Every woman’s experience with breastfeeding is unique. Even if you’ve done it before, a new baby and your breasts could behave completely differently the next time around. That’s why the best nursing bras have one thing in common: flexibility, in every sense of the word.
I tested more than two dozen nursing bras myself over the last year as a first-time mother, first while nursing, and later while exclusively pumping. More recently, I organized a panel of five other nursing moms to test out the favorites for two weeks for this story. After reviewing all feedback and data, I determined that Bodily’s The Do Anything Bra is easily the best nursing bra overall, thanks to its streamlined, convenient and feminine design; highly adjustable, secure band and straps; and butter-soft fabric. The Auden Women’s Nursing Seamless Bra is my pick for best value nursing bra, because it met all the criteria, and the panelists raved about its performance even though it costs half as much as the competition.
The best nursing bras feel soft on the skin but are supportive too.
We found additional nursing bras we liked during the course of testing, too. Some work better for some moms over others. For example, the Cosabella Never Say Never Maternity Mommie Nursing Bralette fits those with larger breasts better and the Cake Maternity Cotton Candy Maternity And Nursing Bra is ideal to wear during the hazy newborn weeks when your milk is still coming in and regulating.
What I found overall is that the best bras for nursing and pumping feel soft, supportive and breathable, and yet they won’t stretch out and sag by the end of the day. The band and straps are simple to adjust and feel secure, and the nursing clips and openings for pumping are easy to use. The design gives you good coverage without underwire or constricting your breasts’ sensitive tissue or feeling depressingly utilitarian. Nursing bras can be pretty and, believe it or not, mood-lifting. (After reading this article, you may want to shop the best nursing clothes and the best breast pumps. The best nursing pillows can provide additional support, too.)
The following is a list of all the best nursing bra winners from my recent testing:
- Best Nursing Bra Overall: Bodily The Do Anything Bra
- Best Value Nursing Bra: Auden Women’s Nursing Seamless Bra
- Best Nursing Bra For Pumping: Kindred Bravely Sublime Hands-Free Pumping And Nursing Bra
- Best Nursing Bra For Large Breasts: Cosabella Never Say Never Maternity Mommie Nursing Bralette
- Best Nursing Bra For Newborn Months: Cake Maternity Cotton Candy Maternity And Nursing Bra
This Bodily Do Anything bra was my personal favorite, and our testers of every size loved it, too, selecting it as the one they’d recommend to a friend regardless of price. It’s unique for its lightweight design that lets you nurse and pump. Most other pumping bras have multiple layers of fabric to hold the pump flanges in place, which can make them feel hot, thick and uncomfortable. Bodily’s Do Anything Bra holds flanges in place securely with a single layer.
The Best, Most Comfortable Fabric And Design
That fabric is perhaps the best thing about this Bodily bra. It’s unlike that of any other I tried: silky, smooth and, as one tester said, “like butter.” Another called it “very silky and soft” and her “favorite material of all of them.” The texture and pastel colors make it feel feminine and pretty but not overly so.
The strap material is noteworthy, too; it’s a thick, soft material that’s textured like grosgrain ribbon to really hold the metal adjuster sliders, which are located conveniently on the front of the straps, in place. When you need to tighten them to pump, it’s really easy to do. You can also unhook the straps in the back to configure them racerback-style for extra support. The band is silky and stretchy, and it stays put. The cushioned back closure has five rows of hooks, so you can adjust it as your breast size changes.
Our testers agreed the sturdy nursing clips unfasten easily with one hand. They reveal a large interior sling made of the same silky material that cups the entire side of your breast.
Testers preferred the feel of Bodily's silk-like fabric compared to other nursing bras. ... [+]
A Few Downsides
One thing you should know about this bra—and any bra on the market that’s designed to support pumping, whether or not the manufacturer says so—is that you may not be able to wear it 24/7 right when you come home from the hospital. The company recommends wearing the Do Anything Bra loosely to start, especially when you’re not pumping; if you find that you’re prone to engorgement or clogs, it’s recommended not to wear it all day until you’ve been breastfeeding for at least 6 months.
The other shortcoming our testers pointed out is that the pleated design that camouflages the pockets for the pump flanges can make the bra’s texture visible through your clothing. I thought the design looked pretty and didn’t mind the texture; I preferred having a one-layer bra to a smoother-looking multilayer bra, such as the Kindred Bravely Sublime Hands-Free Pumping and Nursing Bra (for a padded option) or the Hatch Essential Nursing and Pumping Bra (for a non-padded option). Another tester loved how the Bodily bra looked “sexy and sleek” and called it “definitely the prettiest pumping bra.”
