What happens w/boob size in pregnancy and afterwards?

[Blanca78]

Sorry if that question seems crude but I am wondering. I have always been uncomfortable with my largish chest (I'm only a C/D cup, but have always gotten highly irritating comments from strangers and family), and now at 8 weeks I'm overflowing my bras. I'm sort of hoping against hope that as first trimester soreness fades the size may go down, too, but somehow I'm doubtful.

So--do I need to invest in some bigger bras? What happens after the baby's born? Do they stay big with breastfeeding?

Feeling self conscious about them here...

[Lucy&Jude'sMama]

With my first I started as a C-cup. Went to a D cup the first month I was pregnant and then DD-E in my last trimester and then when my milk came in I was a FF and I stayed there until I stopped breastfeeding. Then I went back down to a very saggy D-cup.

Invest in a good bra but dont buy any nursing bras until after your milk comes in... I think it's a couple days to a week after the baby is born.

I'm not self conscious about having large breasts but I cant stand them but they can be a pain in the a$$. I didn't get good bras the first time around and I will not be making that mistake again. My back killed me. This time the two most important things for me to buy are the boppy and a couple really good nursing bras which will I'll order after number 2 gets here. I'm just praying I don't go as big as I did with my daughter. I'm currently in the third trimester and I'm at a DD still sooooo I'm hoping!!!

[MyFullHouse]

I think it can vary for each woman, but I'd definitely prepare to go larger.

I'm also usually a C/D and tend to go to a large D during pregnancy. The actual size doesn't seem to be that drastic a change, but the, um... "perkiness"/fullness makes it look like a bigger change.

During bf'ing, forget it. I get enormous in the beginning, and usually go down to Very Large after a few months.

After weaning, I've pretty much gone back to my C/D.

[MaerynPearl]

You know what is unfortunately both the most true and most frustrating statement when it comes to our pregnancies and our bodies?

Well... that depends on what YOUR body does...

You probably will (but not always) need larger bras. But cant tell you exactly HOW much larger. Or how long you will be that size even after you have the baby. Because it changes again once your milk comes in... and then may or may not stay the same while breastfeeding and in general could go back down after weening, but again... sometimes not.

I know that had to be a really frustrating thing to read... but that's my own personal experience with my OWN body between two breastfed babies and three pregnancies. My breasts grew with both of the first two pregnancies, not this time. They grew with breastfeeding with DS but not with DD and did not shrink after weening DS but did after DD...

So although DD2 will be joining us in no more than a week and half... and I have been through this twice before... I honestly have NO clue what to expect!

[crayfishgirl]

I was on the large side pre-pregnancy/birth (36DD), and my my breasts didn't increase in size enough during my first pregnancy to need new bras. Afterwards with nursing...36H (yes, that's H, for HolyCrap!). I'm 15 weeks along now and still nursing my daughter, and have been concerned that they'll get even bigger. However, my milk supply has been dropping and they're actually decreasing in size, so I'm feeling somewhat optimistic that I won't be entering the world of freakishly huge boobs. The only upside is that my big boobs minimize my post-baby pooch and so I look like I'm in better shape than I am.

PS. Unfortunately H-cups can only be bought online, but breakoutbras.com has a good selection and cheap shipping.

[Blanca78]

Oh man, I'm scared now. I've always wished they were smaller. I don't want them to get bigger! It's hard enough to find shirts that fit well as is!

[blessedwithboys]

Well, mine went from big to huge and then back down to big, but not full like they used to be, instead they looked like deflated balloons. LOL

Then I have a friend who is an almost-A but goes to a very full B while nursing and then right back down to an A after weaning.

Just don't get the idea that nursing ruins your boobs, because my mother did NOT nurse and just pg alone sagged out her girls.

[Aliy]

pregnancy didn't do too much but my DH is a massage therapist and he did lymphatic drainage fairly regularly for me so they didn't get to huge... but after when the milk came... whoa did the milk come.... boobzilla over here

[Galatea]

I am a DD when not pg. At the end of my pregnancy, I am wearing an F/G, and will wear that for the first several months of nursing. As the baby gets older, I will wear a DD again.

[homemademom]

My boob history is as follows (): started as a full C, went to a D while pg and then, DD when milk came in, then back to a D while nursing. When I weaned, I deflated down to a very small, saggy B. Now that I'm pg again, they've popped back to a D.

[WifeofAnt]

I'm still pregnant but the growth I had in the first trimester is so far the only major change I've had. I ballooned from a 36B to a 38C (although I doubt either were my true size becuase I need to be professionally fitted). From 10 weeks to 28 I'm still in the same size.

