Rayon, crepe, boning, rubber linings…heard enough? Had you been pregnant in the first half of last century – and even into the second half in some countries – these would have been the options available to you for both your regular and pregnancy and breastfeeding lingerie. A far cry from the gorgeous HOTmilk Lingerie designer collections now available!

As our HOTmilk designers took a look through the history of lingerie, it was heartening to know that those who have gone before us rebelled against wearing restrictive, unflattering, uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous pregnancy and nursing lingerie. Yes, with metal components – not just underwiring! Had they not, the maternity lingerie women expect to wear today would not be the exquisitely detailed, supportive and functional array which is the basis of HOTmilk Lingerie.

We are amazed at what women used to wear. Some lingerie was completely outrageous! In the pre-Christian days, the bras worn by the women of Crete, for example, were all about exposure and decadence and nothing to do with support. The medieval era was a time of sexual repression and denial, breasts were flattened and made to look boyish. Fine for dress -ups, but can you imagine wearing these designs on a daily basis?

Pregnancy and breast feeding lingerie was not something women of higher social classes bothered about until much later on – wet nurses were employed to breastfeed their infants and those women generally bound their breasts. The Renaissance era saw cleavages on show but it wasn’t until the 19^th century that women finally found their voices in regard to lingerie and backed by medical evidence, the corsets they wore became less restrictive and were made from softer fabrics. Post World War 2 saw fabric shortages and lingerie became smaller. More women were working and the need to be able to conveniently breastfeed increased. Maternity lingerie became more widely available, albeit in boring beige, white and black with cumbersome clasps, rough fabrics and sizing which gave few options. The changes to pregnancy and breastfeeding lingerie in recent history, with for example the recommendation of not wearing bras with underwire, is vast. It makes you appreciate the fashionable options women of this century expect to wear! Which is what drives us at HOTmilk Lingerie, along with the desire to wear it ourselves!

HOTmilk Lingerie is dedicated to the production of chic yet practical pregnancy and breast feeding lingerie. And we love the fact that it’s  sexy! That a woman can expect to feel ravishing and sensual while pregnant is something our entire marketing campaigns are based around and thank goodness for that! At what is undoubtedly one of the most feminine times in a woman’s life, HOTmilk believes she should feel empowered by wearing beautiful lingerie of her choice. HOTmilk is available in a multitude of sizes, is functional, fashion forward and supportive. It reveals the sexy woman inside the loving mother. And at HOTmilk Lingerie, we are also dedicated to ensuring that when it comes to pregnancy and breastfeeding lingerie, fashion history will not repeat itself!