If you pump using a wearable device, you may want more stretch and compression. The times I tried using a Willow or Elvie breast pump with this bra, it felt a little bit loose even after I adjusted it to fit tightly.
Some of our testers wished this bra had a little padding for extra modesty and support, too, the way the top bra picks from Auden, Cosabella and Kindred Bravely do. One option is to wear it with Bodily’s nonslip breast pads, which our testers loved.
(Read my in-depth review of The Do Anything Bra here.)
The 2024 Forbes Vetted Best Product Awards are here: Explore our 150 top-recommended items across categories after extensive research and testing.
All the moms who raved about this $17 Target bra to me were right—it’s a winner. It may not feel as luxuriously soft or special as the Bodily bra, but it’s shockingly well designed for the price tag and comes in a range of soft colors. If you like padding, you might even prefer this bra. Its fabric is “smooth and breathable,” said one tester. Another said she “loved that it was seamless, and you can easily wear it with a T-shirt.”
An Ideal T-Shirt Bra
The band is flexible and has a padded closure with six rows of hooks for adjustability. The straps are thick and sturdy, with adjuster sliders on the front and nursing clips that are easy to undo with one hand. The lactation consultant tester pointed out that you can also use the straps to hold pump flanges in—a hack that turns it into a multipurpose pumping bra. The sling inside the cup is a medium size that’s similar to the Bodily bra, just not as silky.
One of the testers who exclusively nurses absolutely raved about the Auden bra. “I love this bra and can’t believe it’s from Target (and I love Target),” she wrote. “It’s one of the best nursing bras out there, and far more accessible than most. Padding is incredible, and it’s sewn in, which is incredible that it doesn’t move around after a feeding or in the wash.” She also loved how it didn’t stretch or sag no matter what. “Easily adjustable in all the senses, does not stretch out throughout the day,” she continued. “Just as snug after each feeding, and when I take it off at the end of the night, it’s as it was when I first put it on in the morning.”
The only downsides are that the polyester cup padding could be uncomfortable to some parents who have sensitive skin or nipples. Some of the testers found it to be a little rigid and unwieldy to fold down. Testers didn’t find cleaning it difficult thanks to its nylon and spandex blend material. This bra air-dried quickly. I do want to point out that the care label on the bra advises cold hand-washing and line drying while online directions say that machine washing is OK.
(Read my in-depth review of the Auden Women’s Nursing Seamless Bra here.)
Kimmay Caldwell, an undergarment educator and bra coach at Hurray Kimmay, and many of the pumping moms I queried, recommended Kindred Bravely for moms who combo feed (a.k.a. pump and breastfeed) or exclusively pump, because it’s so supportive that it makes pumping truly hands-free for parents of a wide range of body and bust sizes.
An Extra Supportive, Adjustable Fit
Why is this Kindred Bravely bra so great for pumping? It has a unique double-clip design that makes it extra supportive. You unclip one layer to pump with traditional flanges: The smooth front layer folds down to reveal a stretchy inner layer, with an opening that holds the flange firmly in place. You can also simply loosen the straps to slip a wearable pump inside and onto your breast. I found that the two layers of stretchy cup material held a wearable pump in place well; the straps, which are thick and textured with a pretty floral pattern for extra grip, give a helpful assist. The pumping testers praised its versatility and adjustability. A lactation consultant tester said it’s “very adjustable for a perfect size.”
The company’s Busty and Super Busty fits accommodate people who may have trouble finding a cup and band combination that works for them, plus this one comes with a band extender that gives you up to eight rows of hooks for a truly flexible fit. The sling is narrower than that of the best overall and best value picks, but because the band is wider, all of the testers felt quite supported. The padded cups give you a smooth, separated (non-uniboob) look while being gentle on your breast tissue.
Not The Most Breathable Pick
My main gripe about this bra is that I initially tested it in the summer and found it to be too hot. Although the fabric is designed to be moisture wicking, two layers of it felt sweltering. Maybe it was the weather; maybe it was my hormones. Another combo feeding tester agreed with me. She found the material to be “nice and stretchy but not breathable.”
If you mostly nurse, you may not want to have to undo two clips to give your baby access. The double-layer design is unnecessarily bulky for parents who mostly nurse, in the testers’ opinion.
