Desperately seeking a pregnancy sleep bra for big boobs!

[salstars]

Due Apr 09 - ages away! I've known for a week that I'm pregnant and my boobs (normally 34H) are really really sore and I can't be without a bra at all.

I read somewhere about pregnancy sleep bras and have tried to find one on the net - only problem is, no one caters for big-boobed women whose boobs get even bigger when pregnant

Has anyone else found a good source of non-frumpy, non-underwired bras in larger sizes?

[MrsTittleMouse]

Have you tried Bravado? They are actually breastfeeding bras, but are very comfy to sleep in too. I use them as my "hospital" bras, as they are forgiving in size. The website is here, figleaves might have some left on their website here and they're on sale. Otherwise (if you want a regular "pregnancy" bra Bravissimo are really good for larger cup sizes and they've just increased their pregnancy/soft cup selection.

[MrsJamin]

How about this? Would be useful once you'd had the baby too?

[MrsTittleMouse]

Forgot to add - congratulations!

[lulu1414]

Hi there- Congratulations on your pregnancy!
I have this same problem. I have big boobs- 30DD and they have just got bigger and bigger (now 32GG) as I progressed through my pregnancy (28 weeks now). I found wearing a non-wired soft bra at night at the beginning- when boobs are very sore. After 14 weeks they started hurting less so I then started wearing a tank top with loads of support. Now I wear a bravissimo PJ top which provides some support (I think it is a bit small- make sure you try it on as the sizing can be a bit wierd).

I have been going to Bravissimo regularly for fittings and generally they have been good. Otherwise, try figleaves or bravissimo's website.

Good luck reigning then in!

[salstars]

Thanks for your suggestions. I usually shop at Bravissimo and actually ordered a soft cup bra from them. It arrived yesterday and although the tag said 34HH, it only fitted across half of my boobs! I'm definitely still this size as my other bras still fit, but it's so depressing to think I'll have to go up to J, K, or higher, just to find a bra that fits!!

I looked on figleaves and they didn't have much in my size. I have avoided 'nursing bras' as i didn't think that was what I needed - maybe I'll have to bite the bullet and accept that I'll have to buy one of these to solve my problem. I'll also look at your other suggestions - thank you.

Thanks for your congrats - I had a m/c in May so just taking each day as it comes at the mo and not relying on being pregnant by this time next week!

[hairtwiddler]

You have my sympathies, I was in a K-cup when breastfeeding, and wore bras day and night. The only brand I found were royce but not sleep bras, just normal feeding bras. Horrible they were too.
Maybe we should email bravissimo to get them to ask manufacturers for one.

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

I found these to be really comfortable.

The site I have linked to doesn't really give much info regarding size, so I would have a surf and see what you can find - and you can probably get them cheaper else where as well.

[salstars]

Hairtwiddler, thanks for your message. Good to know I'm not the only one out there! I was thinking of writing a letter to Bravissimo with the parcel I have to now send back to them (with the wrong fitting bra) - there have to be loads of G-cup and above women who get pg and struggle to find nice bras.

[MrsTittleMouse]

This is a big bug-bear of mine too - you can easily find pregnancy and breastfeeding bras in a B cup, but it's really hard to get stuff to fit (and support) in anything above an E cup. You would have thought that if anything it should be easier than getting "normal" bras, as everyone increases in size (especially breastfeeding)!
Most regular sleep bras seem to come in S/M/L or dress sizes, which doesn't really help when you have a small ribcage and enormous boobs, does it?

[salstars]

MrsTittleMouse - exactly! When you're faced with non-specific sizes like S, M, L, XL - which do you pick? The S or M will fit around the torso but leave my boobs hanging out the top, and the XL might have enough material to cover my boobs but be way too big on the back and will offer no support.

That's why I was hoping that someone knew a website that I didn't! I've just looked at Royce's website and while the range of bras is still small, at least they go into bigger sizes (up to 34L).

Think I'm going to write to Bravissimo and start a new campaign...

[hairtwiddler]

You know what salstars, I think I'll email them now. You're so right. Those s,m,l,xl ones are no good at all.... I think the suggestion of the soft cup integral bra tops is best for pregnancy, but a bit of a pain for feeding I'd imagine.
I get so when I read about how breasfeeding bras 'needn't be ugly'. Try finding one above an E cup!