[Blanca78]

Originally Posted by homemademom

My boob history is as follows (): started as a full C, went to a D while pg and then, DD when milk came in, then back to a D while nursing. When I weaned, I deflated down to a very small, saggy B. Now that I'm pg again, they've popped back to a D.

This gives me hope! I'd describe my mom's as saggy B and she breastfed three kids. Don't know what she started out with but I'd describe my original size as a full C/small D depending on my weight--now def. pushing D!

[karen1968]

Just to dispell a myth: Breastfeeding does not cause your boobs to sag! It is pregnancy and the changes it brings that causes breasts to sag after lactation (i.e., you can breastfeed for 3 years or not at all, and breasts will sag the same).

As for size changes, well, I don't think my experience will bring you any mental relief!

I was a large 36c before my first pregnancy. The boob fairy always visits me around week 6, so even though two of my four pg ended in miscarriage, my boobs have gotten bigger every time. Right now, at 30 weeks pregnant, I am a 38G. I did NOT have any reduction in size after weaning, but I didn't have much time between weaning and pg (3 months) or m/c and pg (5 months) in the past year.

I have already told my husband that I will wait one year after weaning this baby (our last), and if I am still above a D-cup, I want reduction surgery. I just can't go through life this huge!

And yes, buying bras for this size is annoying and expensive.

[jcregan]

With the first I was around a C/D and went to a D or maybe DD at the end of pregnancy... BFing they were at least an E or something for awhile and over the 3 years I nursed they slowed decreased and in the last year (after weaning) I think I am at a D again. They have barely gotten bigger with this pg so far - just denser.

My boobs were already saggy before I ever go pregnant the first time and I was glad to discover they did not get much saggier after pregnancy and bfing... they just went back to there normal sagginess.

Definitely only by bras as you need them... don't try to buy ahead of time.

[Blanca78]

Originally Posted by Aliy

pregnancy didn't do too much but my DH is a massage therapist and he did lymphatic drainage fairly regularly for me so they didn't get to huge... but after when the milk came... whoa did the milk come.... boobzilla over here

What is lymphatic drainage? Is it something one could do to oneself, do you think?

[the janet]

Originally Posted by blessedwithboys

I have a friend who is an almost-A but goes to a very full B while nursing and then right back down to an A after weaning.

Sigh. I'll be lucky if I get to a full A! I was always excited about the prospect of becoming pregnant because I assumed my mosquito bites would swell into the matronly bosom I'd always envied.

Nope. I'm sure they've gotten larger but not by a measurable amount. In fact, it almost feels like they've gotten a bit smaller the past few weeks! I'd die for a pair of DDs...but you know what they say about the grass being greener....

[Ellen Griswold]

34C before kids, bigger while nursing ds (can't remember measurement though), weaned and I didn't notice a difference in size. Pregnant again with dd and got a bit bigger, professionally fitted to a 34H, got pregnant again (going to tandem) and have noticed minimal changes in size. Again, likely not what you wanted to hear when I (okay, my mom) just shelled out $70 for a good bra.

[nadia105]

They really won't get smaller during your pg, but after the inital size boost, they might not get bigger again (though your band size will most likely increase as you reach term).

I really like bravado bras for the whole unpredictable boob size thing. You can wear them when you are pg and when you are nursing, there is a lot of stretch and they are comfy.

With my kids, I was a c/d before, d/dd when pg and an f/g while nursing. I'm already measureing at an f at 10 weeks this time, i fear how far in the alphabet I will get this time.

I second the pp who recommended breakoutbras.com , they are very good and have 10% off codes and sales a lot.

[Lauren82]

I think in most cases they do get larger. During pregnancy mine generally go up a cup size and then another cup size when my milk comes in. As I lose weight and my milk supply regulates, they tend to shrink down some what.

I don't know what I'm going to do this time around as I am starting off with an F cup.

[mumkimum]

Here, I've had with each pg 2 size changes (initial pg increase and again around 6-7 mo), more right after birth, a decrease around 1 year of nursing, and another after lo has weaned. (this was 36C - 38D - 38DD - bigger (only wore bravados I was scared to get a proper size - 36DD, then 34DD once dd1 weaned). I'm nursing dd2 and I suspect I'm like a 32E but I don't really want to know. . . the changes are just ridiculous.

Ditto the pp's recs for bravado (or similar) bras for pg/nursing and for breakout bras.com that has a lot of the hard-to-find sizes and good sizing recs.