It also may be too bulky and constrictive for you if you have very sensitive breasts, like I do. See my notes below on the Larken X bra if you need a lightweight hands-free pumping bra with less support and don’t mind less adjustability.
You may think “bralettes” when you think of Cosabella, which makes sense since the brand specializes in making lacy ones for all sizes. Caldwell told me about the company’s maternity and nursing line: “Cute bralettes,” she said. “The Curvy and Ultra Curvy lines are great.” She could not be more right. This lacy bra surprised me with the testers’ enthusiasm for it. It’s much more hardworking than it looks, and it’s especially great for women who have large breasts, thanks to the extended sizing lines that Caldwell mentioned. And it’s so pretty you may want to continue wearing it after you’re done nursing.
Deceptively Soft And Lightweight
The material of the Never Say Never Maternity Mommie Nursing Bralette is deceptively comfy thanks to the cotton-blend lining of the sewn-in cups and slings. That makes it feel softer and more breathable than bras with cheaper linings made of synthetic materials. One of the testers wrote: “This bra was surprisingly comfortable, so much so that I even slept in it.”
I chose this bra as the best nursing bra for large breasts, because of how much everyone loved its unique design and its expanded sizing. Cosabella makes this bra in its Extended line, for women who need larger band and cup sizes, and its Curvy line, for women who need a small band and large cup size. Unlike many other bras that are great for large breasts (like the Kindred Bravely pick), it’s lightweight and does not feel bulky. The sweetheart neckline gives you ample coverage, and the thick straps feel sturdy.
“It offers good support, especially for a sexier bra,” wrote one of the testers. “I feel special wearing it, almost like a regular sexy bra,” wrote another who wanted a bit more neckline coverage but loved the overall look.
I do wish it had adjuster sliders on the front rather than the back, to make tightening and loosening the cups easier. The pull-on style isn’t ideal for everyone either, since it’s not adjustable and may be especially inconvenient for new parents healing from a C-section.
Caldwell and lactation consultant Gina Signorelli both recommended this Australian nursing bra brand. The Cotton Candy bra is one of its most popular bras, designed to be soft and flexible enough for immediate postpartum use.
An exclusively nursing panelist with a 4-month-old praised this Cake Maternity bra as “hands down the best.” She continued: “I love this bra! It is so incredibly comfortable, so secure, so soft. I didn’t know a nursing bra like this existed.” She loved how easy it was to adjust and how supportive it was: “It could honestly double as a sports bra,” she said. Another said she loved “the fit and support—it would be great for workouts.”
Extra Comfortable, Soft And Secure
The fabric is super soft, smooth and breathable, with knitted panels that hold and separate your breasts. You avoid the dreaded uniboob, yet it feels so lightweight that one of the testers “forgot she was wearing a bra.”
The band is gentle and adjustable, with three hook-and-eye closure rows (although not as adjustable as some of the other nursing bras here); the straps are extra sturdy, thanks to the racerback design. The testers agreed the nursing clips were easy to undo with one hand.
Panelists also reported that this bra washed nicely and came out looking brand-new. There’s no padding to come out (though the material is thick enough to be smoothing) or get wadded up in the process, either. That’s ultimately what made me prefer this bra to the similar Bravado Designs style, described below. The ease of that compared with hand-washing and line drying makes it especially nice for the early days when you’re getting the hang of nursing.
The only thing I’d change about this bra is the slider adjusters. I wish they were in the front instead of the back so that it would be easier to adjust the fit while you’re wearing it.
Other Nursing Bras I Tested
The panel testers tried nine nursing bras in total. These were the top contenders after my research and previous testing experience in the category, including interviews. For example, I eliminated all wire bras from the contenders’ list after being warned off of them by every expert I interviewed. I also eliminated other bras that I had already found uncomfortable or generally useless during the course of personal feeding and testing. The five nursing bras above won out from among the dozens I’ve tried on. These four below weren’t as crowd-pleasing for the panel, but they may be worth looking at to see if they align with your particular nursing needs. Here’s why:
Hatch The Everyday Nursing Bra: The majority of testers thought this demi-style bra did not offer sufficient coverage or support, particularly for fuller busts. I’m a smaller size and personally loved it for its smooth, soft Pima cotton, delicate lace trim, sweet mother-of-pearl heart charm and elevated gold-tone clasps. If I have another child and nurse, I’ll be happy to pull this bra back out. I even wish Hatch made a non-maternity version.
