The drop cup openings make it easy to nurse anytime and anywhere. As a mommy still trying to get back into shape 9 months after giving birth, I know it’s not my breast I’m worried about exposing while nursing in public; it’s my belly. This is why I love nursing camisoles.

Granted, as a woman with rather large breasts, the nursing camisole isn’t the most flattering undergarment. It leaves me a little droopy. Let’s be honest. It gives me a big droopy uniboob. However, it is comfortable. I have support, just not the same kind of support I was used to before I became more focused on breastfeeding than I was on cleavage. This isn’t a complaint. It is just a fact.

I do wish that the sizing information available associated the Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large sizing, with the appropriate cup size. I was given a Large to try and I think that an Extra Large would have been more comforatable for me. Still, I use it and enjoy it.

The fabric is just divine. I wish all my clothes were made from this fabric. The camisole is also extra long. My biggest complaint about camisoles, and I wear a lot of camisoles, is that they are too short. I want for my camisole to be a little longer than the shirt I am wearing (remember hiding the belly), and the Medela camisole is just that. It is the perfect length.

It’s no surprise that Medela would get a prop for their new nursing tank. They are the experts, after all.

Written by Marty, who also blogs at Triangle Mamas. She wrote this post one handed while nursing her son Christopher.

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From now until the end of November 2008, Utterly Yours is offering Props & Pans readers a discount of 10% off your purchase. Just use this coupon code when checking out online - UYPP1008 - and you can enjoy the same comfort we did.

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To enter visit their website and leave a comment here telling us what fabric style and size you would choose from the pregnancy pillows. The contest is open until September 16, 2008.

You can receive a second entry by blogging about the contest (linking to it) or adding us to your blogroll. Just e-mail us with a live link or let us know you have it posted on your site. You do not need a blog to enter, just leave us your e-mail address so that we may contact you. As always, it is Props & Pans policy NOT to distribute any information you give us (including your e-mail). Thanks for entering!

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Amy was first excited over the cute square with the “fabulous” fabric, but after a few uses she has sworn this is by far the best pregnancy pillow support she’s ever used (this is her third pregnancy). She loved the convenience of the small compact square and stated all you have to do is unbutton, spread the two halves apart and make sure your stomach is touching the inside of the solid colored fabric and your back is towards the pattern side. Amy also noticed that the fabric that connects the two sides will stretch and accommodate her body as her pregnancy continues.

Her doctor had already recommended that she sleep on her left side as much as possible to take pressure off her back and optimize blood flow - so using this support pillow provided comfort and controlled the pressure. Utterly Yours is unique because it does two jobs by supporting your back with one half, while cradling your stomach with the other.

Amy loved the comfort it provided and the design styles they offer are very chic. Her husband was thrilled to find the large cumbersome body pillow gone from their bed. She’s already promised to pass it around to her friends, because she knows it will get them a few good nights of sleep before the endless hours begin! The pregnancy pillows come in sizes small, medium and large to accommodate women up to 260 lbs. At a retail price of $39.95 - $54.95, Amy says they are worth every penny and more!

Written by Emily, who is a married working mother of a very energetic 6 year old son. They recently moved out in the country and live on a rock road. Emily had to give up high-speed internet and she blames the realtor for not informing her ahead of time that it was not available. She writes at her personal blog, Fenicle and loves to review new things.

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But as luck would have it, the mother of triplets in my local Twins Club was selling one. In nearly pristine condition with all of the paperwork, instructions and after a quick demonstration in the driveway on how to use it, I picked up this behemoth and took it home.

At 6 feet long and very heavy (46.8 pounds shipping weight), this thing was made like a tank. The two front seats recline to one position and the back seat will recline completely for naps. This is a little frustrating because we had two little ones who really needed to recline, not one. We took it out to museums, to the 4th of July on Clearwater Beach and on walks everywhere. At least for a very short time we did.

There are two problems with this stroller and probably with any triple stroller. First, your heaviest child needs to go into the back. Basic physics are working against you if you put the heaviest child in the front, but our oldest child didn’t want to sit all the way in the back where he couldn’t see. He wanted to sit up front. So at first it worked nicely, while the twins were newborns and were very small babies. As they began to put on weight and the biggest boy grew, I realized why the triplet mom had chucked it although her triplets were just a few months older than my twins.

Secondly, it became nearly impossible to steer. My husband had trouble getting it to turn by the time my twins were one, simply because of the weight of our children in it. Now you might imagine that the sturdy construction would make it more amenable to hauling a brute squad of kids, and I suppose from the stand point of holding up it was indeed great. It never became weak or wobbly, but it also wouldn’t turn.

