Seriously, now, I am about to rant about nursing bras and their retail sale in Toronto and the GTA a little.
I do not often criticize other businesses, but I will here make an exception as I feel it is something of a public service.
If you are shopping at baby stores, department stores, maternity stores, and other stores in Toronto which are unreservedly flogging nursing bras and maternity bras without so much as removing them from the package for the customer, please read on.
These stores sell general baby accessories, and they imagine that a nursing bra is just another accessory in one-size-fits-all or three-sizes-fit-all-even-your-man-and-your-dog. They are very wrong (as you suspected I was going to say). And by the way, most of what they sell you do not need. But that is the stuff of another post.
I have seen too many ill-fitting nursing bras walking into my shop lately for nursingwear and I'm annoyed by the waste that they represent.
If someone tries to sell you a packaged nursing bra without AT LEAST checking the fit, do yourself a favour and walk out.
A nursing brassiere that fits you properly will make you look slimmer. Yes, it will! I do not lie. It will lift your bust away from your waistline and elongate your shape.
A nursing bra that has been nicely fitted will make your whole body feel better because you will be supported and will stand up straighter. Also true. Your back, breasts, neck, and legs will benefit from a good breastfeeding bra that is right for you.
A good breastfeeding bra that has been expertly fitted will lessen your chances of getting plugged ducts and the dreaded mastitis.
You will probably breastfeed for longer if you are happier with your nursing bra. This is somewhat anecdotal, but I'm willing to bet that it's a study in the making ;)
Buying a nursing bra (in a package or out of it) from someone who knows nothing of fitting will give you very, very low odds of having a proper fit. If you see baby formula, bras for non-nursing women, garden hoses, fishing rods, or microwave ovens for sale anywhere in the building, chances are they don't know much about breastfeeding there. Form your own opinions, of course.
You can check us out at http://evymama.ca/
If you live far away from us, or far from a proper nursing bra-fitting shop, please check out our nursing bra fitting guide. We are also very happy to help you over the phone at 416.913.0546.
Evymama Nursing & Maternity is Toronto's only breastfeeding specialty shop. We are card-carrying members of the La Leche League and give all that we can to that organization. The business owner (myself, Sarah Kaplan), the boutique's manager (Heidi) & assistant manager (Amanda) are all trained in lactation management by INFACT Canada. Three other people on staff (all but one) are doulas with formal training in maternal support and breastfeeding support. All this in addition to the fact that we have all successfully (not to say without some hurdles in some cases) breastfed our own children (and occasionally other peoples'...story for another post!) is where we come from when we say we are the last word in breastfeeding bras in Toronto, point final.