The Larken X Bra: Testers wanted more support, structure and adjustability than this bra offers. “I felt ‘fast and loose,’” said one. However, two of us agreed it makes pumping very easy. If you’re struggling with clogs and mastitis, like me, it could be a great fit. In the end, it was the only bra that didn’t enrage my sensitive breasts.
Motherhood Seamless Maternity And Nursing Bra: This bra met all of the top criteria for a nursing bra, which is why I tested it. But the testers thought it stretched out during the day and was more difficult to clip and unclip than other contenders. It costs more than the best value pick yet did not score as high.
Bravado Designs Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra: Caldwell recommended this brand, and testers found it to be a functional, comfortable, breathable basic option. None liked how the cup padding came out in the wash, although it may be a good option for you if you don’t like fixed padding.
How I Tested The Best Nursing Bras
Finding the best nursing bra became an obsession for me in my fourth trimester. I personally tried more than 20. I read practically every review on the internet, and I ordered and returned tons of nursing and pumping bras, making countless trips to UPS in between feedings. I also had several brands generously send me samples to try.
When I started working on this guide, I knew I couldn’t choose the best nursing bra based solely on my personal experience, so I recruited a panel of five other new moms from a Facebook group for moms of babies born in 2022 in my New Jersey suburb to try the contenders. Some exclusively nursed, some exclusively pumped and some did a combination. One is a neonatal and pediatric dietitian and lactation consultant. (Mine! Love her.) Our babies ranged in age from 6 weeks to 9 months, and several had a second or third older child as well. Our sizes spanned from XS to XXL, with three of us in the tricky-to-fit small band/large cup category. Take it from me: If you’ve never been in this category before, you just might find yourself in it while you’re nursing.
We tested the nine best nursing bra finalists the same way: We wore each one for an amount of time that was comfortable, since this differs for every person. While wearing it, we gave it a score from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) for each of the following criteria:
Comfort: Does the fabric feel nice? Is it breathable and moisture wicking? Is the padding good or annoying?
Fit: Is it flexible and easy to adjust?
Design: Is it supportive enough (in spite of not having underwire)? Do the nursing clips come undone easily with one hand? Are the straps easy to loosen and tighten with one hand? Does the band stay put and not ride up, and how adjustable is it? Does it give you the amount of coverage you want in the cups, neckline and over the nipples? Do you like how it looks?
Finally, we laundered each according to its care label to be sure the process wasn’t too annoying or labor-intensive and to see how the fabric held up.
The best nursing bras were the softest and gentlest to wear while offering the right amount of ... [+]
How To Pick The Best Nursing Bra
No new mom has time to buy and return a dozen nursing bras. (Trust me, I did it, and even Amazon returns took more time and energy than I had to deal with them.) At this point, I know more about nursing bras than any one person who doesn’t make nursing bras for a living should. Read on: I’m sharing everything I’ve learned with you. To pick a great nursing bra, first consider your lifestyle, bust size and budget. That will help you narrow the field and shop wisely. Once you start shopping, check out the bras’ material composition, design and washing instructions.
Your Lifestyle
People who decide to breastfeed are nursing all the time in the beginning—like, every 2 hours (sometimes more). You might not even want to wear a bra. (More on that in a minute.) Going braless might be more comfortable and convenient, or you might prefer a camisole with or without a shelf bra and nursing clips. If you do want to wear a bra, it should be soft and flexible, and you should be able to adjust it to fit comfortably knowing that your breast size may fluctuate a lot.
“The bra should not be very tight, and no underwires also, at the beginning especially,” says Maya Bolman, a postpartum nurse and international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) who worked in the postpartum and lactation departments at Cleveland Clinic’s Hillcrest Hospital for 26 years and is now at Breastfeeding Medicine of Northeast Ohio. “The breast is a gland. It’s fat tissue with the ductal system, the lymphatic system, blood vessels. Everything in the first days after you experience engorgement is basically swelling. I call it a traffic jam inside the breast. Everything’s stuck; nothing is going in the right direction. If you put on something very restrictive, you’re going to make it worse.”
After 3 months or so, you, your babe and your boobs may be getting into the swing of things. That’s when a more supportive bra may be helpful. If you’re heading back to work at this point, you may want a bra for pumping. The kind of bra you want if you work at home may be different from what you want if you work in an office in terms of coverage and modesty, too.
