Please talk to be about breast size during and after pregnancy...

[badguider]

I'm 23weeks with my first and my bump is quite contained but I'm just in the process of washing and packing away all my winter jackets that don't fit anymore.
I tried a couple on and noticed that they are tightish round my tummy but really tight over my chest.... that got me to wondering if I'm going to end up stuck in maternity wear and dh's jackets all of next winter too :(

My breasts grew quite a bit in the first trimester then levelled out, but I think they've just had another growth spurt. I have gone from a 36D to a 38E and am thinking about moving up another chest size very soon but trying to hold off as I might need another cup size too in a few weeks.

Did your boobs grow massively in late pregnancy? and when your milk came in? and were they bigger than pregnancy during breastfeeding? If my LO is born in early september have I any chance of getting my boobs into my winter jackets for Nov/Dec/Jan?
(I spend a lot time outdoors and have some very expensive good quality ski jackets and down jackets).

[birdofthenorth]

Pre pregnancy 38d. Late pregnancy (maybe 36 weeks?) 38dd. Milk came in on day 4. Boobs then 40f! Baby now nearly 4 weeks and now a 40e.

[birdofthenorth]

PS good nursing bras have heaps of catches on the back- at least 4 or 5- so you can adjust the back quite a lot as you change size

[DIYandEatCake]

I didn't increase in size much (32A to 34B...!) but the 'biggest' I was was in the first couple of months of breastfeeding. After a few months the milk supply settles down. If the jackets aren't tight you'll probably get into them over the winter though, you'll have lost some general pregnancy weight by then. If you're an outdoorsy type have you looked at baby carriers, you might find you're wearing the baby on your front with the jacket unzipped anyway.

[DoodleAlley]

36d during most of second and third trimester.

Went huuuuuge when milk originally came in could only wear sleep bras as so sensitive.

Now settled down but 34e. Which is proving difficult as all the shoulder straps seem to be on the assumption I'm broad and so are virtually under my armpits. But that's an entirely different issue!

[badguider]

Hmm... so it seems like breastfeeding people are about one size bigger in the first couple of months than they were in the last trimester of pregnancy.
I am heading towards 30/40 F in pregnancy. Bugger.

My jackets are about a size 14. I'm guessing they might not fit in Sept/Oct but maybe by Xmas.... birdofthenorth do you mind me asking what size jacket/top you're in now?

DIY good point about baby carriers, I guess I might still be in DH's jackets so I can zip the baby inside :) but I do hope to be able to get DH to do baby carrying duties at weekends.

[emmyloo2]

First pregnancy boobs were much bigger during pregnancy and then were enormous when milk came in. As soon as breastfeeding was established they shrunk quite a bit. Once I stopped breastfeeding they shrunk to even smaller than before pregnant (thank god). Second pregnancy, they aren't as big as first but obviously still bigger than before I got pregnant. I expect they will get enormous again when the milk comes in and then calm down once I breastfeed. But they have been pretty much the same size since around 15 weeks I guess. I am now almost 38 weeks.

One tip - cabbage leaves from the fridge in your bra when you first have the baby and you are just starting breastfeeding. This really helped me.

[emmyloo2]

Just confirming, mine were definitely smaller than late pregnancy a week or so into breastfeeding. Definitely. I really liked the Anita underwire nursing bras as well. I ordered them from Fig Leaves (I think??) and I am wearing them during this pregnancy. They were super comfortable and just like normal bras except had the breastfeeding clips. I am going to order some more now in prep for this new baby.

[Thumbwitch]

My biggest tip for getting a nursing bra is to get one in plain cotton, not one with a formed cup. I bought one of those bastards, not realising - when you get the let down, your boobs swell a little and those formed cups have NO stretch in them, so it causes compression on your boobs! Plain cotton has some stretch, so you don't get the same problem. I totally wasted my money on that formed cup feeding bra, I won't be wearing it again, it's too bloody uncomfortable.

But yes, my bra size has gone down a little from when I was first feeding DS2 - in the first few weeks I was a 36F, but now (DS2 = 7mo) it's more like a 36E (although if I go a while without feeding and get engorged, it goes up again, hence the need for stretchiness!)

[Meringue33]

Yep. DD to H cup. I am a bit obsessed with being warm in winter so got a lovely wool maternity coat from Serafina. I used it with sling too in the snow as buttoned up around baby.

[HadALittleFaithBaby]

I went from a 36D to a 38E by week 11 of my pregnancy and stayed the same throughout. I went to get measured (at Mothercare) when my milk came in and was a 38E still. I basically lived in one coat that was a size up from my normal size and lasted me all my pregnancy (obviously don't really need coats at the moment but I found the bump was more of a problem than the boobs and I'm back in a smaller coat if I need it now).

I bought these bras which are incredibly comfortable. I agree with thumb, you don't want a formed cup, you need bras with give in them.

[Truffkin]

I was 36F pre-pregnancy,38H during and 34HH/J now. My boobs haven't shrunk even 3 months after my son weaned! I highly recommend Anita nursing bras as they have a flexible wire and are available in mammoth boob sizes I couldn't have gone wire free with my huge boobs, so lie to let people know they have the option. Underwired bras don't mess with milk supply or cause blocked ducts, but badly fitted bras can.

Good luck!

[StuckOnARollercoaster]

Are Anita bras available in shops or are they online only? Am impressed by the recommendations I see, but in the fog of a newborn and new sized boobs after giving birth I would probably prefer a shop with actual bras to try rather than buying a selection that then have to be sent back...

[badguider]

Thanks for the bra recommendation - i think anita might be for me :)

On the bra sizes though my head is swimming... what I think I should have asked is who is back in their pre-pregnancy sized tops and jackets after three months and who isn't?

Everybody seems obsessed with getting back into their pre-pregnancy jeans but new jeans are cheap compared to coats!!

[DIYandEatCake]

I was back in my pre-pregnancy winter coat after a week, I think it all depends on how tight the coat is to start with though!!

[BurnThisDiscoDown]

I was 34D pre pregnancy, 36E by the time DS was born, then 34F when my milk came in. He weaned fully about 6 months ago but I'm still 34F! I'm carrying a few pounds of baby weight still though ( DS is 21 months!) but in my or

[BurnThisDiscoDown]

Stupid phone! But in my pre pregnancy jeans is what I meant to type. Have had to buy new tips though, my old ones aren't long enough to go over the boobs and the belly!