Maternity & Nursing Intimates Cross Over

November 30, 2018

By HOLLY JACKSON

Anita

For a long time, babies were something that never crossed my mind. As someone who had picked dogs and a business over children, they didn’t seem relevant to my life experience — until I hit my early 30’s. All of the sudden, babies are everywhere! My friends are having babies and posting about morning sickness on social media. I end up picking out baby clothes on a regular basis for other people’s kids, sometimes just for fun. But mostly, what I’ve learned is that babies are hard and complicated and rewarding in the most surprising ways and moments. While I’ve traditionally written for the full bust and plus-size market, I’ve also worked extensively with clients who sell maternity bras. Many companies now have crossover products (think Cake and Sugar Candy, for example) and many of the same principles are at work in both market segments.

Sugar Candy

One of the main things I’ve learned from my friends who are mothers is that lingerie is a state of mind, especially when you’re nursing and exhausted and your entire body has taken on a new form that you don’t always recognize. Ugly bras tend to make you feel…well, ugly. And when your entire existence has been turned upside down in the most fundamental way, it’s easy to lose sight of yourself and drown in a sea of sleepless nights and endless loads of laundry. We talk a lot about holiday bras at this time of the year in the core and plus size markets, but not so much in the maternity market. This is a shame, because there are some gorgeous holiday gift worthy lingerie sets out there for mothers!

Cache Coeur

Maternity bra designs have come a long way, but maternity bras have also benefited from new technology. New fabric technologies have made fabrics softer and less irritating. Flexible wires now allow mothers to wear a familiar amount of support without harming their breast tissue. Magnetic nursing clips allow easy access when you’re juggling a purse and a baby out on the go.

Hanky Panky

But most importantly, it’s now easy to find a maternity or nursing bra that makes you feel like your old self. For some new mothers that I know, finding lingerie that looked and felt like their old lingerie collection was a big step that helped them rediscover themselves. The holidays are a great time to invest in some lingerie based treats. The pieces I’ve included in this article to me represent a current ‘greatest hits’ of the maternity sector, especially as the holidays creep up on us. They all use fashion forward design and technology to create pieces that are both beautiful and comfortable, while still retaining just as much personality as core size lingerie.

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