Your Bust Size
You really can’t know what size your nursing boobs will be until they’re there. You could have been an A or B cup all your life and suddenly feel like Dolly Parton. If you want to buy a nursing bra in advance to be prepared, you can make an educated guess. When you’re 30 weeks to 8 months pregnant, take your measurement as per usual, then add one cup size and one band size, says maternal health expert and lactation counselor Jada Shapiro, founder of Boober, an online platform where parents can find lactation consultants and doulas. “Of course,” she adds, “when the milk comes in, some people will grow another cup size or two, which is why stretchy material is so important for the early days of nursing. After the milk fully comes in, it begins to regulate over the next few weeks and months. You may see your breast size go down a bit.”
Her advice? “Buy a few bras ahead of time that are comfortable and stretchy, and then when your baby is a couple months old, you can do a new round of shopping once you know more about what your body looks and feels like and what your needs are.”
If you have a smaller bust, you can opt for demi-style cups, lighter materials and thin, dainty straps without worrying about feeling sufficiently supported.
If you have a larger bust, you may want to look for styles with fuller-coverage cups, thicker straps and racerback straps. Some styles also have a hook in the back to let you convert to a racerback style for more support when you need it. Cake Maternity founder Tracey Montford recommends looking for more inner slings for added support, a higher center-front design for more coverage, a wider back band and three to four rows of hooks and eyes; you may also want a soft, flexible wired cup to give you shape, support and separation.
If you have a smaller band size and larger cup size, know that some companies such as Cosabella and Kindred Bravely offer special sizing for you.
Finally, expect that you likely will need different sizes of nursing bras while you’re breastfeeding. “Your bust size can change with 5 pounds of weight change,” says Kristyn Polin, bra fitter and customer service supervisor at Bare Necessities. “As you breastfeed, you may lose weight.” She recommends getting measured or at least measuring yourself once a month, and advises: “Don’t buy 10 bras in one size, because it’ll change.”
Your Budget
I found great quality nursing bras in the $15 to $85 range, so there should be one to fit your budget. Another sustainable and even more affordable option is to join a Facebook group for moms in your area. Moms often pass along gear they’ve outgrown for free or discounted, including nursing bras, breast pumps and more.
Nursing Bra Materials
You want fabric that’ll help you feel comfortable when you’re anything but. “The best materials are soft, lightweight, stretchy, moisture wicking and easy to use with one hand,” says Shapiro.
Breathable yet moisture wicking is a tricky needle to thread. Some moisture-wicking materials can feel like bad workout leggings: hot and stuffy. On the other hand, the most breathable organic cotton can feel rigid, heavy and saggy. You want something in between. Pima cotton is a good choice; the top two nursing bras in this guide are made of a blend of nylon and elastane or spandex.
Padding material also varies from bra to bra. You may want padding that helps support your breasts, conceals your nipples and helps guard against leaks. You may find that padding feels too compressive. You may want padding you can take in and out depending on how you feel. Most of the testers preferred fixed padding, because it doesn’t shift and bunch when you unclip your bra to nurse or when you machine wash it.
Nursing Bra Design
The important elements of the bra design you want to take a closer look at are the band, the hook-and-eye closure, the straps, the nursing clips, the slings and the cups. After a few weeks or months, you may want to consider underwire.
The Band
As with any bra, the band should be doing the heavy lifting, not the straps. “Eighty-five percent of the support comes from the band,” says Polin. “The right band takes pressure off your shoulders.” So it’s most important to get the band size right. You want the band to fit snugly on the loosest hook and eye (to give you room to tighten it as it stretches out) and the center gore (a.k.a. the connecting piece between the cups), if there is one, to tack against your breastbone. You should just be able to stick your finger under the band. It shouldn’t dig into your back or slide up onto your breast tissue; it should stay flat on your rib cage. Many nursing bras have a wider band to help it stay in place. Ones that are ideal for sensitive breasts have more of a long-line look to avoid compressing the tissue; I personally liked the Tajinebanane x Cache Coeur I’m Enough Brassière as a high-quality and fun long-line option.
The Hook-And-Eye Closure
A nursing bra band’s closure should ideally have more hook-and-eye rows than your regular bra. That way, you can let it out when your breasts need more room. It will also let you tighten it more when it starts to stretch out. (You will be laundering this bra a lot, so it stretching out is pretty unavoidable.) The more rows, the more flexible the fit. I also tried pull-on styles, including a pull-on style with a hook-and-eye closure. They can be comfortable, but they’re not as adjustable.
The Straps
The best nursing bras have adjuster sliders on the front, where you can reach them easily, instead of on the back, the way a regular bra does. That way, you can lengthen and shorten the straps to give your breasts more space or to better support a pump flange when you need to without having to get undressed. Ideally, the strap material is a bit grippy or textured to hold the adjuster sliders securely in place.
