[mama2simon]

Any recommendations for a solid brand? In general I like t-shirt style bras so I am searching for those online right now.

Also sizing? Any general ideas on what to get? A cup size up?

 

[nighten]

I like the soft stretchy kinds that you just pull up or down (no snaps at the straps; no underwire), and my favorite is Gilligan and O'Malley from Target. I am currently wearing the Large size, and it's a tad roomy. I was in Smalls before I got pregnant, and Mediums before that, back when Guinevere was nursing on demand still. So I have all the sizes.

I will stay in Large after baby's here and milk comes in (nice stretchy bras accommodate huge bowling ball breasts better, IME, for those very early weeks, plus you can sleep in them).

Once my breasts start going back down a bit and I'm losing weight, I'll go back to Mediums, then once everything's more efficient (around 9 months or so, likely), I'll be back in the Smalls.

Probably.

I normally wear a 34B but am wearing 36C bras with extenders (so a 38? no clue). If I were buying now for nursing bras after birth, I'd get a 36C, but I wouldn't expect to wear those bras until after my milk had come in and things had calmed down a bit. I'd wear the bigger stretchy/sleep bras initially (I get clogged ducts if I wear anything too snug underneath or with underwire).

But the stretchy bras tend to run small, overall. At least the ones from Target, Kohls, and Motherhood Maternity do. Motherhood has some in much larger sizes though, at least.

 

[k13]

If you are looking online you might want to check out herroom.com

Here's a link to their advice about nursing bras:

http://www.herroom.com/maternity-underwear.aspx

They have a pretty good selection and you can search by types, sizes etc.

I myself have gone up THREE cup sizes, just being pregnant. I dread getting any larger but just ordered yet another size up for when the milk comes in. I have bras in a variety of sizes - hopefully I'll have some to fit me at each stage

some suggest going up a band size as well to accomodate the expanding ribcage during pregnancy but I'd suggest getting an extender, that way you get more use out of the bras afterwards and a proper fit.

 

[Citykid]

Great link, K13, thanks. I went to a special nursing bra store to get fitted in my 8th month last time and was ultimately disappointed with the expensive bras they recommended. They had very little support, and I really need support. The ones on HerRoom look much better. This time I think I will buy just a couple of soft cups next month, accept the droopy look for the first 6 months of nursing and then defy the conventional wisdom and get some underwires. I don't think most nursing bras are made with extended nursing in mind. And since I'll be pumping at work I'll be wearing nursing bras to work. Yuck, what a thought.

 

[mama2simon]

Thank you!

 

[k13]

Quote:

I don't think most nursing bras are made with extended nursing in mind.

I know! I nursed my older two kids for three plus years apiece and I was SO over nursing bras after the first six months or so. Ugly and generally terrible support, especially if you are a hard to find size. Eventually I just learned what types of regular bras were easier to stretch the cups down! It is hard for me to find regular bras in my size either, since I have a small ribcage (32 or smaller bandsize) but all that extended nursing left me with some serious flesh to support. Try finding anything bigger than an A cup in a band size 32... much less an F, which is what I am now! Ahhhhh....

my poor boobs have gone up and down so many cup sizes over the past 12 years it's ridiculuous! I love herroom, even though it would be nice to be able to try bras on first, at least they make returns easy. If you get a proper fit, underwires shouldn't be a problem. I prefer them!

 

[nighten]

Oh gosh, I can't get near an underwire when nursing. They give me the worst plugged ducts. Very painful.

But I tend to be a bit smaller to begin with, so what I lack for in support, I make up for in comfort with not dealing with duct issues. Last time I actually ended up getting some disposable nursing pads and sticking them on snug tank tops and wearing those as "bras" around the house. Even the tshirt type nursing bras were painful for me.

I went back to regular (no-wire) bras after about a year of nursing, once I no longer needed any pads. I really am not a fan of the unhook, pull down bras at all. I always fumbled with those.

 

[cagnew]

I have been wearing a bravada (bravado?) bra for a couple months and it's been great. However, it was pricey (for me) and I am not sure how I will like it for nursing. It's soft and doesn't have an underwire, but the support isn't great and with my ridiculously large breasts, I need good support. Also, it's an unhook, and I am not sure how I will like that when it's time to use it.
I have gone from a 34c (those were the days!) to a tight 36DD. I dread getting bigger. I am getting to the point where I miss my old body....

