The Goods: The Dairy Fairy’s Sadie All-in-One Nursing and Handsfree Pumping Tank , $75 and Arden bra, $68
The Reviewers: Amy and Jessica
The Good:
Amy says… The fit on this is highly adjustable/customizable, which is a huge plus when the shape of your body is literally fluctuating by the hour! The material is extremely high-quality (it’s very soft and washes well) and you can tell these are produced with care. The belly area has a generous cut, so I didn’t feel like I was trying to stuff myself into the tank. (Because let’s face it, sometimes wearing any clothes at all when you’ve just had a baby can feel like that!)
The fact that this is geared for pumping or at-breast feeding is really nice. I didn’t have this experience, but I’d imagine that this would be a very lovely gift for the mom of a babe in the NICU, who’s pumping/feeding around the clock. The panels pull aside easily for nursing and give plenty of access to the breast.
Jessica says… The Arden Bra is SO much in one, I love it! I was really concerned about the support of this bra. It didn’t seem like something could be so adjustable while providing quality support. As it turns out, the construction of it in order to have the hands-free pumping option and the quality of the materials make it very supportive. Enough so that I can even run in it without wincing. I’ve had this bra for a year and it’s held up very well with regular usage and washing it like normal. I’ve even thrown it in the dryer because sometimes that’s the only way I’m going to get a bra on that day. Super soft, supportive, providing a firm stretch that is perfect for fluctuating breast size. Using the hook and loops system on the front, the cup sizes adjusts easily, even under clothing if your support needs change while you’re out, I just moved it when I was feeding. Hands-free pumping construction makes it super easy to pump one breast while direct feeding from the other side which for me is exactly what I need for pumping for donating purposes as well as when I’m traveling away from my nursling and need to pump. It’s pretty, well made, and very functional, the cut is generous but not so high so it works with most tops.
The Bad:
Amy says… The cut of the cups on this top is pull-aside friendly, but that also means there’s less fabric to contain humongous I-just-had-a-baby engorged boobs. I was somewhere in the neighborhood of a 34D immediately postpartum and I’m a B-C now, and it’s definitely more comfortable now that my supply has regulated and I’m not as busty.
I’d like to see removable foam cup pads (like in swimsuits or sports bras) so that this could be worn as a stand-alone bra-top/camisole under a nice outfit. (Without the pads,– well, let’s just say nipples eeeeverywhere!)
Jessica says… I do wish it had more padding only because of nipples showing through or the inevitable leaking I experience but that’s manageable enough with a pair of breastpads which I can change as needed. Depending on the back hook setting, sometimes the tag was itchy. Now that I’ve gone down in breast size a bit I don’t notice this. It did take me a little to get used to the hook/loops on the front, I couldn’t change it easily until I practiced a few times.
The Ugly:
Amy says… The top has an adjustable band with the way the cups cross over and hook in (see the illustration below). Even with the play in band size that provides, the band on this size small was still really tight for me. Full disclosure, I measure a 32 and just prefer to wear a 34 band size in my bras, so I don’t like an overly tight band to begin with. But even so, I felt that it was pretty tight. If in doubt – size up.
Jessica says… I think the sizing runs small, even though it is adjustable. There are so many settings so I was surprised to see that the size small wasn’t comfortable for me even on the biggest setting. When I first got the bra I was a 32 DD and quickly decided I needed a size medium in the Arden Bra. Even now with being back down to a B cup I’m more comfortable in the medium. The price point seems a bit high for one bra but it is so functional and so comfortable that it’s like getting 4 bras in one. I wear tank tops a lot in the summer and I do find that it will show on the sides of a scoop neck top.
You can find the Arden bra and the Sadie Tank here and find the Dairy Fairy on Facebook.
Kileah says…Really was suprised with how much I liked the 
Amy says… I start wearing different bras about .02 seconds into my pregnancies, because my boobs are the first thing to change (and scream, “Hi! PREGNANT!”). At that point, stretchy is best for me. I’d say this is a great maternity-through-breastfeeding bra. I love the lotus flower design (hey, it’s the little things!). As far as nursing goes, it pulls to the side easily. It’s a cotton-based material (organic, actually!) and I thought it would lose its shape. Even in the early days of nursing (when I was pulling it to the side practically hourly), it stayed supportive .
