We Donate £1 for Every Bra Bought this Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and here at Seraphine, we are donating £1 for every Seraphine maternity bra bought.*

According to the charity Breast Cancer Now, 1 in 8 women in the UK will face breast cancer in their lifetime. And every 45 minutes, another woman dies from the disease.

Breast Cancer Now is the UK’s largest breast cancer research charity and they are dedicated to funding research into this devastating disease.

Click to find out more about Breast Cancer Now

So How Can We Help?

Seraphine donates £1 for every bra sold through Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Throughout October, every time one of you lovely mamas buys a Seraphine maternity & nursing bra, we’ll donate £1 to Breast Cancer Now.

Whether it’s a sports bra, sleep bra, soft everyday bra or something special with a touch of lace – your purchase will help support this fantastic cause.

Seraphine is a company run by women, for women, so this is an issue that’s very dear to our hearts. Everything we do is geared towards supporting you throughout your journey.

Buy a bra this month & help us to raise money for Breast Cancer Now to continue their life-saving research.

While you’re here – check out when the office went pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month last year!

*With every purchase of a Seraphine bra made between 01/10/19 & 31/10/19, Seraphine will donate £1 to the charity Breast Cancer Now. Valid on Seraphine brand bras only.

Top 5 Breastfeeding Tips with Breastfeeding Specialist Geraldine Miskin

There are some simple breastfeeding tips that can make feeding enjoyable and sustainable and it starts with how you position and latch your baby. When you get this right, breastfeeding can be pretty straightforward.

I want to let you in on some of my top breastfeeding tips and why they work so that you feel empowered and equipped from the first feed.

 

1) Breastfeeding Positions: Get Comfortable

 

Feeds typically last for 45 – 60 minutes at a time and babies like to feed often in the early days, so comfort is super important. Common breastfeeding challenges are often caused as a simple result of baby being positioned too high or too low.

 

 

As a rule, if you are using a firm feeding cushion, you want to ensure that there is 2 fingers width between the base of your breast and the cushion to allow for baby’s lower arm to wrap around you. If you already have a special cushion, try it out on your chairs or sofa before baby arrives so that you have a good idea of where you’ll feel most comfortable.

And of course, make sure to have a great selection of comfy nursing clothes to wear which allow easy access for breastfeeding – Seraphine have fantastic options.

 

2) The Perfect Breastfeeding Latch

Get the Look: Bamboo Maternity & Nursing Nightie

 

Looking at the breast, it’s easy to believe that your nipple is the most important bit to get into baby’s mouth. However, it is the areola, brown bit around your nipple that is more important. In particular, the areola close to baby’s lower lip. The more areola your baby scoops up, the more comfortable the latch is for you and the more milk your baby gets.

 

Breastfeeding tips: Seraphine maternity bra & robe

Browse our collection & discover more stylish Maternity Pyjamas & Nursing Nightwear

 

In order to get the right amount and bit of the breast into baby’s mouth, you want to line your baby’s nose up with your nipple. Try this illustration. Pretend you’re a baby and your thumbnail is a nipple. Placing your thumb in a thumbs up position, line the tip of your nose up with the nipple, and notice where your lower lip is. Keeping your thumb in place, open your mouth and pop your thumb into your mouth and give it a suck. You’ll notice that it feels quite comfortable and that your thumbnail (would be nipple) is right at the back and out of harm’s way.

When you get this right, breastfeeding is much better for you and baby.

 

3) Be Confident That Your Baby is Getting Enough Milk

 

The most satisfactory way to know that your baby is getting enough milk, especially in the first week when your breasts feel empty or like there’s nothing there, is to monitor what comes out. Yes, I’m talking about your baby’s poos and whilst they probably don’t sound exciting now, just you wait until you see what baby has in store.

 


See more stylish Nursing Tops online

 

Your baby has the most fantastic poo display in the early days, moving from black (meconium), to green, to brown, orange and yellow by day 10. Allocate 3 days for black poos then 2 days for each colour thereafter. If your baby’s poos track the poo colour spectrum, baby is getting enough milk. If they are slow to change, baby needs more time on the breast/s and if they are quick to change, you know that your baby is ahead of the game and doing really well.

 

4) Embrace Your Uniqueness

 

Breastfeeding tips can be a bit stiff, especially if they are not tailored to suit you and your baby. Different feeding patterns suit different mums and babies. Whilst you are finding your feet, follow your instinct and your baby, monitor output and your baby’s weight gain as this never lies.

