This review was performed by DDL Contributor Kristen.

I was given the opportunity to review a hat made by lcraftanddesign on Etsy.  I discovered her store on Etsy because a while ago I reviewed a hat by MoBoleez, which was made for helping the breastfeeding mom to nurse discreetly by having the baby wear the hat and the brim is so wide that it covers everything.  It quickly became my favorite method of discreetly nursing in public.  The only problem was that my baby kept growing, and then the hat no longer fit her head.  I was in the market for a summer hat for my baby anyway (we spend our days at the beach, the pool and the park) and I figured if I found one with a really wide brim, it could serve a double purpose.

I found what I was looking for at lcraftanddesign’s Etsy store. The hats she sells through her store have such adorable designs that I had a hard time choosing!  I finally chose the “Crazy Daisy” patterned sun hat.  When I received the hat, I could tell that it was well made, in addition to being adorable!  One of the things I liked about it was that it has ties on it to help keep it on my 6 month olds head.  She isn’t too good about getting hats off yet but I know it’s in the near future and there’s always the wind to contend with when outside so the ties help to keep the hat securely on her head. They also help to make me feel secure that when I use it for nursing, I can reliably know that it won’t fall off her head and randomly expose what is going on underneath there!

Compared to the MoBoleez Nursing hat, this one did have a smaller diameter brim, although it was wider than pretty much any other sun hat I have encountered, so while it works well for nursing, it would be even nicer if it was a tad bit wider to make me feel even more comfortable.  The brim itself was pretty floppy, which has advantages and disadvantages.  I loved it because it shaped well to cover things when I nursed, but when she wore it as a hat, it often flopped into her face.  Easily remedied by having her add the snaps to the hat to hold the brim up.  As I stated I love that it ties, but I almost wish it had a hook and loop closure instead of ties. (snap closure available upon request) The reason for this is that I often nurse while I am wearing my baby in either a ring sling or soft structured carrier, and it’s really hard for me to tie it on her head while wearing her (if she isn’t already wearing it).  It would be easier to plop on her head and fasten a hook and loop closure instead.  However, when I’m not wearing her, it isn’t an issue and the ties actually look really cute and are also nice because no matter what size head your kid has, you can tie it as tight or loose as needed.

All in all, I really love this hat for all the purposes mentioned above.  It’s a fabulous sun hat at a reasonable price and I think it’s great to support people on Etsy.  I get so many compliments on the hat and pattern and she sells many different cute patterns in her store so there are a lot to choose from.  For breastfeeding purposes, I do kind of wish the brim were a tad wider (maybe another inch or two in diameter?), but as it is, it still works great for the purposes of discreet nursing, which is a bonus in my book!

If you’d like you can find lcraftanddesign on Facebook!

For the month of August, DDL readers can save 20% on lcraftanddesign’s hats with code: DDL20.

Kristen received a Wide Brimmed Sunhat free of charge for the purposes of this review.  All opinions expressed are genuine and 100% her own.

Today marks the first day of “World Breastfeeding Week” which lasts August 1-7.  Their theme this year is “10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.”

I have written a lot about breastfeeding since I started this blog.  It is something I am passionate about.  This week my featured posts will be some of my older breastfeeding posts.  My newest posts will still show up underneath so don’t forget to look for those!

Even though I am not currently breastfeeding I can still advocate!  Besides, I will be nursing again in 10 weeks or so.

The news has been dismal lately.  Every single day I see a new attack on breastfeeding. I haven’t addressed any so far because there have been plenty of other bloggers out there doing it for me.  Today was my breaking point.

Attacking breastfeeding suddenly became the thing to do.  Perhaps the attention that Kim Kardashian received for her tweet regarding nursing in public as “gross” made another “celebrity” think this was her chance to grab the spotlight for a moment.

Img: Hollywood Grind

But because this “celebrity” is Adrianne Curry (I use celebrity in quotes for a reason) she has to go further than the word gross.  In fact, if you go through her tweets she compares breastfeeding to “pooping, peeing’ masturbating, and cunnilingus”  She goes on to say “But to each their own”  This qualifier doesn’t make what was said acceptable.  That is like saying “I don’t like *insert ethnicity here*, but to each their own.”