I’d pan it completely except that for a time, it was a really useful addition to our lives, but overall I would not recommend it. The price of this stroller new compared to it’s value is really out of whack. If you do need a triple stroller, I’d recommend scouring consignment shops or your local multiples clubs. When shopping for triple strollers be sure to read the details. There is a very expensive brand out there which shall remain nameless, that sells a triple stroller and none of it’s wheels turn. None. How do your turn it? I am told, by someone who owns one, that you really don’t. You pray you never have to turn it.

A triple stroller is something that seemed like a good idea, but we really ended up using a double and a single to accomplish the same goal as we grew more frustrated with the bulk, weight and overall manageability of the triple one. Knowing what I know now, I’d probably pass on one of these next time around.

Written by Gidge, who is a mother of a 5 year old boy and 3 year old twin boys. A transplanted Hoosier, die-hard Colts fan and professional call center manager, she likes long walks on the beach, penguins and playing ping-pong. Her turn-ons include sleep and silence. Read all about her life here.

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The only sound a fetus consistently hears in the womb is his mother’s heartbeat. Based on this, BabyPlus theorizes that their “prenatal curriculum introduces your developing baby to learning in the only true language of the prenatal environment, the language of the maternal heartbeat. The spoken word is too difficult for the developing child to understand and music is too complex.”

Using the BabyPlus prenatal education curriculum is easy. You simply look up how many days you use each of the 16 lessons based on what week of your pregnancy you start the program. Then, you wear the BabyPlus for one hour at a time, twice a day. It’s that simple.

The website touts such benefits in newborns and infants:

• More readily nurse
• Display an increased ability to self-soothe
• Are more interactive and responsive
• Are more relaxed & alert at birth

BabyPlus president, Lisa Jarrett, made time in her schedule to talk with me about the product. She told me about some of their studies and the research that is scheduled to be done next. She told me of her own children and what convinced her to begin using the BabyPlus during her first pregnancy.

As a musician and a teacher, I wondered why I should bother with the BabyPlus system when my baby is already hearing music for several hours per day. I disagree with their statement that “music is too complex,” and wish that there was an effort for a connection to be made, instead of attempting to separate the BabyPlus from playing music for your baby. After all, the 16 auditory lessons are just simple rhythmic patterns in varying time signatures.

However, after my conversation with Lisa, I came away with some convincing arguments.

1. The heartbeat is always there. Always. That is why it works as the first tool of communication. Even though it is my voice my baby is hearing singing, and my fingers playing the keys of the piano or the strings of the guitar, the sound that Little Bird hears always is my heartbeat. The music comes and goes.
2. BabyPlus doesn’t claim to make geniuses. It’s not about how much the child will know, but about how the child will learn. The 16 lessons help the developing baby discern between the mother’s heartbeat and the sound of the “baby bongo.” This discernment helps create connections within the brain even before birth. How a child learns is much more important than what a child knows.
3. It’s no coincidence that Einstein’s mother was a piano teacher.

Okay, so the last one didn’t have anything to do with convincing me to use the BabyPlus, but I was glad that she acknowledged it.

Does it work? All I can tell you is that they say it does. Little Bird is staying put awhile longer, so I don’t have any of my own evidence for you. What I can tell you is that I’m convinced enough to keep using the BabyPlus for the rest of my pregnancy. The benefits they claim are ones that I want for my child, and the product is safe and easy to use.

Check back with me sometime in February and I’ll let you know how Bird fared. Of course, his daddy is likely to take any credit when we find out that Bird is the best and smartest baby ever to be born. I would likely give BabyPlus some of that credit.

November is Prematurity Awareness Month and thanks to Babykick we are giving away a kickTrak. Find out more here.

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Babykick offers the kickTrak for $49.95. Mothers-to-be can purchase the kickTrak for use:

• at the onset of pregnancy, track your progress to stay in-sync with your doctor about your due date.
• beginning at 24 weeks & reliably track your baby’s movement pattern.
• to time your contractions when labor begins.

The kickTrak is easy to use. You input the week and day of your pregnancy, choose English or Spanish, and the device is set. From there, you simply press the button every time you feel your baby move and after 10 movements, the kickTrak stores the length of time it took to reach those 10 movements. It will store up to 10 sessions so that you can compare them, taking note of any serious changes in the baby’s movements.

I have to admit, I love the kickTrak. It is difficult to justify spending $50 on a device whose design and technology is so simple, but not impossible. After having used it and learning more about Babykick as a company, I totally would spend the money. Besides, it makes kick counting so incredibly easy.

Babykick is really more of a company that strives to educate our society and help moms deliver healthy babies. Kick counting helps a mom and her doctor know that the baby is still thriving in the womb, and in turn can also let them know if further evaluation is needed. Their website provides information about why kick counting is so important.

