Summer Nursing

Something I hear all the time at Bump is "I would totally wear that if I wasn't pregnant."  It is everything we set out to achieve - clothes to wear while pregnant that don't make you feel like you are giving up your sense of style.

Nursing is a whole other issue.

Dressing for nursing is tough.  Even though you no longer house your baby, you still share your body, and your post pregnancy body adjustment can be fraught.  Even when you tell yourself "Nine months on, nine months off" your once perky C cups are pushing E and leaking.  

We've always worked really hard at finding nursing clothes that were as fashionable and practical as possible but the pickings have been slim - until now.

  Helene Jumpsuit by Dote

I know it's wrong to have favorites, but I do love this piece by Dote and wish we'd had it last summer when I was scrambling to nurse my infant daughter, play with my 3 year old son, stay cool and avoid jeans.  We have a great assortment of nursing pieces from Dote, a wonderful company who doesn't just 'make' nursing clothes, they actually 'design' nursing clothes.  Her designs are always classic, beautifully constructed and flattering to the nursing body.

 Madison Maxi Dress by Miravos

Founded, designed and operated by mother of three, Miravos is another line that has set the bar very high for nursing fashion.  Her designs never scream "I'm nursing, look at my big boobs".  She has created such elegant, understated clothing with invisible nursing access.  Made from dreamy soft bamboo, every piece drapes but doesn't cling.

The Joan by Milk Stars  

Milk Stars is another wonderful nursing line that has kept things simple but certainly not unfashionable.  This particular style has nursing access through the arm hole which is absolutely ingenious.  I just adore the gorgeous emerald green.

So if you find yourself in a fashionable nursing predicament - don't despair, there is hope out there.

Bump Brooklyn

Under(be)ware

My underwear has seen better days.  Most of my wardrobe (underwear included) dates back to pre-2005 and pre-parenthood.  5 years old in underwear years  is practically pre-historic!

Thankfully that all changed on Tuesday when we happily received our first shipment of Hanky Panky underwear.

Hanky Panky is truly a really great underwear line.  They have managed to make a low rise thong that is so remarkably comfortable you wont find yourself feeling like you have a wedgie all day.   

The low rise thong we have isn't technically maternity but they are low enough that they sit comfortably below your bump. At $21 each they wont break the bank and they are in such fun colors that it gives you the opportunity to be delightfully impractical when your footwear and playground appropriate clothing dictates a more sensible approach.

If you are looking for a little more rear coverage we do also have the Hanky Panky maternity bikini.  Made from wonderfully soft and breathable cotton modal they are pretty and practical.

Now if only we could find a way to incorporate waxing into what we offer at Bump I'd be all set!

Bump Brooklyn
 

3 Years of Bump

Bump really should be called Bump & Sons & Daughter & Husbands, as it truly a family business.  Walls constructed, curtains sewn, furniture assembled, walls painted (and repainted) all by our family and friends.  

I will never completely understand how she did it, but SaSaDi was in her first trimester with her second son when we spent many long days and nights putting everything together.  Quite in character, she never complained. 

Bump has also literally become a home away from home for our children. My daughter Marigold spent almost 4 months at Bump when she was an infant playing, feeding, sleeping and re-merchandising our sales bins.  When SaSaDi's son Zachary was barely 1 month old he assisted in our first ever inventory overview.

Our oldest sons (and BFFs), who first toddled around the store when they were only 18 months old, are now getting ready for pre-k. Time really does fly.

When we first moved into Bergen Street our only neighbor was a book store that has since moved to another location.  Now Bergen Street has an array of businesses that is hard to rival - gourmet hot dogs, sex toys, vegan delicacies, men and women's wear emporiums, comic books, culinary delights, yoga attire, boarding and biking gear, and to round it all off a hardware store.  Our wonderful block has most definitely become a destination.

One of my fondest memories from our opening day was when our very first customer was treated to an unexpected game of peek-a-boo from our sons when she was in our fitting room.  There have been many more games of peek-a-boo played over the past 3 years, and I suspect there will be many more.  Curtains are after all irresistible when you are little.

What is most gratifying for me about Bump is who I get to spend my days with.  Not only do I have the most exceptionally smart, dedicated and down right lovely business partner, but I have been lucky enough to have worked with incredibly talented, kind and considerate women.

And then there are our customers.  Oh where to begin!  We quite literally wouldn't and couldn't have done it without you. Your support of our business has picked us up when we most needed it.  I can quite honestly say that I never ever tire of hearing about your pregnancies or learning about the birth of your children.  I marvel at your strength, I admire your mothering and I learn from you every single day.  It truly feels like an honor to be invited into your lives at such a profoundly transformative time.  There is not one mother who has walked into Bump that hasn't left an impact on my life.

Thank you.  Truly.