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Home › Articles › Equipment › Bellawear Nursing Apparel

Bellawear Nursing Apparel

Innovative Fashions for the Breastfeeding Mom

By Gwen Morrison

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After the birth of her third child, Brenda J. Pontillo, a pediatric nurse practitioner from Ann Arbor, Mich., had a hard time finding clothes that were designed for nursing – clothes that also looked good. Discouraged by the limited selection of nursing clothing she found in the local shops, she was prompted to design her own.

Designed With Mom and Baby in Mind
"The only item of clothing I could wear after my child's birth was my pregnancy overalls," says Pontillo. "They did not work well for nursing so I designed a pair that would work. I was thinking about what I liked to wear and how it could be altered to provide access for nursing."

Pontillo, a strong supporter of breastfeeding, felt that if she was having trouble finding nursing clothing that was practical, other moms probably were, too. Armed with her unique ideas for quality nursing clothing, she got to work designing her line of products.

The goal was to create designs for nursing clothes that resembled everyday outfits and to offer something for nursing moms that was different than the pull-over-your-head and lift-from-the-bottom type of clothing currently available.

"We also wanted clothing that we did not have to pull up to nurse; we wanted the fabric to be away from Baby's face," says Pontillo. "Our goal was to design comfortable clothing that celebrates the joy of motherhood as well as being a woman."

Pontillo's first design was a pair of overalls for herself. Though they have not yet gone into production, they are sure to be a huge hit among new moms. The bib will unhook at the hip, like any overall design, but there will be a snap closer to the stomach that can be opened to allow the flap to fold over the abdomen so a shirt can be lifted for breastfeeding. This is different from normal overalls that unhook at the shoulder, allowing the strap and hook to fall, and it can be difficult to maneuver with a baby in one's arms. The unique design of Bellawear overalls will make it easy for moms to feed Baby, anywhere!

It is Pontillo's feeling that much of the nursing clothing currently available does not provide nursing moms with the privacy and modesty they want. She strives to create products that are practical for nursing and beyond.

"Most nursing clothing lifts from the button or has a visible vertical slit in it," she says. "Our clothing has all the nursing openings concealed so the front of the item looks essentially normal. Another focus was to design clothing that would allow the user to wear it after nursing was done."

The Bellawear Line

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