BIG Boobs - and I mean BIG

[matey]

Any really chesty women out there? I am trying to get a game plan together for nursing bras and maternity clothing without that stupid line. You know, the one that is supposed to separate boobs and belly, but ends up separating boob and boob.

I'm a 40 I and I want to support my Big Boobed friends.

[MammaV]

Ha! I was a 36-B cup before DD. After having her and nursing I was a 38-E! They have since deflated to a C, but now I'm back into a D again. I don't think the guidelines for estimating how your boobs will grow are that accurate. The proverbial "they" never tell you how they change in shape and form etc either. I had beautiful perky round boobs before pregnancy. THey changed to national geographic cone boobs with super dark areolas and huge nipples! They never went back to the original either. They are now on a quest to fill my armpits when I lay down and tickle my belly button when I'm standing up!

[torio]

I don't really belong here. Certainly not big before, really not even big now, at least compared to other women, but the change is pretty incredible. I went from 36 barely A. Really, I almost never wore a bra because it seemed unnecessary. I'm only 7 weeks now but already stretching the 38B bras I've upgraded to...how much bigger might they get?

[chinaKat]

Originally Posted by matey

Any really chesty women out there? I am trying to get a game plan together for nursing bras and maternity clothing without that stupid line. You know, the one that is supposed to separate boobs and belly, but ends up separating boob and boob.

I'm a 40 I and I want to support my Big Boobed friends.

Heh, I know of what you speak.

With my first pregnancy, I had all these dreams of wearing these Earth Mother peasant blouses. Yeah, right. It was boob city, and NOT the look I was going for. I was SO HAPPY when my belly finally outgrew my boobs. (Let's just say it took a while!) V-neck tees were my best bet during that pregnancy -- ones with a little spandex so that it didn't look like I had bought them from Omar the Tentmaker's.

When it came to nursing bras, I hated all of them. No support whatsoever. I wound up just wearing regular underwire bras that fit, and pulling them up over the breast to nurse. I'm really just not comfortable going without the support of an underwire, gravity is not my friend.

[willoLevin]

I PM'd matey about these, but now I think I should just post here.

Try www.decentexposures.com for comfortable nursing bras up to really large sizes. They custom make them, which is also great for short torsoed big busted girls like me.

They aren't as good looking as a real underwire bra, fitting more like a sports bra but with better separation, but I found last time--and am starting to feel already--that underwires HURT ME when I'm pg or bf.

Pulling my bra up or down to nurse also was always painful to me. I know it works for some women, but I think the first-timers should know not to count on it working for them!

Has anyone tried the "Nunderwire" bras that Motherwear sells? They have a snap off underwire so you can choose whether to wear it or not, depending upon your needs at the moment. I think over 2 years of nursing really wore out my previous nursing bras. I will have to buy more.

--willo

[SongbirdSinging]

sign me up for the club...

zoiks, I was just getting down to about an E, and now I'm up to HUGEola again. I can't fit into any of my bras at all decently, and while I love the playtext Underwire alternative nursing bras, I don't know where I'd find them in a size I"d need.

note to self: measure tomorrow to see how you've grown!! lol......

[matey]

So glad to not be alone! I dont think i could handle pulling my boobs out from the bottom. I am going to look at willoLevin suggestion.

[54mama]

It is nice to find folks who understand! Every time I try on one of those cute cross-over/empire-waistred/boob encasing shirts (pregnant, nursing, or not) and I get the severed boob line I think "why the HELL do I keep trying these damn things on?!?!?" We won't even go into button up shirts. I found the medela underwire nursing bra was okay once the major milk engorgment time passed in my nursing. Before that... nothing but special order Goddess brand no-undewire bras I HATED.
Liv

[neetling]

42 F here. Hate em.

[AmyG]

I'm a 30I, and I imagine I'll be growing soon. I've been losing weight due to morning sickness lately, so I imagine that my breasts will grow once I start gaining.

I've read that the estimates for how much you grow during pregnancy/breastfeeding are only averages and that people who tend to gain weight in their breasts will get larger than average. That seems to be the case with me.

I was a D cup since the 7th grade. I got pregnant with my first and was an F during pregnancy. Then my milk came in, and I was a G. Then I got pregnant when he was 10 months old, and I was obviously still nursing, and I grew to an H. Then the baby was born, and I grew to an I. Now I got pregnant again without weaning, so I imagine I'll just add some more on. I'm envious of those of you who at least have a bigger band size. I have a small frame, and I look like I'm going to fall over on my face. I love it when I'm pregnant and my belly sticks out so far that I actually don't look like I used to be a stripper with super-human implants.

[willoLevin]

54mama -- I've seen the Goddess brand. Did you hate it for being ugly? 'Cuz what I want to know is, IS IT COMFORTABLE?

I'm going to buy 3-4 new nursing bras this time around. (I like to have a week's worth so I don't have to worry so much about getting to the laundry.)

My Medela bra was the prettiest nursing bra I had with the best support, but as I shrank down in DS' waning nursing months, it became painful, like there was so much fabric it started to poke me somewhere?

The Decent Exposures bras didn't give me as nice a shape as I am used to with fashion bras, but they were the most comfortable. (And, lately, my non-nursing DE bras are the most comfortable thing for my poor tender pg bosom.) Also, if I *HAD* to use a regular bra and pull up/down to nurse, these bras didn't jab me in the underarm like an underwire bra would.

