A Nursing Dress & Momma Thoughts

Oooh...no post in five months? I wish that "no news is good news" were true when it comes to blogs! No such luck. I do want to speak to that gap (because it's *really* very important!), but let's talk about the make first, shall we? Check out this super cute, flower power dress! 

This is my "It has pockets!" pose. 

I mean, right off the bat we've got to talk about the fabric, yes? I got this "Annalise Meadow" floral print DBP from Knitpop, which is a fabric site I'm pretty fond of, and it's possibly just because I love the name. I don't always love to wear DBP, but in the right print and for the right garment, I'll make an exception. I love that the colors are kind of simultaneously and soft, the print busy but beautiful. I made this in March and felt it was perfect for spring, but I'm now starting to really appreciate the chestnut and taupe tones in there for wear right through the fall. Lovey love love. 

(And oh my word I just found out they have this colorway and it's currently on sale and you're welcome.)

Okay, now on to the dress aspects, which are fun because this is a NURSING DRESS! That's right! I know you didn't see that coming...unless you read the title...

Anyway. I'm not often partial to nursing-specific garments (because I like to kid myself that nursing only lasts a short while, despite the fact that *right now* I'm 3+ years in with no break, blah), but dresses are a different story. I like to wear a dress to church and I don't love just having to pull down the neckline if I'm out in public. I saw a dress similar to this in a Facebook ad and was really loving the crew neckline and functionality, and thought, as so many of us do, "I could make that." 

I turned to my trusted stash of Love Notions patterns and decided to mash the Willow Wrap Dress with the Classic Tee. The crossover neckline of the Willow was what I needed for nursing access, and the crew neckline of the Classic Tee is my absolute favorite crew neck. Not too high, not too low. *Perfection.* (ETA: You can use the code JESSICAH10 for 10% off your purchase of those patterns from Love Notions!)

 I'll give the details of the mash in bullet points, for clarity: 

• Used the pattern pieces to apply the Classic tee's neckline to the back of the Willow's back bodice piece, so that the shoulder seams would match. 
• Cut the skirt, sleeves, and adjusted back pieces of the Willow dress in my usual size out of DBP. 
• Cut the crossover low neckline of the Willow dress in one size down out of rayon spandex, chosen for its breathability and lack of bulk. 
• Adjusted the armscye of the classic tee pattern front bodice piece so that it would match the Willow sleeve piece. 
• Sized down one size on the Classic tee pattern (because I wanted a more snug fit), and cut the front bodice at a cropped length, where my natural waist fell. In hindsight, I wish I would have cut this piece a little longer. 
• Hemmed the bottom of the Classic tee bodice piece. 
• Hemmed the neckline of the Willow crossover pieces, separately (without attaching them to the back bodice piece), and attached them to the front skirt. 
• Layered the Classic front bodice on top of the Willow crossover pieces (so that the right side of the crossover pieces were against the wrong side of the Classic bodice), and laid the back on top of that, so that it was WST with the classic Tee and skirt. 
• Attached the three layers together at the shoulder seams. 
• Attached the sleeves. 
• Sewed along the side seams, catching the Classic Tee bodice in the seam until its hem is fully secured, and then continuing along as usual. 
  
• Add neckband and hem as usual. 
  

And then I had a neato nursing dress, the front of which I could lift for easy nursing access! 

(If I had chosen to lift the other side, or from the middle, you'd be able to see more clearly that the beige is one of the two willow wrap crossover bodice pieces. As is, you're just going to have to take my word for it, ha!)

Okay, so that's it for the dress, but please, hang with me for a second longer. If you are someone in need of a nursing dress, or know someone in need of a nursing dress, then you are someone who needs to take a minute to consider postpartum depression. 

