. ;)
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