When you buy your kickTrak, you will know that a little of that price tag will be going towards the Babykick Alliance, a non-profit organization which promotes stillbirth prevention through public awareness, education and advocacy of kick counting. So if you are a little wary of trading in your inexpensive pencil, pen and kitchen timer, just remember that you are buying something from a company that is bigger than just their product. They are helping women worldwide learn how to have healthier pregnancies.

And if you just can’t part with your $50, Babykick offers you free kick charts on their website. They aren’t as much fun as the kickTrak, but really, they just want for there to be a decrease in preventable stillbirths. That’s the kind of company I can certainly support.

Written by Canape, who is a girl from the deep south who loves her husband, her stepdaughter, her dogs, and hopes to be a mom soon. She’s a musician by trade, and a baker and writer by hobby. She and her husband renovate houses on the side and she writes a personal blog at Don’t Take the Repeats.

One lucky reader will get to have the same peace of mind. November is Prematurity Awareness Month and thanks to Babykick, we are giving away a kickTrak. Whether you are pregnant or not, this would make a great gift.

All you need to do is link to this review in a post on your blog by midnight (EST) Friday, November 30th. Tell your readers about the importance of kick counting, promote prematurity awareness, or educate them by linking to this post and telling them to read it. You can help Babykick spread the word.

E-mail us with the link when it is posted or leave it in the comments.

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I have a fabulous new maternity dress and beautiful black boots to complement. The plan was to wear them at a recent performance. Luckily, I gave the outfit a trial run in front of the mirror that morning. I was lumpy.

Cravings, my favorite maternity store, had a display of Spanx. I had never heard of them. I am apparently behind…no pun intended.

Basically, they are girdles for the modern woman; help for the hip, but slightly saggy and/or lumpy woman — and the Power Mama Spanx are for the pregnant ladies.

While firming up my newly padded behind and smoothing out all the lines under my knit dress, the Power Mama Spanx also have a panel in front for my belly. I felt confidant on stage and comfortable off stage.

Additionally, the Power Mama Spanx provide back support and can be worn daily if desired. An undergarment that keeps you looking fabulous throughout your pregnancy AND provides back support? Now THAT is a great product!

I just wanted to let you know that your ad (right) is not convincing me that you are the best store from which to buy any maternity related item, especially a nursing bra.

First of all, the three models you have chosen for your “huge selection” of comfort and support all look just about the same. Like small C cups. All three look like women who have not even thought about giving birth in the past year at least, given their super flat bellies and tight abdominal muscles.

Then there is the matter of the woman holding the baby. Who is this woman, and why on earth are you pretending that she has just given birth and considering breastfeeding this little one? Between the obvious and distasteful airbrushing of every inch of her exposed skin, and the fact that her breasts look like a teenager’s, there is no way you are convincing anyone that this woman needs a nursing bra.

Even the baby is looking up at her as if to say, “Whoa! That’s not a mommy. And she certainly isn’t going to be feeding me lunch, no matter how lovely her nursing bra may be.”

In the future, it might behoove your marketing department to actually meet some real pregnant women, or real women who have actually given birth. They come in all different shapes and sizes, and are usually quite proud of their bodies and what they have accomplished by growing and birthing a real live person. Using a model whose next shoot might be for bikinis is completely illogical.

I’m not at all sure what you were trying to accomplish with these models, but I can tell you what I’m taking away from your ad. I’m taking away, “Motherhood Maternity has no clue what pregnant and nursing mothers need.” I kind of doubt you were aiming for that.

Sincerely,
Canape, first time mom and 36G

I also don’t really care for all the “boy-themed” stuff that’s out there. I really prefer to dress him unadorned, unthemed shirts and interesting shorts or pants and thus, I buy him a lot of colored t-shirts.

Unfortunately, the last batch that I bought at Target didn’t hold up at all. Two of them came apart around the collar after one wash and the whole bunch shrank way more than they should have. They were hardly a bargain now that he can’t wear any of them.

I also have a daughter who wears a uniform to school. They can wear any solid colored gold, light blue, dark blue or white polo-type shirt, t-shirt or blouse with khaki or navy bottoms. My daughter likes the polo shirts and t-shirts the best but finding quality ones that will hold up for the whole school year, in the right colors, isn’t always easy after the school shopping season ends in September.

To meet both of my children’s clothing needs, I started looking around online and came across cheapestees.com. They sell a variety of t-shirts and polos at unbelievably reasonable prices ($2.98 for t-shirts!) and the quality of the ones I purchased far exceeds those Target t-shirts I bought, as well as the polos and tee’s I previously purchased for my daughter’s uniforms.

They carry all the best brands such as Hanes, Gildan and Jerzees and in every imaginable color plus they have sweatshirts and pants for cooler weather. Even better, when you spend $69 or more, your shipping is free. If you find that you need inexpensive, quality shirts for kids, I highly recommend you check out cheaptees.com before hitting your local discount stores or the mall.