This review was written for Talk Birth by Amanda Prim of the blog Raising a Green Bean in a Material World.
They say necessity is the mother of invention and I believe that may be true. At least it was for me when I had to pump breast milk to feed my son every two hours ‘round the clock. For 15 minutes every two hours I was tied to the kitchen table pumping. I couldn’t see the TV, I couldn’t have a snack, I couldn’t read, all I could seem to do was sit there holding these plastic horns to my breast. After a few days of that I just couldn’t take anymore so I decided there had to be a better way. I whipped out an old sports bra, cut an “X” over where my nipples where and presto! a hands free pumping bra. I was pretty proud of my ingenious plan, until my husband came in the kitchen, took one look at me and started laughing so hard he had to sit down. Then I just felt stupid! I loved that I could have a snack or read a book while I pumped while wearing it, but I HATED that I had to get completely undressed from the waist up to put it on and use it. I also HATED that when I wore it I looked like Madonna in a bad 80’s music video.
I was offered the chance to review a PumpEase Hands Free pumping support. As a full time college student I have to do a lot of pumping when school is in session so I jumped at the chance to do the review. I was very happy to see that PumpEase accommodates moms with breast sizes from 32AA to 48H. That was great news for me because it seems like you can seldom find nursing bra’s for anything bigger than a D cup. I wear a 42 E bra and I ordered a size large in the PumpEase. It is loose enough to be comfortable but tight enough to hold the “horns” of the pump in place.
I ordered mine in the “Snowy Leopard” print. When it came in I fell in love with the print and the feel of the bra. The material is soft and almost silky feeling and has some stretch to it. I had expected it to fit like a traditional bra with openings at the nipple for the pump. It turned out to fit more like a tube top than a bra. It latches in the front between the breasts and is just one piece of material. My favorite part of the design? You can wear it OVER your regular nursing bra, so there is no need to undress from the waist up to pump!!! When my husband saw me pumping in this bra he didn’t burst into laughter. He raised one eyebrow (his attempt at being seductive) and growled then said he sure liked that pattern.
Overall I love this bra! I think the color/design selection is fabulous and I love that I can still feel pretty while pumping (a hard combo if you asking me!). It is easy on and easy off so pumping is a breeze. The sizing is wonderful because it easily accommodates us bigger girls. I would suggest that if you are on the borderline of sizes (say between a medium and a large) that you choose the smaller size. The bit of stretch in the material will allow it to fit snugly and you won’t have to worry about it being too loose.
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Amanda Prim
Talk Birth 