I had a couple of "plus" Bravado bras, but, seriously, those are for little girls. I wore them because I'd bought them, but I'm glad they are worn out. Washing them made the wide elastic underband curl up into a lumpy, painful rib-irritant. (Sure I should've hand-washed, but DH did laundry while I had a newborn. He had no idea!)

I found that lifting up/down the cup on a bra hurt me too much during our early (tender/frequent) days of nursing. When DS was 2+ and nursing was an occasional need due to stress, it was fine and I went back to my fashion bras and lifted them up. One time per day wasn't too difficult/uncomfortable.

My bra size started at 36D (pre-pregnancy), and I became too sensitive to wear my fashion bras before I outgrew them, so I can't say how big I got during pg. When DS was a couple of weeks old and I was fitted for the Medela bra at the lactation consultant's store, I was a 38F (borderline G, but I couldn't psychologically bear that size and told her I was sure I was engorged right then!) Nowadays, I'm back in my old bras (36D) but they fit a little differently. I think the girls are a bit... deflated. In addition to DS weaning in August, I also lost about 15 pounds this year, so I don't want to blame my boob loss on pg/bf/weaning exclusively!

--willo

[54mama]

Originally Posted by willoLevin

54mama -- I've seen the Goddess brand. Did you hate it for being ugly? 'Cuz what I want to know is, IS IT COMFORTABLE?
--willo

Cetainly wasn't pretty (but I've given up on that ages ago). I just hated not having underwire... it felt like I had so much material around me. But, it was comfortable for that mega milk beginning time. I noticed you are near Boston and I am in Boston... so have you ever tried a Lady Grace stores? There are a couple around the city (and NH & ME) and they have a website (www.ladygrace.com). That is where I got my Goddess ones and they were great about fitting me and have a decent selection of large bras (nursing and non).
Liv

[courtenay_e]

Hear-hear! When I was in college I was a 34 DD. I started eating right (I'm hypoglycemic), and my boobs shrank down (praise the lord!) to a 34 B, not even a full one. THEN I GOT PREGNANT with my dd. Before I was six weeks, they were back up to a firm, round, OVERFLOWING 34DD. I called my mom crying because a guy at the gas station (I was a size 2/4 at the time) was ogling me, and that hadn't happened in quite a while, and I wasn't used to it, and...WAAAHHHHHHHH! My mom said to just wait till I got a bump, and people would stop staring. Well, she was right. Until I had the baby. I left the hospital the day my milk came in. The closest bra they had to my size at the hospital (the one I'd brought was a joke) was a 36 GGG. My husband, in a fit of brainlessness, looked at me and said, "Gee, honey, I didn't know they MADE THEM that big! On the up side? I make enough milk for a small village.

As far as a COMFY bra? I don't think they exist, really. Some things come fairly close. I'm currently back down to a DD, and I find that I'm most comfortable in an Anita seamless microfiber(they make them in up to a G cup, by the way). I like them because they have a little extra support LIKE an underwire bra, without the underwire. THey're plain, but not granny looking, and there's no annoying lace or itchy or pokey stuff. BUT they stretch out fairly quickly, and when the lack of support starts, I am prone to plugged ducts underneath my breasts. So bras are a fairly large expense in my wardrobe. Good thing I stay home...If I had to pay for bras AND work clothes, we'd probably be in trouble.

[willoLevin]

Liv -- I've seen Lady Grace stores (isn't there one at Coolidge Corner?) but not been in one. I'll have to find the closest one and go in next June/July.

I'm happy that I already have some bras from nursing DS so I don't feel like I need to buy anything right now. (Well, except that I'm hating all my fashion bras lately due to underwire+soreness. I'm just not ready for the underwire-less slump yet, you know?)

That's why I wondered about the Nunderwire ones that Motherwear sells. I thought maybe I could wear the wire when I went out of the house, then come home and remove the wire and be floppy in the house.

I just hate to buy a bra by mail. Even with careful measurements, I've had both good and bad experiences.

--willo

[courtenay_e]

The nice thing about motherwear is their return policy. I have often bought several sizes of the same bra and then sent back the ones that don't fit...our money is back on the card asap.

[todavia]

my pre-pg size was 34DD and they got HUGE after ds was born until i stopped nursing. since then they're a little smaller and a little longer .

i can't remember what size but i was but i used the mimi maternity nursing bras and really liked them - comfortable, durable, nice shape, easy access.

pregnant, nursing or not i still have yet to find the 100% perfect bra that doesn't start 'attacking' me by the end of the day. i put on a 'sleep bra' sometimes if i don't want to be all over the place but really at a certain point the girls just want to be free .

i'll definately check out the links you all have posted as well...thanks.

[chinaKat]

Originally Posted by willoLevin

Liv -- I've seen Lady Grace stores (isn't there one at Coolidge Corner?) but not been in one. I'll have to find the closest one and go in next June/July.

There is one at Coolidge Corner, on Beacon Street (heading outbound from CC). I think there is also one in the Arsenal Mall in Watertown, but I haven't been there for a while so you might want to call ahead if that location is closer to you.