She admitted she would get blasted for it on Twitter.  And she got some comments, though due to her caliber of followers, most cheered her on and added their own graphic metaphors for what breastfeeding in public is like.

Adrianne also admits that she was not breastfed and was told by some doctor she can’t breastfeed because she has implants. Second opinion?  Because most mothers with implants have gone on to successfully nurse their babies, including Kendra Wilkinson.

Obviously society failed Adrianne, who has had zero exposure to breastfeeding in her life.  And her persona is based upon her appearance.  Her life is wrapped up in looking good and having nice tits.  If her audience saw her nursing her baby they might not associate those breasts with sexy so much as they see them for their intended purpose.

A part of me understands how some women like Adrianne, and the author of the hotly debated article “I Formula Fed.  So What?’” have come to the conclusion that breastfeeding is “creepy.”  I myself, as a teen’ swore I would never breastfeed because these knockers were for entertainment purposes only.  Becoming an adult changed my mind.  I realized that is what they are there for.  I grew up.  I didn’t need an ad campaign to show me breastfeeding is normal. But some people do and I am grateful for groups like Best for Babes because they will change things for the better.

I am still at a loss how a mother like Kathryn Blundell can still deny the maternal instinct to breastfeed.  Even those who choose to formula for work/ supply/ etc issues usually try, and will admit breastfeeding is the thing they should do if they could.  Adrianne, on the other hand, has not yet experienced motherhood or the way it can change you.  While there is no excuse for blasting breastfeeding, especially in such a vile and public way, we can only hope she will change her mind one day and that her opinion doesn’t rub off on the impressionable youth.

I’d love to hear your thoughts!  Have you always wanted to breastfeed?  Did you ever think it was “gross?”  What changed your mind?

Photo Credit: Flickr, AFP PHOTO/PHILIPPE DESMAZES

This article was recently brought to my attention, however it appears that it is 4 years old.  Since the first publishing Rabbi Shmuley has since apologized.  I address that at the end of my response.  No matter how old the article is it is still alive and kicking on the internet and doing damage to new and expecting mothers, perpetuating “booby traps.“

Recently I read the article by Rabbi Shmuley titled “Moms, Don’t Forget to feed Your Marriages” which may as well have been titled “Moms, Screw Nature, Use a Bottle and Give your Husband a Blow Job.”

While I agree being a Mom sometimes makes being a Wife a chore, I think most husbands (good ones that is) will concede that taking care of your child is the priority.  This includes breastfeeding them for as long as the mother and child wish.  In the article, 11 months is thought to be too long!  11 months is a great acheivement, but not all mothers wish to stop there.  As much as my husband would have liked having me back 100% and our bed, he knew how much breastfeeding meant to my son and I.  Plus, he didn’t have to wake in the middle of the night to feed him.  PLUS, any time my son was cranky, I had these magic things that instantly shut him up.

Even if you take breastfeeding out of the parenting equation, marriage still isn’t easy.  Raising a child is a 24/7 obligation.  One that leaves little time for romance and sexy time.  Showering is a chore for most moms if they stay at home.  Then there is the constant house cleaning, dish washing, butt wiping, tamtrum handling, and toddler wrestling.  By bed time most days I just want to veg on the couch and eat ice cream, with or without my hubby.  He is also tired from his day job and night time toddlering that he appreciates the quiet time by playing video games.  These things make us happy, but don’t necessarily equal a candle lit dinner.

In truth, we have been trying to prioritize our marriage by going out alone at least once a month.  Somehow this keeps getting put on the back burner.  We have to find a sitter and arrange somewhere to go.

I am not even breastfeeding anymore!  But our lives are less than sexy sometimes.  The Rabbi wants to see happy, in love couples.  And breastfeeding supposedly makes that impossible.  Really?  Because even while nursing my husband and I took time to hug, to kiss, to cuddle, to say “I Love You” in front of our son, or not.  Being in love doesn’t mean having sex like you are teenagers.  Any married couple knows sex in college and sex after kids are not the same.  Being in love means loving each other even without the crazy drunk pre-kids sex.

Saying breastfeeding turns your husband off may or may not be true.  But that shouldn’t even matter.  I personally got to a point where I wanted my breasts to be left alone by everyone.  I assure you though, my husband never lost interest in them.  And my husband saw me give birth as well, and he still loves me!  He didn’t get “all up in that” but he saw things.  More things than I saw.  Yet we still managed to make another human baby, and I was breastfeeding then too!

