Underwire - Safe or Sorry?

[frannyf]

I'm still (happily) breastfeeding my 16 month old son and am totally sick of ugly white "nursing" bras. This week I cracked and bought two lacy, pretty, colourful, underwired bras. I thought I could just pull them aside when I need to feed (I have not tried this in public yet but it works ok at home).

Am I going to end up regretting this and get blocked ducts, mastitis etc.? Has anyone else disregarded the standard advice and worn really unsuitable (but nice) bras while breastfeeding? Any advice welcome, thanks.

No, but can feel the urge coming on. Depends how many feeds you're doing, I'd have vaguely thought - I'm usually feeding my 13-month old dd2 morning and evening and really, I don't know if I can stand wearing my Emma Janes much longer. They are at least black, but boy do they do nothing for me...

I wore an underwired bra (Playtex magic feeling - extremely soft underwiring that was barely there, but couldn't bear the idea of breasts becoming even saggier than they were after baby no.1) for the whole of my pregnancy with baby no.2, despite the recommendations not to and everything was fine. Anita (the nursing bra company) actually sell an underwired bra now through Blooming Marvellous with this little memo thing that slides from one side to the other to remind you which side you last fed from. I assume that if they are experts in making bras for nursing mothers they must have found some evidence that this won't produce awful side-effects. I bought this bra and thought it was very comfy and I never got mastitis or blocked ducts from wearing it.

When my DS2 was 15 months I had new bras fitted, I thought I would need nursing bras again but the fitter recommended an underwire as I was generally only feeding at home and could just remove the bra. DS2 gave up feeding a month later but I don't think it had anything to do with the new bras and I didn't experience any blocked ducts etc.

My DH bought me the underwired one from bloomin marv. It's pricey but I thought it was well worth it 'cos I needed to feel sexy again!
Then again, s'pose it's only the same as a few weeks formula. I presumed that it was safe and made sure it fitted well. I noticed they also sell a black one now.
My only downside is that when I use the memo thing and slide it across I can never remember if it means that's the next breast or that was the last one!!! Have gone back to tried and tested method of feeling the weight!

spod75

Ooh, that all sounds very encouraging, thankyou. I had not seen the Blooming Marvellous bra and am laughing at the idea of the memo thingy - I bet I'm not the only one who goes round clutching her breasts to feel how full they are, then feeling totally embarrassed because I've forgotten I'm not at home in private.

I don't think underwire would have done me any favours in the early months - till my baby was about 10 months old I was getting blocked ducts at least once a month, so a very soft comfy bra was essential. I'm hoping I can get away with it now, though (feel almost like a 'normal' person again and not some breastfeeding freak, heh heh).

I'm back in underwires! Dug out an old M&S Ultracomfort (actually because dp had helpfully bunged all my feeding ones in the washing machine). It's fab. I feel all flaunty.