 

[Citykid]

I think my old nursing bras were those Bravados with hooks. I thought the hooks worked well for nursing - I could both open and close it very easily with one hand. But they had no support and they stretched out quickly. It was okay while I was in my postpartum period, staying at home and wearing baggy t-shirts every day. But the first time my new mommy friends saw me wearing a normal bra, they all thought I had lost ten pounds!

But also, I'm a shameless outdoor nurser. I like to be out and about, and that means I'm going to nurse in public a lot, so I need coverage. The things I hated the most were the nursing shirts that have an envelope flap under the breasts that you're supposed to just poke your nipple out of - that exposed me so much more than just lifting a regular t-shirt!

 

[k13]

Quote:

The things I hated the most were the nursing shirts that have an envelope flap under the breasts that you're supposed to just poke your nipple out of - that exposed me so much more than just lifting a regular t-shirt

Totally! I really can't stand "nursing" clothes. They just seem over-complicated and generally pretty hideous! When it was cold I always wore a nice comfy loose tank-top under a regular shirt to help with warmth. Lift up shirt, pull down tank and bra, nurse!

 

[nighten]

This site is having a bra sale:

http://www.figleaves.com/us/nsf/qwis...8+04%3A13%3A24

 

[peekaboom]

i loved bravado with my dd too...there are a lot more styles now than there used to be...my faves were the bodysilk seamless ( love lov elove...) and the tanks. i also used the supreme for working out and support as i was a 38 f cup. they are great bras. worth every penny to me.

hth

 

[mommyofatoz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by peekaboom i loved bravado with my dd too...there are a lot more styles now than there used to be...my faves were the bodysilk seamless ( love lov elove...) and the tanks. i also used the supreme for working out and support as i was a 38 f cup. they are great bras. worth every penny to me. hth

So you liked the supreme bravados? I tried the other one meant for bigger sizes, and got no support, but have been wondering about the supreme...how are they about accommodating breast size changes?

 

[motherbirth]

I'm interested in this thread too. It just occurred to me that since I am a really odd bra size (already a small band size/large cup size combination) I will have to mail order all my nursing bras. I remember with my previous babies that when my milk came in I got HUGE and nothing I had bought during pregnancy fit... so I am completely at a loss with how to prepare. (I think I am thinner overall than when I had my last ones which is part of the problem with my bra size. Also, last time around I lived near the Motherwear outlet back when that existed, so I could just go to a specialty nursing store.)

Are there companies with good return policies, if I just stocked up on a few different cup sizes? I hate that idea when you are paying $60+ per bra though.... I don't really have the money.

And being a large cup size, going braless isn't really an option either.

 

[Cherry Alive]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nighten This site is having a bra sale: http://www.figleaves.com/us/nsf/qwis...8+04%3A13%3A24

Nighten-

Thank you so much for the link! I bought 3 pairs of Elle MacPherson Maternelle bras for 50% off. OMG-I wish I had gotten more! They are the most comfortable bras I've ever had. Now, I'm keeping an eye open for more sales.

 

[User101]

Moving to the breastfeeding forum

 

[LaurenAnanas]

I got one Medela Comfort bra and one Bravado tank before I had my baby, and those were enough to last me until I went for a fitting after my milk came in and engorgement had passed. I went to a fancy bra store and found out that my size was not at all what I thought it was (smaller band and larger cup)!

I still wear the comfort bra at night (I have to wear pads, or the bed and everyone in it gets soaked) and it is so comfy, and I have a few "real" bras for daytime wear.

My favorites, for comfort, ease, and support, are the properly sized Bravado tank I got after the fitting, and the non-underwire Anita bra I got at the fancy store. Which is available on the figleaves site for half of what I paid.

:

So my advice is to get one or two simple bras, or even just use some soft regular bras or tanks that fit now, and go for a fitting after the baby's come. And if your fitting is at a pricey store, get one there, and then buy any others you need online.

 

[happyhousewife06]

I wanna suggest that everyone get fitted before jumpping in to expensive nursing bras... I bought a hand full at 40 or $50 a pop..... only to have them wear out really quickly... I decided to go try one more style and got fitted... all my bras that wore out were 40 C/D and when I got fitted I was a 44 E...no wonder I was going through bras like bottled water!! good luck ladies..and look for sales!