Remember how I said I'd speak to that five month gap? Well here we are! You're welcome again! I've been dealing with a fairly significant round of postpartum depression, and it's taken a lot of my time and energy. Well, that and having four kids. ;)

Photo by Heidi Musloff

I just wrote out a nice little "storytime" edition of my experiences with postpartum (and during-partum?) depression and then deleted it because my purpose in sharing is less about me than it is about you! Yes, you, you lovely little nursing-dress-needing-thing, you! If you need a nursing dress, or know someone in need of a nursing dress, then you need to know that postpartum depression is a thing. It happens, it happens a lot, and you (or they) are not broken, and you're not alone. This is my fourth baby. I have experienced depression as a symptom during pregnancy for three of my children. I'm currently in my second go-round with postpartum depression. I had no idea it was happening with my first, and didn't really put the pieces together for several years...and I wish I'd been better both for him and for myself at a much earlier point. So from someone who's been there, from someone who is there, here are some things I know about PPD, shared in the hope that if you need to recognize it, you will: 

• I often will write PPD/A, because postpartum anxiety is as frequent, maybe even more so, than postpartum depression. 
• PPD/A can set in unexpectedly. For me, days after my first was born, two or three months after the fourth was born. 
• I have experienced depression unrelated to pregnancy, but PPD/A did not present in the same way, which is something I still find surprising. 
• PPA looked like, for me: an inability to sleep as I was too busy listening to him breathe, physically feeling the stress of his continued existence in my tightened chest, feeling like I couldn't take deep breaths, fearing being alone with my baby, over-reading/researching everything, extreme stress. 
• PPD has looked like, for me: severely increased irritability, disconnectedness from my baby, resentment of baby/husband/friends, feeling of despair and heartbreak that I couldn't pinpoint, random bouts of crying that I couldn't stop, persistent periods of despondency (like someone had flipped a switch and turned off my personality).
• PPD/A involved a pretty significant increase in mom rage. 
• I constantly wondered if I was experiencing "normal baby blues" or postpartum depression and anxiety. I now wonder why I was so concerned with that. You will not be in trouble for asking for help through "normal baby blues," so go ahead and talk to someone. 
• I experienced pregnancy-induced depression, a symptom which apparently common for a LOT of women. I slept almost constantly, and not just from fatigue. I felt guilty every time I heard or read about the joy I was most definitely "supposed" to be feeling. I was uncomfortable talking about my pregnancy. I have since learned that having depression during pregnancy significantly increases the likelihood of postpartum pregnancy. 
• I have experienced depression outside of pregnancy, postpartum or otherwise. This also increases the likelihood of having depression as a natal or postpartum symptom. 
• It goes away, and it's not a reflection of your worth as a mother or person. I'm a good mom. 

That's just a quick rundown and its based only on my experiences, but my prayer is that this helps. I have been known to not-so-surreptitiously talk to any new moms with whom I'm connected...even if I barely know them. I want them to know that it can happen, there's no shame in this, and that there's help available from someone who has walked this path before. I want that for you, too, even if I don't know you at all and we are just absolute strangers on the interwebs. If you think you're experiencing depression or PPD/A, first know that it's okay and that you are loved. Talk to someone, your spouse, your doctor...feel free to send me a message! Having a new baby is a whole thing. At the very least, it's not a whole *new* thing to *everyone.* I'm not done with this round of PPD/A myself...which makes it strange to discuss from this perspective of "informing," but I am absolutely better off this time around for knowing. Especially for knowing that it will end, and I'll be okay, and my family will be okay.  

If you came to this post because you're making a dress for a new mom--ask them how they're doing, and make sure you have time to get the answer. And then make them a dress. And a meal. And maybe hire someone to come clean for them. 

So there's a dress, and a whole lot else! I've sewn very little since early this spring, and I've shared even less. I think I'm starting to see glimmers of regularity ahead, though, so hopefully I'll be back soon. Until then, know that you're loved! 


If you feel so led and want to leave a comment that concisely states what PPD/A looked like for you, I think that would be so helpful in breaking the log jams of information and perception! Thanks. 💗