 

Nursing Bras

Discover our range of chic Nursing Bras & Lingerie

 

As a rule, you can expect your baby to lose 10% of birth weight by day 5 which we want baby to regain between week 2 and 3. After this, we want to see a weekly average weight gain of 210g or 7oz. If baby gains less, you need to feed more and if baby gains more, you can stick with what you are doing, or take the pressure off yourself and be confident that you and baby are doing just fine.

 

5) Find Your Breastfeeding Routine

 

It all starts with you, so decide what you’d like to achieve and find out how to do it before your baby arrives. If by nature you like routine, follow a routine loosely to start with until you and baby carve one out that works well for both of you. If you don’t like structure, don’t bother with a routine. Either way is fine provided it works for you and baby.

 

Geraldine Miskin is a breastfeeding specialist with years of experience helping mums and babies find what works for them. Visit her site Geraldinemiskin.com for more breastfeeding tips, and to find out about her 1 to 1 consultations, over skype or at your home, and discover her new book Breastfeeding Made Easy – The Miskin Method.

New Mum Style: 5 Fashion Tips for Nursing Mums

Congratulations new mama! Bringing a baby into the world is pretty high up there on the list of life altering events – but with the right nursing clothes, it certainly doesn’t have to mean that you sacrifice your style. To help you on your quest for yummy mummy style, check out our top 5 fashion tips for nursing mums:

 

 

 

Our first piece of advice is to hold onto those maternity clothes for just a little while longer. Your favourite comfy, stretchy styles are perfect for those first precious months with your newborn. They provide plenty of cover and a flexible fit while your body begins to settle back to normal.

At Seraphine, all of our maternity clothes are designed to fit and flatter your figure before, during and after pregnancy, and you’ll be especially pleased to have your maternity jeans to pair with new nursing tops!

 

nursing jumpers

 

The world is your oyster when it comes to nursing access these days. You can go for zips, poppers, buttons, clips, wrap dresses and even discreet double layer lift up tops and dresses – it’s all about which style suits you and your baby best.

Our Breton Cotton Blend Nursing Jumper opens at the sides with easy poppers – it’s a must-have for a new mum!

 

 

Now that baby is born it’s not just your sensitive skin you have to think about – your baby will be cuddling up against whatever you wear! Super soft natural fabrics like cotton, linen and bamboo viscose are ideal.

You’ll love our Striped Cotton Maternity & Nursing Tops, available in red, blue and pink stripes. Made in 100% pure cotton, they’re guaranteed to be kind on sensitive skin.

 

 

Of course all of your styling efforts will be in vain if you don’t have the right lingerie underpinning your outfit! Well-fitting nursing bras are a must, and a good collection of supportive post-pregnancy bodies and vests and leggings is a great way to smooth your shape.

 

Breastfeeding covers

 

 

There’s nothing like a stylish nursing shawl for breastfeeding on-the-go! A trendy fashion accessory and an ultra-versatile piece, these shawls pair perfectly with our designer changing bags, and make a beautiful gift for a new mum.

 

Check out our video guide to Nursing clothes

 

Nursing Bras & Maternity Bras: Busting the Myths Wide Open

We want to talk about bras… Specifically, maternity bras & nursing bras. Bra buying can be a challenge at the best of times; add to that the drastic fluctuations in size and the extra features you’ll need for pregnancy and nursing, and you’ve got quite an underclothing conundrum on your hands. This week on the blog we are ironing out the issues and busting the myths wide open. Mamas: Welcome to Seraphine’s Ultimate Guide to Maternity & Nursing Bras!

 

Maternity & Nursing Bras: The Basics

 

First off let’s get one thing straight: your bra is not just there to look pretty. It has a very important job to do – keeping you and your bust fully secure and supported. During pregnancy this job becomes even more vital; as the added weight of your growing bust can put pressure on the delicate ligaments at the top of your chest, causing them to stretch. So we think it’s fair to say that your maternity and nursing bras are a pretty important underwear purchase!

 

Pregnant woman wears a Seraphine maternity bra & robe

 

When fitting your bra, the recommendation is that:

80% of the weight of your breasts should be supported entirely by the under-bust, and only 20% should be carried by the straps.

Seraphine maternity and nursing bras are made with super supportive elastic instead of underwire. This helps you to keep your shape and makes for a healthier, more comfortable option.

 

Buying Maternity Bras

nursing bras basics

 

When to Buy a Maternity Bra

Generally, your cup size will grow over the first 20 or so weeks of pregnancy. Your rib cage will start to expand after that from 20 weeks onwards.

We suggest switching to a maternity bra at some point in your second trimester. Your cup size should be fairly stable by then, and all of our maternity bras are made with extra hook and eye settings at the back to allow a flexible fit to accommodate your expanding rib cage.