[salstars]

Hi Hairtwiddler, after I posted yesterday I emailed Bravissimo and was going to include a link to this thread, but forgot in the end - perhaps the start of mumnesia!

Maybe they'll get to the office on Monday and find themselves bombarded with emails on this topic - or then again, maybe ours will be two lonely voices in a sea of apathy and resignation for what big-boobed women have to put up with.

Here's hoping we get an encouraging email back from Bravissimo next week.

[hedgepig]

hi salstars I'm a J pre pregnancy and have this size problem too but I was very sore for the 1st few weeks but now at 32weeks my boobs are fine and I don't seem to need any support at night at the moment. The problem I have found with sqaushing into something too small is you get all hot and sweaty ugg. So hopefully the soreness will wear off for you soon

[hairtwiddler]

Fingers crossed for a reply from bravissimo then! Will post here if I get anything.

[Pruners]

Message withdrawn

[babyinbelly]

Hello. Just wanted to offer my voice of support. 10w and now 32h. Still sqeezing in to 34g as cant find anything comfy and suppotive. Luckily I am more comfy without at the mo so I can sleep ok but taking bra of at end of the night is something I dread cos of the pain!

I will email bravissimo as well if you think it will be worthwhile.

Good luck everyone and congrats.

[hairtwiddler]

Please do email them, it certainly can't hurt!
I think I'm on the verge of starting a campaign!

[hairtwiddler]

Bravado go up to G - I think some Gs around despite what I said earlier about finding one above an E cup. It's H-L when the choice suddenly drops.

[babyinbelly]

Have also emailed bravissimo. So hopefully some success tomo.

[babyinbelly]

When pg with ds1 I found mothercare bras too small and never wore them. If the sizing had been a little bigger would have been fine. I was a 34g at this time but found the bras from mothercare in that size were a little snug.

[hairtwiddler]

Here's my reply from bravissimo. Thinking of popping over to pedants' corner about the 'big bobbed women'.

Not very positive I'm afraid...

^Thank you for your email.

I am so sorry to hear that you have been so disappointed with the range
of soft/nursing cup styles that we carry.

With regards to your query on why there is a small choice in soft
cup/nursing bras. Here at Bravissimo we concentrate on providing a wide
range of choice for big bobbed women in underwired bras for day to day,
normal wear. While we do recognise that mums to be need maternity
lingerie this is a specialised market, especially as our focus is on
smaller back sizes and larger cup sizes. As this is such a specialised
market we do not have the resources to branch out in this way but try to
offer a small range to suit all our customers needs.

We are always looking to include different styles in our range and over
the past year our collection has grown in the soft cup and nursing
styles that we offer. While it is unlikely we will be increasing the
amount of styles that we have included in our range we will continue to
update the styles we offer to ensure our customers are getting enough
option to choose from.

Also the reason as to why we only have one nursing style in our
catalogue above a K cup is because Royce are the only manufacturer that
stocks a nursing bra up to this size. However, as this particular style
does not do double cup sizes the sizes are not always true to size. We
do also find that some customers get confused with these sizes to this
style due to the fact that it does not do double cup sizes and so for
this reason we have decided to discontinue this style from our range at
the end of the catalogue. We are in the process of hoping to work with
Royce direct to see if they can hopefully develop their range of styles
they offer in all sizes so our customers have more choice for sizes.

Once again please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience
and disappointment that this matter may have caused you. I am sorry that
we could not offer you anymore positive news at the moment but rest
assured we will pass your comments onto our product team to log for
future reference. If we can be of any further assistance please do not
hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards^

[salstars]

Hi Hairtwiddler,

I got a similar response. They said that they focus on providing bras for small back sizes and large cup sizes - well, if that's not what we're asking for, then what is??

Thoroughly depressed now and feeling fat! I would go and eat some choclate to console myself but I'm off sweet stuff - typical!!

[hairtwiddler]

The main thing I got from it was that nursing/maternity is a specialist area, and not one they choose to focus on.
I know we are in the minority, but it's so daft. All their big boobed customers who get pregnant will be in need of decent support for feeding and sleeping.
Sorry you're feeling fat... I can sympathise. When I stopped feeding people kept commenting on how much weight I'd lost - it was just my boobs had gone back to a G-cup. Still HUGE but being able to wear an underwire helped loads.
I wonder how hard it would be to make one of those sleep bra things....