Tit watch.... Bra advice please!!

[Leapoffaith]

I'm 7+5 and my boobs have already grown 3 inches...

Apart from feeling like I've woken up in someone else's body, I'm wondering how often I'm going to need new bras??

I'm down to one manky old sports bra that fits, so need to buy one today.... But don't know whether to spend on a nice one, or even two, as if I continue at this rate I'll need, to go up another size in a month or so anyway... Which could get expensive.

So anyone got any advice on their rate of boob expansion and what you have done about bras...?

And even better if you can rate any bras for looks/comfort?

[dontstopmenow]

I really, really dislike my Marks and Spencers ones. I have never felt the fit well and i got measured and everything.
Sorry not being more positive - I am on my second set of bras and am 10+5.
The second ones are from mothercare and they are better but still not very shapely but I guess that is due to no underwire.
I think am going to resign myself to this being an expensive business!

[Leapoffaith]

Thanks DSMN, I kind of thought it might be a case of resigning myself to spending a lot of £ on unattractive bras!

I'll take from your post that I'll probably be buying quite regularly so won't splash out on something pricey today.

[lucylev]

Hiya,

I bought two newbies from bhs £10 each and they are their t-shirt type, ( come up high and great support, highly recommended

[Leapoffaith]

thanks lucy lev, I'm going to venture into town now. Will prob try bhs first, as I'm not keen on anyone I know (esp from work!) seeing me in mothercare looking at bras and realising I'm pregnant!

[Petsville]

Get measured at Bravissimo and then buy bras somewhere cheaper - I bought sports bras and T-shirt bras from M&S's D-G range quite cheaply (about £10 each), in the measurement Bravissimo had told me I needed, and they were fine. I'm 18 weeks and on my third set (have gone from 28F to 30H), so I feel your pain! M&S stops being any use once you get past G too - I bought my current collection in Bravissimo's sale.

[Shaz10]

Buy some bra extenders if the cup is ok.

[SarahAlice]

Hi ya! I went to Leia (Bluewater) and got some Freya bras. I have gone from a 30HH to a 30J (not happy!!!). They re-fitted me and put me in a 32J which gave me no support at all and said that the 32 would see me through, but I was more interested in it fitting now and not having 4 boobs!!!

I took the 32's back and they did change them after a bit of a hoo ha. Trouble there is they bring them into you and I like to grab a handful and see for myself.

Petsville, I agree with Bravissimo! Once you know your size you can get some bargains from them. It is so not cheap though!

Good luck!
xx

[mummeeee]

I can really recommend carriwell bras. Only found them after I had given birth to dd; but for this pregnancy (my 2nd) I've worn them all the way through. I've actually worn the same ones throughout, as they are stretchy and the only thing I find comfortable. It also means I've not had to spend a lot on new sizes all the time.

Not sure if this makes me very stingy, but I just buy nursing bras (i.e. with drop cup) and wear them even though I obviously don't need the drop cup till after the baby's born.

here's a link for details of the range, but in the past I've bought them from amazon.
www.carriwell.com/asp/seamless/nursing_bra.asp

Hope it helps.

[ilovepeas]

I am very early on but already had to buy new bras. I found very cheap ones in La Senza (£10 each). They have all their lacy stuff but also really comfy cotton t-shirt bras which have finally relieved the uncomfortable feeling!

[Petsville]

Mummeeee, how do you know what size to buy for nursing bras? I've got no idea what size I'll be in a month, let alone once I've given birth - the books seem to reckon I ought to have stopped growing at 12 weeks, but I've had another growth spurt in the last month and I wouldn't be at all surprised if I have another one before giving birth - am seriously worried that I won't be able to get nursing bras in my size!

[BranflakeGirl]

Against my better judgement I got measured at M&S and the twin pack of maternity bra's I bought were fine...for about 2 weeks! Now they have no support, even freshly washed. I really should have known better after the hideous and wrong sized contraption they sold me when I was shopping for a strapless bra for my wedding.

Any one tried NCT bra fitting service?

[mummeeee]

The carriwell ones come in a small, medium, large, XL size and as they're stretchy it hasn't been a problem for me. There's a sizing guide on the website.

I'm quite small round the back with fairly big cups. pre-pregnancy about a 32D or 32E. Not sure what I'd be now, but probably somewhere around a 32G. Obviously after the birth once my milk comes in, my cup size will go up again, but the stretchiness made it still comfy last time.

I've always bought the medium carriwell. the back fits and the cups just expand to whatever. They also send you a back extender in with them, so if it did feel too tight round the back you could always lengthen.

[Leapoffaith]

Hiya, thanks for the messages. I had a look round and predictably ended up in M&S. The woman was amazing and found something that fitted and actually looked reasonably nice from their 'total suport' range. Seems comfortable so far, but I walk 4 miles every work day, so there's still that test to go!

It also has a little wrinkle of fabric left on the cup and a couple of rows of expansion on the back, which gives me a bit of growth room without actually being too big now. She recommended I get refitted in 6-8 wks.

Luckily I'm still within regular size range, but I'll definitely go the bravissimo route next time, just need to plan a trip to Brighton at about the right time.

[Elsa123]

Its such a pain trying to find stuff. I'm currently making do with existing sports bras and some bigger underwired bras where the wire sits against my ribs and does not big into boobage. I went into House of fraser (live in area without much) but they didn't sell maternity bras and recommended sports bras the next chest size up ie 34 instead of 32. I didn't buy any. Every website I look at, even the models' shape looks awful in the bras I've seen. What I really want is something supportive to minimise droopage and padded so I don't look pleased to see everyone. You'd think I was asking for the earth! ARGHH!

[BranflakeGirl]

Elsa123 - omg, I didn't even think about padded to cover up the eye-pokers my nipples have turned into! Thanks for giving me something else to panic about As for support/droopage...I'm thinking I'll just sling them over my shoulders, wear a XXL mans suit jacket and pretend I'm an 80's throwback with Dallas-busting shoulder pads!

[TottWriter]

Oh, I just started wearing breast pads early to cover my nipples. It's comfier if you have seamed bras too.

I've just outgrown my 32J bravissimo maternity bra, so believe me, I sympathise (I'm 23 weeks atm; certainly not true for me that you stop growing early on!)

I was recommended John Lewis for bigger cup sizes, though I haven't made it up there yet due to lack of transport. My nearest is Bluewater, which will be...interesting on public transport. It really annoys me how short on small back/big cup bras all the shops seem to be. I'm not even asking that they keep all of them in stock constantly, but it would be nice if more places actually included them in their range.

[lizardqueenie]

Hey Tottwriter if you manage to get to bluewater the other shop you could try is Leia- ive always found them really helpful in there but be warned they will come in and bring you different bras (the will leave to you change). They were really nice when I went in there a while back to buy a sports bra and didnt pressurise me into buying anything else.
I think they do bigger cup sizes too some of mine are E & H and they have a little loyalty stamp card things so if you are going to be buying a few it could work out quite good. John lewis is good too but I hate all that looking through them all crouching down, undoubtedly coming out with a bra attached to my hair!

Breast pads- good idea! I am only 7 weeks this week and I cant stand the thought of wearing all my nice freya and fantasie bras!