Regarding nursing in public, the Rabbi has it all wrong there too.  Some men let their wives run around half naked for the world to see.  To each their own.  But when a mother has the top half of her breast exposed (or not even) this is considered indecent or overexposure?  This will extinguish the spark?!?!  Rabbi, do you know men?  Men get turned on by waking up in the morning.  I think they can deal with their wives feeding their own children on a park bench without a blanket over their heads.  You know what this made me think of?  This reminded me of conservative Muslim women who have to wear burkas in public and only their husbands can see their bodies, any of it.

Articles like this do a disservice to potential mothers.  Women who love their husband and want nothing more than to have a relationship with them even after the baby comes.  Will they choose to formula feed for fear of losing an intimate relationship with their husbands?  Maybe.  Is that necessary?  No.  Plenty of women breastfeed their children for 1, 2, even 3 or more years and still have a loving relationship with their husbands.  And plenty of women formula feed and don’t.  And Vice Versa.  I can’t say there aren’t men who fit this article.  But those men suck.  If your husband can’t be adult enough to get over breastfeeding, you don’t need him.

*** After I wrote this, but before publishing it, someone posted a follow-up by Rabbi Shmuley since he received quite the backlash from his writing.  The article orginally appeared 4 years ago and looks to have been recently republished on Beliefnet.com.  His response can be read on his website. Still, even after apologizing and back pedaling, the damage was done.  Not only to his reputation, but to potential influential readers of his old article.  His first article comes off as misogynistic which he acknowledges.  I understand the point he is trying to make, which is valid, but he did it all wrong. Still, I find the apology a small step compared to the weight and tone of the first article.

While pregnant with my son Fletcher, I had a dream.  In this dream I was in my glider rocking my newborn baby boy.  He was in my arms, beautiful, wrinkly, sweet, and perfect in every way.  And, I was nursing him.  It was the most wonderful dream…. we seemed so happy and breastfeeding was natural for us.  I woke up excited about this particular aspect of having my son and the idea of being everything to him.  His life source before and after birth.

It seems like only yesterday I had that dream.  Today marks 7 days without nursing my son.  He weaned when he was 18 months and 5 days.

I knew it was over when I was rocking him in the glider before bed.  He had not nursed the night before so I was trying to not offer it again thinking maybe he was done.  He was crying and very upset; he didn’t want to go to bed.  I caved and offered him “milkies.”  Instead of happily agreeing he shook his head “no.”  Cue the mommy waterworks.  As much as I wanted him to be finished knowing he really was done broke my heart.  In theory, having him wean would make my life much easier.  Once I hit my second trimester my nipples became extremely sensitive.  There were many times I cried while he nursed.  He never bit me, but he does have a mouth full of teeth and one tight latch makes for a very painful experience.  Reality was a lot harder to cope with.  Realizing that I would never again bond with him in that way.  He was really done…

Our nursing journey began on a rocky road.  Latch trouble, very painful and bleeding nipples, nipple shields, lactation consultant visits, and marathon nursing sessions on the couch followed by cold gel packs and lanolin cream.

By 3 months I finally had it figured out, including the all important side lying position which transitioned us into a cosleeping family.

By 6 months I was nursing in public comfortably and proudly.

By a year I was ecstatic that we made it and was ready to go where the wind blew us.

Then I got pregnant and had to decide whether we should try weaning or tandem nursing.  At that point he was nursing on demand many times a day.  I decided to limit our sessions to a few a day.  This took about 2 weeks for him to stop signing for milk unless it was time for a nap or night time.  To get him to that point I used distractions when he would come up for a nibble.  I would offer a cup of milk or play with him, read, anything to distract him from boredom nursing.

A few weeks ago I nixed the first of the morning feeding.  This was a sad one.  I loved laying in bed with him in the morning and nursing him while cuddling.  However, out of the three a day, this was the only one I could get rid of.  He nursed to sleep for his nap and bedtime.

Then away went the nap nursing session.  I rocked him to sleep without nursing him which was a gradual transition.

