A Good Laugh Backstage

by Diane Adams

First, a pet peeve. Why do they insist on making the sizes for nursing bras so different from regular bras? I was in a show soon after the birth of my daughter, and I needed a strapless bra. I knew that I wasn’t going to fit into my old 36B, so I took a trip to the lingerie store and told them what I wanted. I said I didn’t know my size, but my nursing bra was a 38-40D. The salesperson looked a bit skeptical, but brought me a strapless in that size. It almost fell off! I finally ended up with a 38C, but it still didn’t feel like a perfect fit.

My daughter, Jordan, often came to rehearsals with me, and I took a lot of ribbing from the guys for breastfeeding her (clever comments like “I guess the buffet is open”). Overall, though, people were very supportive. The director let me read lines from the side while I was nursing, cast members took turns carrying Jordan around to give me a break, and one cast member’s girlfriend babysat whenever she could come to rehearsal.

Things started getting a little complicated towards the end when we were running the show. I’m used to nursing on demand, so going several hours without breastfeeding was a bit confusing to my body. One fellow cast member, a nurse, used to make baby noises to try to make me let down! She never succeeded. However, once the show actually started, I had to wear that strapless bra. One night, during the final number, I thought I felt a draft. During curtain call, I glanced down and saw a large wet spot on the front of my costume! The cups on the bra had collapsed, and I had definitely let down. Fortunately, I was wearing a jacket and could quickly hold it closed. But the cast got a good laugh backstage!