Are there any good supportive HH+ cup nursing bras out there that won't make me look like I weight a ton with boobs that live under my armpits?!

[kjh5]

I am thoroughly fed up with the lack of good quality nursing bras out there for larger-chested women. At 33 weeks I'm a 34HH and seriously hoping that my boobs don't get any bigger. I've been on the hunt for nursing bras that don't make me look like some sort of freak of nature but so far have found nothing. None of the usual High Street Stores I have been to seem to have nursing bras in my size and I've tried on two of the four options available at Bravissimo which either offer no support whatsoever or rearrange my boobs so they are sitting under my armpits. Admittedly my bump is massive and the fact I feel like a beached whale isn't really helping matters. The underwire bras I have are becoming uncomfortable and won't be suitable once the baby arrives. I'm currently living in built-in-bra pyjama tops and beginning to feel desperate, any larger-chested women out there with any suggestions?


Disclaimer this post has been fuelled by a healthy dose of preggo hormone rage

[Ladyface]

Have you had a look at Royce? They go up to a 40K.

www.johnlewis.com/royce-sadie-819-nursing-bra/p639539?colour=Black%20/%20Silver

[TwentiethCenturyGirl]

I've heard good things about this website and will be buying a couple of the underwired nursing bras from it once DC2 has arrived.

I just used Bravissimo last time round. In my experience, the Royce bras that they sell were useless - I might as well have been wearing a crop top - but I did have more success with one made by Panache. However, I did really miss an underwired bra and it was a huge relief to get back into 'normal' underwear once DD dropped down to only feeding in the morning and evening.

Did Bravissimo fit you when you went in? I've always been refitted during pregnancy and have been able to carry on wearing slightly larger underwired bras right up until giving birth. I'm the same size as you and couldn't cope with wearing built in bra tops!

[mrsbug]

I was a 32I when DD was born and the best nursing bra I found was a Panache Sophie - supportive and not too ugly.

The best nursing bras I owned were the Anita underwired one, and the Bravado Bliss which isn't underwired but the cups are sort of sculpted so it's very supportive. However, in both of these bras the cup sizes came up a good two sizes smaller than the panache bra, and I wasn't able to fit into their largest cup size until DD was a few months old and my boobs had shrunk a bit.

I agree with Twentieth about Royce bras but I think if possible you should go back to Bravissimo and get measured again as different styles fit different people. The fitter there said the Panache Sophie bra fit me well because I am generally petite (ie. short in the body) and the other bras in my size drowned me.

[TwentiethCenturyGirl]

The Panache Sophie was the bra that I had most success with too. It was a million more times supportive than any of the others I tried.

Thanks for the tip about the Anita underwired bra being a lot smaller than the Panache bra. That's the one that I've been looking at online. I'll hold off on ordering one until my bra size has settled down a bit and bear it mind that I might need to up the size I order. Is it just the cup that comes up small mrsbug or is it the band as well?

[mrsbug]

Just the cup, Twentieth. I've since read that it's because they use american sizing which means that they skip the double letters, so a British size HH is a US L cup . It would make sense as I found the I cup way too tight when I was wearing the Sophie in an HH cup.

Anyway if the band is too tight you can just buy one of those bra strap extenders, then it will fit you in a few months when your rib cage shrinks

[TwentiethCenturyGirl]

Crikey - I'll remember that when I'm ordering it. Thanks :)

[kjh5]

Thanks for advice! I've been fitted at Bravissimo but I might go back again in a few weeks incase things have changed. I hadn't tried the Sophie Panache so I'll give that a go!

[Boogles91]

Im a E cup, As i dont really have a big bump im sticking with my underwired bras. My mum just bought me two new ones as the ones i had were becoming uncomfortable and i was gettin fed up of falling out all the time! She got me them from simply yours and they are perfect fit, i chose an E cup again as the ones i had were from debenhams and anne summers, and i dont know where they get there sizes from but compared to these they are definatley not an E! So try there, i chose a bigger band size and im alot comfier in them now, and just normal ones as i dont want to breastfeed, my mum told me with me and my brothers it didnt fill us up enough, and the powdered milk did. Hope you have some luck, but they do very large sizes, my mums a JJ cup and the bras she gets from them are perfect for her so i. Sure if u choose the right band size aswel u should find something comfy for yourself :)

[Kels13]

Thanks for this post. Watching with interest. I'm starting pregnancy at 32H. Dreading bigger boobs / bra shopping.