I felt sure I would be nursing him to sleep every night, however.  We tried having Daddy rock him to sleep but even if he did get him asleep he could never get him into bed without him waking up.  So he would come to me them want to nurse.

Then we went to visit our family in North Carolina.  We had some major sleep issues at first.  Me and my husband took turns trying to get him down.  Some days he fell asleep very late and many hours after his “night” nursing session.  Then, he dropped it.  Suddenly he was fine with me simply rocking him to sleep.  He didn’t ask and I didn’t offer.  When I did offer, he refused.  I believe this was mostly due to a drop in supply.  There was nothing to get so why try, he decided.

I won’t call it baby led weaning because I consciously pared down feedings over a few months time.  I tried to make it as painless as possible for both of us.  In the beginning when we transitioned from 6-8 to 3 a day, occasionally when he asked and cried I would give in.  I knew he loved it and so did I.  But as a busy toddler he has quickly forgotten the days of constant nursing.  He has signed for milk once or twice but he also uses it as a synonym to “sleep.”  He knows the milk is gone.  I already had a low supply from being pregnant.  The last time he nursed it was for a few seconds.  He got the comfort then allowed me to rock him to sleep.

I know I did what was right.  Even though I would have gone longer, having 19 weeks of not nursing is good for everyone.  I dreaded nursing him due to the pain, and I know he could sense that.  I resented having to nurse him to sleep while being in pain while my husband watched TV.  This break gives me time to rest my nipples and mentally prepare for nursing a newborn again.  I’m really not sure how I would have coped with nursing my toddler to sleep on top of nursing a brand new little one.

Now I am already excited about getting to nurse my next little boy.  I hope my experience will make the first few weeks more relaxing for me and the new baby.  I look forward to watching my toddler grow and become a little person while I get to nourish a new little life.  Only time will tell if my son will become jealous of the new nursling or if he will have forgotten that that was our thing.  I am so proud that we had a happy, healthy, and joy filled 18 months of breastfeeding.  I am also proud of the transition we have made.  It wasn’t easy but it was worth it.

When I think back to the many, many times I have nursed in public I notice there is probably a reason no one ever uttered a word to me about it:  I looked like I was doing what I should be.

Most new mothers fear nursing in public more than anything else.  I did also.  I feared showing too much skin, I feared having people confront me, and I feared making others uncomfortable.  I covered myself with a nursing cover and was constantly checking on the baby to see that he was breathing and eating.  It was the least natural experience.  I tried to schedule all of my outings to be right after he nursed, or I would top him off before we left.  No outing was more than 2 hours since I had to be home to feed him again.  It was miserable.  My husband was also paranoid about nursing in public.  He was watch as I did it and if the cover slipped, he would position it back, even if it was my should that was visible.

Eventually I learned that using a cover wasn’t for us.  My baby hated it, and it was a pain.  I started dressing in layers or wearing nursing tops. I would sometimes use a blanket to cover while I latched my baby because that was the one chance someone had to get a nipple shot.

At the time by son was 5 or 6 months we were nursing in public pros.  By the time he was a year I had nursed all over.  Caves, planes, restaurants, parks, amusement parks, public functions, a duck boat, a paddle boat, etc…

Not once did a person tell me to cover up.  Never did someone roll their eyes at me and “tisk tisk” at the obscene act I was committing.  I was always, always prepared with my witty comebacks if someone asked me to put a blanket over my head or feed my baby in the bathroom.  At times I would have an entire dialogue running, playing out the way I was going to make those people wish they had never confronted me.  I almost wished someone would say something, just once, so I got a chance to use all of my comebacks I had been storing up for months!  Fortunately, no one did.

I nursed in public for about 15 months until we weaned down enough to only nurse at home at night or for naps.  But why didn’t anyone ever say anything to me?  You read all of the time about women asked to leave restaurants and public buildings because they were nursing.  And it isn’t geography.  I have nursed in my own town plenty, but in other places.  Rural and urban.  Salisbury NC and Las Vegas NV. I have nursed in front of all classes, the uppers and the lowers and in between.  Certainly someone should have said something.  Maybe they wanted to…

I am a firm believer that confidence was the key to my success at nursing in public.  I was stealthy, I learned how to get my baby latched and in position to keep the key parts away from public view.  I never looked around nervously to see if anyone was watching, or skulked to a corner to feed my baby.  In the company of friends I may have turned around to latch my son and returned, but not always.  I looked like I was doing what I was supposed to be.  There was never a doubt.  I was feeding my son the way it was intended.  He needed to eat.  I had the food.  How else was I supposed to feed him?

