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!