If you need more support, you may want thicker straps or a racerback and cross-back style. Some standard bras have straps that can crisscross or hook together at the back so you can wear it as a cross-back as well.
The Nursing Clips
On the front where the straps connect to the cup, many nursing bras have a clip on each side. They allow you to fold down the fabric of the cup and let your boob out to feed your baby. (The other option is a pull-down style, but I didn’t include any of those bras in this testing.) The clip should feel sturdy and easy to undo with one hand. It’s ideal if it’s made of a more durable material and not flimsy plastic; if it breaks, your nursing bra will be toast. Some nursing bras have a gold or metallic clip for a pretty and subtly luxurious touch.
The Sling
When the cup is unclipped, your bra will stay on thanks to a sling that cups your breast and attaches the strap to the band. There are several different sling styles: “None, string, soft side or full,” says Caldwell. “This really comes down to coverage choice, and some parents like more skin-to-skin contact, while others like the sling to protect their skin and point the bust forward for baby.” If you have a larger bust, you may want a bra with a more supportive sling built in.
The Cups
Well-designed, supportive cups help you avoid that uniboob look. Look for a “good design that allows for lift and separation of the breasts,” says Cake Maternity’s Tracey Montford. As with regular bras, nursing bras can achieve this with full coverage or demi- or triangle-style coverage. If you have a smaller bust, you may like the look of a demi bra. For those who have a larger bust, a demi-style bra may not provide enough support.
Underwire
If you typically wear an underwire bra, you may be anxious to get back into one. Underwire nursing bras do exist; I do like the ThirdLove 24/7 Classic Nursing Bra. However, know that experts advise waiting at least until your postpartum checkup to do so. “Wearing any bra that is too tight or pressing too hard into the breast tissue can lead to mastitis or clogged ducts,” says Shapiro. “It is usually best to wait out the first six-week breast size fluctuation period before moving into an underwire bra.” Then, be sure the underwire presses only onto your rib cage and not onto your breast tissue.
Nursing Bra Care
Like any lingerie, nursing bras range from machine-wash and dry to hand-wash and line dry. If you’re only buying a few bras, you may not want to have to wait for them to line dry to be ready to wear again. Take a close look at the label or care instructions online.
My Expertise
I’ve worked as a writer and editor for my entire decade-plus career, and women’s health is one of my primary areas of interest. I worked as the health and wellness editor at O, The Oprah Magazine and Martha Stewart Living, where I reported on topics ranging from heart disease and meditation to the keto diet and, yes, maternal health. I’ve covered the same topics as a reporter for those and many more publications, including Elle, Allure, JustBobbi and The Strategist.
I became a mom myself in May 2022. My daughter and I got off to a bumpy start feeding-wise, thanks to her tongue-tie and my inexperience, and I focused my research-inclined brain on improving our technique. We made friends with our lactation consultant, the wonderful Signorelli, who joined the panel of moms who helped test nursing bras for this story. In spite of all our hard work, I ended up exclusively pumping, and like many moms I’ve talked to, I have mixed feelings about it. At times, it felt like if I could just find the right bra or the right nursing top, everything would fall into place. Pumping would be less heinous. My boobs and hands wouldn’t hurt so much. I’d feel more like a human woman and less like a robot cow, and therefore be more pleasant to hang out with. I know breastfeeding is easier for some moms, but it’s not easy for anybody. That’s why I became so passionate about the topic.
To research this story, I spoke with maternal health expert and lactation counselor Shapiro, founder of Boober, an online platform where parents can find lactation consultants and doulas; Amanda Glenn, certified lactation consultant and founder of Exclusive Pumping (an excellent resource for my fellow EPs); and Bolman, a postpartum nurse and international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) who worked in the postpartum and lactation departments at Cleveland Clinic’s Hillcrest Hospital for 26 years and is now at Breastfeeding Medicine of Northeast Ohio. Bolman’s Therapeutic Breast Massage in Lactation (TBML) technique is what eventually saved me from my chronic clogged ducts. (If searching for help with clogged ducts brought you here, please watch Bolman’s videos.) I also reached out to expert bra fitters: Kristyn Polin, customer service supervisor at Bare Necessities; Kimmay Caldwell, an undergarment educator and bra coach at Hurray Kimmay; and Cake Maternity founder Tracey Montford, who started her Australian company after she couldn’t find a nursing bra that worked for her.