When I hear of nursing mothers who are so afraid to nurse in public they pack formula for trips or pump milk in advance, I get sad.  I want to tell them all that they can do it!  They too can nurse in the public eye without fear.  And you know, if someone comes and says something to them, they can rip that person a new one.  Not only is it the LAW that women can nurse their children in public, but it is the baby’s right to eat.  In some states, there are even laws protecting mothers against persecution from obscenity laws or public nudity laws (NY State does) so if something is seen, it is still under the umbrella of breastfeeding, therefore it is not “nudity” or “obscene.”

I always urge women to educate themselves on their rights to be prepared.  But if you look like you are feeding your baby in the most natural way possible, I have a feeling those naysayers might not want to pick a fight.

This review was written and performed by Kristen, DDL Contributor.

I was given the opportunity to review the Hygeia EnJoye personal breast pump.  I had never heard of the brand before, and had previously used Medela products or manual pumps.  I was excited to try it and was certainly not disappointed.

Anyone who breastfeeds or pumps knows that looking at, listening or thinking of your baby helps with let down.  Hygeia took this knowledge and applied it to their breast pumps by creating a CARE (Custom Audio Record Button) button, allowing you to record your baby crying an play it back, which among other neat features, is pretty brilliant in my opinion.

I was pretty intrigued with the opportunity to review this breast pump for many reasons.  One big reason is that this company designed their breast pumps to be “green”.  All parts that come in contact with breastmilk are BPA and DEHP-free and are one of the few pumps that are FDA approved to be safe for multi-users.  This means that you can re-sell or recycle the pump (send it back to Hygeia…address located on back of pump).  Many people do buy used pumps and I was one of those people…and I even used the pumps, until I learned that they aren’t really meant to be multi-user pumps.  So the Hygeia already was on my good side, because if you aren’t supposed to re-sell or re-use other pumps, where do they go??  Landfills??  That’s a lot of wasted pumps, so the idea that you can share this pump hygienically is pretty awesome (as long as you have your own Personal Accessory Set).

Why Hygeia Breast Pumps? It’s Simple…

• Risk – Free, 21 day return/exchange policy - Our Total compatibility Guarantee
• Clearance as Multi-user breast pump. Safe to share using a new Personal Accessory Kit
• Green Company, with recyclable breastpumps to protect the environment
• 3 year limited warranty, the best in the industry
• Unique C.A.R.E. button lets mom record/play baby’s cry or other sound, proven to help with letdown
• BPA/DEHP Free – all pump/kit parts that come in contact with breastmilk are safe for baby
• WHO Code Compliant supporting mothers and babies throughout the world.

So…all that wonderful stuff aside, how did the pump perform?  Well, I was able to try out the Hygeia EnJoye Dual Electric Professional Grade Breast Pump.  It was very small and came with a discreet drawstring bag to keep the pump and all supplies in.  It’s pretty simple and modern looking and was very easy to use.  There are two knobs, one to adjust the speed and another to adjust the strength of pumping.  This allows you to be able to mimic the different sucking patterns of your baby, which allows for optimum milk collection.  There is also the record and play buttons, where you can record your baby crying in order to help stimulate let down.  They do have a pre-programmed baby crying in there, which my 1.5 year old discovered by pressing the button and it scared the crap out of her!  Haha.  She was okay with it though once I recorded her sister crying instead.

When I was using the pump, I was pretty pleased with the overall feel of the pump.  I was able to easily adjust the speed and strength, and even at the highest settings, didn’t feel like my nipples were about to be ripped off, which has happened with previous pumps I have used.  The pump itself with really quiet and had a pretty consistent sound to it, which helped to make it more discreet.  One of the best features for moms who pump at work is that this pump has an internal battery.  This pump would have been my savior when I had my first daughter because I had nowhere to pump at work that was near an outlet.  If I had this pump then, I would have been able to pump in a bathroom stall (not ideal but hey, it would have been private and would have yielded the end result of pumped milk for my baby).  This is also great if you want or need to pump in your car (maybe even while driving if you are using a hands free pumping bra??), or if you go camping or even if your electricity goes out and for some reason you need to pump.  There are probably a million situations that I could think of where an internal battery would come in handy.