 

Fitting Your Maternity Bra

As a general rule of thumb: Take your usual pre-pregnancy bra size, and then go 1 cup size up and 1 back size up. So if you usually wear a 34C, you’ll want to try a 36D.

When trying on your maternity bra, make sure that you feel comfortably secure on the tightest setting, giving yourself plenty of room to adjust the fit as you grow.

 

Buying Nursing Bras

buying maternity bras

 

When to buy a Nursing Bra

When your milk comes in for breastfeeding you may find that you’re busting out of your bras again, so it’s a good idea to buy new nursing bras a couple of weeks before your due date. That way you’ll be prepared when baby arrives, and will have a good idea of the size you’ll need.

If you continue with breastfeeding, you may find that once you’ve established a feeding routine and your body is basically back to normal, you’ll need a smaller size. All of our maternity bras feature nursing capabilities, so at this point, you can switch back to using the maternity bras you bought in your second trimester!

 

Watch John Lewis’ tips for choosing your nursing bra

 

Fitting your Nursing Bra

Take your pregnancy bra size, and then go 1 cup size up and 1 back size down. So if you are wearing a 36D near the end of your pregnancy, you should opt for a 34DD for nursing.

When you try on your nursing bra towards the end of your pregnancy, it should feel comfortably secure on the loosest setting so that you can tighten it up over time as your body settles back to normal.

 

Looking After Your Maternity Lingerie

Maternity lingerie

 

Remember: not all bras are machine washable!

To avoid disaster, always read the instructions on the label and if in doubt:

  • Hand wash with cold water
  • If you choose to machine wash, hook the bra together and use a wash bag, setting it to a delicate cycle.
  • Dry your bra in the shade to avoid sun damage and do not tumble dry

 

Nursing Clothes Shopping List

Nursing clothes must-haves

 

If you plan to breastfeed, it’s a good idea to have plenty of nursing clothes ready a couple of weeks before your due date. Nobody wants a situation where daddy gets sent out on an emergency clothes shopping trip – least of all him! So what will you actually need aside from nursing bras:

 

We know there’s a lot to take in here, but we hope you’ve found it helpful. For more info, make sure to check out our Maternity & Nursing Bra Advice online.

 

Pick the Perfect Lingerie for your Valentine’s Date

It’s the classic Bridget Jones dilemma: Do you choose the sexy thong, or the comfy granny pants? The lacy balconette or the practical nursing bra? With a baby on the way and comfort your main priority, it can be tempting to give in to the latter options, but here at Seraphine, we believe you can have the best of both worlds! All of our maternity and nursing lingerie are designed to be ultra comfortable, fully adjustable and functional for nursing, as well as being stylish, feminine & sexy.

If you’re after a little inspiration in the lingerie department this Valentine’s day, check out our guide to picking the perfect lingerie for your Valentine’s date!

P.S. Scroll down for a sexy little discount code

 

Shop lingerie

The Date: A romantic meal at a swanky restaurant followed by an evening of high class entertainment – good food, good company and a jolly good show. This kind of date requires lingerie with a little touch of drama. Something sensual and a little bit frivolous – lace is an absolute must.

The Lingerie: Dusty Pink Lace Trim Nursing Bra & Briefs

 

 

Shop lingerie

The Date: If you and your man are heading out to dance the night away this Valentine’s Day, only the sexiest style will do. Whether you’re taking a steamy salsa class, learning to tango, or slow dancing at your favourite night spot – opt for something smouldering in black with a touch of tactile detailing.

The Lingerie: Black Lace Trim Nursing Bra & Briefs

 

 

Shop lingerie

The Date: The true romantic date comes in many forms – maybe you’re planning a romantic moonlit stroll, a picnic in the park, or even a complete re-creation of your very first date! Such a romantic setting calls for something super soft and feminine. Pastel shades, creamy soft fabrics and lots of lovely lace are definitely the way forward.

The Lingerie: Pink & Mocha Lace Trim Nursing Bra & Briefs

 

 

Shop nightwear

The Date: If going out all seems like a lot of hard work, opting for a decadent night in with just you and your man can be a great way to reconnect. Change into your PJs, cuddle up and spend some quality time – Netflix & ice cream optional! Explore our maternity nightwear collection to find the perfect pregnancy pjs or a feminine nursing nightie.

The Dress Code: Luxurious pregnancy PJs & feminine nursing nighties

 

P.S.

From now until Valentine’s Day, enter the code LOVE20 at the checkout to enjoy 20% off full price items from our lingerie and nightwear collections.

 

 

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