So anyway, with the aid of my recorded crying baby and the easily adjustable settings, I was able to get a lot of milk, and fast.  I have mentioned in other pump reviews that I have been able to use many different pumps and I can easily say that this pump is the best electric pump I have ever used.  I honestly don’t even know if I can think of any suggestions to make the pump better.  I guess maybe the bag it comes in could be cuter?  But seriously, I would recommend this pump to anyone who plans to pump, whether it be sporadically or regularly, over any other brand of pump out there.  Overall, I can’t think of any better pump to use, both because of it’s “green” rating and also because it just works so darn well.

Kristen was sent a Hygeia Pump to review, free of charge.  All opinions expressed are the writer’s and were not influenced by the company.

I have always understood that when babies nurse they compress the milk out, and don’t actually “suck” like it would.

Looks like we may all be wrong!

Watch this video of an ultrasound showing a baby nursing. The full article can be found at New Scientist.

What do you think about this new information? Will this help lactation consultants better help mothers who have trouble with their babies breastfeeding? Or, will the possibility of a test for babies without a strong enough suction give doctors more power to tell mothers to give up?

Let me first say that I love breastfeeding.  And I love that I have been able to nurse my son for 17 months now.  I never thought we would make it this far.  I was happy to see six months, then a year.  Then a few months after he turned one I found out I was expecting.  It wasn’t a shock; we weren’t trying but we weren’t preventing either.  I didn’t even have my first post partum period until 5 days after my son’s first birthday.  With extra long cycles I had only had two before I took that test.  I feel very fortunate that we were able to get pregnant while I was breastfeeding at all!  I do not take my fertility for granted one bit because I know others who struggle.

After the idea of being pregnant settled into my brain it hit me: my son is still nursing like a fiend.  I knew weaning wasn’t an immediate option, though not out of the realm of possibility.  I had already hit my earliest set goal of one year.  I understood making it to two years is what is recommended and I fully expected to reach it.  When I found out I was pregnant my son was nursing on demand 3-8 times a day and sometimes at night.  He had reached a stage where he was mobile and would walk over to me and lift my shirt.  If I were bra-less (usually this was normal early in the morning before I had a shower) he had free access to “milkies.”

Frankly, this wasn’t my style.  I was happy to nurse him but being treated like a buffet, and not as gently as one would like, was wearing on me.  Also, the fact that he would paw at my shirt in public wasn’t my style.  I did (and do if needed) nurse in public and will never shy away from that.  However, I didn’t want this behavior to continue.

I finally decided I had to take it back a notch.  No longer was my son going to saunter over and latch on forcefully with his 8 little teeth, then hear a tune and rip away to dance, then hook back on when finished.  I decided to restrict his nursing to certain times: Mornings (my favorite!), naps, and night time.  Also, if ever there was a need for comforting, I would nurse then as well.  This turned out to be a challenge.  He has gotten very used to walking up to me and reaching for them, or signing for “milk.”  It was very hard to see him sign for me, and I caved many times.  My tactic was to distract him when he was bored and just wanted milkies.  I would either offer him a sippy cup of milk, or play with him, or cuddle him.  In 1-2 weeks he had gotten used to the new routine and all was well.  Since most of our nursing coincides with going to sleep (I nurse him to sleep for naps and nights still ,mostly) he now signs for milk when he is tired too!

That has been going on for a few months now.  I had originally intended on paring him down slowly until he is weaned.  My son has other plans.  He would actually wake up once a night every day that I had only nursed him twice.  He demanded his third feed come hell or high water.  Eventually that changed, mostly because he started sleeping in our bed again!  Oy!

So what am I to do? I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that I am likely going to be tandem nursing.  Ask me 2 years ago if I thought I would be nursing a toddler and a newborn and I would have asked if that was even possible, then maybe laughed at you.  Now I know that many mothers have done it.  I will be buying and reading “Adventures in Tandem Nursing” soon.  Is this how I want to go?  Frankly, no.  I would also like my son to fall asleep without nursing.  This is the big stumbling block.  He sleeps a few hours in his big boy bed, then walks to our room where he either nurses and falls back asleep, or just cuddles and falls asleep.

What would you do in my shoes?  Push the weaning?   Or accept that he loves to nurse and prepare for double duty?

***Update.  Since I wrote this a few days ago we have dropped the morning and afternoon feeding, but he still nurses 1-3 times at night!  I might not have to tandem afterall, but nights are going to be hard to get rid of.  Any ideas?

After reviewing a few of Bravado’s nursing bras, I was wondering if they could get any better.  I had great experiences with all of them.  Then the new Bravado Bliss came in my mailbox.  I can’t say it was love at first sight because I was doubtful it would fit.  it looked larger than my other bras and thought I was either sent the wrong size, or I would need a smaller one in this bra.

Turns out I am just not used to seeing a molded cup Bravado Bra.  I tried it on and it fit like a dream!  While the Bliss is not as “sexy” and lacy as the Sublime or Allure, it is practical for under t shirts.  The lines and cups are silky smooth and leave no bra imprints under your shirt.  I tend to wear plain cotton t shirts a lot so this was a wonderful addition to my nursing wardrobe.

In fact, I chose a jersey, low cut dress for Easter.  I wore the Bliss underneath and not only did my boobs look way too hot for Easter thanks to the cleavage, but you couldn’t see any bra lines underneath the dress.  Once again, I wonder how I ever lived without it.

Comfort wise, this bra fits perfectly.  No digging straps or digging in the back, and the cups are fully supportive.  Like I said, it isn’t like sexy lingerie but that doesn’t matter because you need the full support bras in your life too, not just the pretty ones!

I would actually say that if one were to purchase any of the Bravado bras I have reviewed so far as a staple of their wardrobe, it would be Bliss.  It is functional, comfortable, and still prettier than most other nursing bras out there.  You can wear it under almost anything!

More about Bliss:

The Bliss Nursing Bra provides elegant shape and exceptional fit for everyday use with Bravado’s proprietary Flexi-Fit^TM support channel. Featuring smooth, seamless and molded foam cups for discretion and comfort, a low neckline, and a luxurious satiny finish, Bliss disappears under clothing so all they see is your beautiful silhouette, and all you feel is blissfully comfortable and totally fabulous!

Features

•	An innovative firm, but flexible under-breast Flexi-FitTM support system that offers remarkable shape and lift, while maintaing comfort and good breast health.
•	Foam cups that are also seamless, offering discretion to hide nipples and breast pads, as well as having a seamless appearance under even fitted clothing.
•	Satiny fabric that clothing just glides over, a delicate center front detail, and embroidered straps that offer subtle, yet stunning design elements.
•	Gentle stretch in the cups to grow and contract with your changing shape, while maintaining support.
•	Easy nursing features, including cups that drop fully and easily away from the breast for skin-to-skin contact with baby, and signature Bravado B-clips that lie flat under clothing and provide one-handed access.

Bravado is going to give one very lucky DDL reader a Bliss Nursing Bra.

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Bravado and tell me which color of the Bliss you prefer. Leave a comment.

For extra entries do any or all of the following.  Leave a comment for each you do.

Follow @KimRosas on twitter and tweet this giveaway. Please tweet, “Treat yourself with Bravado Bliss, seamless nursing bra.  Enter to win from @KimRosas. http://etdsy.th8.us #breastfeeding Ends 5/10″ Leave a comment with a link to your status.

You can tweet once a day for the duration of the contest. Leave a comment with your status for each tweet.

Follow @Bravadodesigns on Twitter. Leave a comment.

Subscribe to my blog via email through feedburner. Leave a comment.

Follow me through Google Friend Connect or via a reader. Leave a comment.

Grab my button and post it on your blog. Leave a comment.

Blog about this giveaway and link to the review. Post a link in the comment.

Get Creative: Post about this giveaway on a messageboard or forum. Leave a comment with a link.

New Entry: Become a fan of Dirty Diaper Laundry on Facebook and get 3 extra entries! Just leave your comment as FB entry 1, FB 2, and FB 3.

Giveaway ends on May 10. Winner will be chosen using random.org. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours a new winner will be drawn.

***Open to US and Canada***