Feeding bra help urgently needed!

[MummyTurnip]

Hi everyone

I live on a small island in the West Indies, baby is coming out by c-section on 3 December and I need to get feeding bras - this involves ordering from the US as no-one here sells them or knows how to measure for them. I've checked over a dozen different sites with advice on how to measure for a feeding bra and have measurements from 38A right up to 36F! My underband measurement is 33", my bust measurement is 39".

My current maternity bra is a 36D (v. comfy M&S maternity bra), bra size before I got pregnant was a 34B (again an M&S bra). Anyone care to hazard a guess as to whether I should go up a cup size from pre-pregnancy (ie get a 34C) or hold with the current band measurement (baby's head is down, but not engaged yet) of 36 but go down a cup size? Can't find feeding bra from last pregnancy 7 years ago so no hope of following any boob logic there!

Impossible question I know, but any help/opinion would be a huge help!

Thanks.

Don't forget that your bra size will probably change in the next few weeks as well, as your ribcage goes down and your boobs fill up with milk. I measured myself at around full term and came up with 38D and then was measured in M&S with a three week old (I think) and was 36E.

Could you get a few and return the ones that don't fit or is that too much hassle? I think I've read some advice on MN somewhere about adding to the cup and going down the band or vice versa - will try to find it and hope someone more knowledgeable than me is along in the meantime

Hello MummyTurnip. This is how I do it. I've breastfed three children and I am currently expecting a fourth.

I am normally a 34F or FF.

I normally go up one back size (i.e. to a 36) and one or two cup sizes. So I think I will need a 36G or thereabouts.

I think this is quite typical - when I have been measured, this is what has been recommended.

You could therefore probably risk buying a 36D. You can buy extension pieces and silicon shoulder straps from www.bras4mums.co.uk to adapt existing bras to make them more comfortable.

The National Childbirth Trust sell very good feeding bras and are very good about giving advice as well. There are sexier ones on the market, but the NCT's bras are designed by mothers for mothers.

www.nctsales.co.uk/prodlist.asp?cat=250&scat=253&parent=250

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Official advice from the National Childbirth Trust:

The ideal time for a pregnant mother to be fitted for a breastfeeding bra is at 36 weeks. By this time your baby's head will have engaged and your ribcage will have expanded by 1"-2" 1-5cm. The ribcage will return to its normal proportions within a few weeks. nct extention pieces can help with these variations in size.

During pregnancy and following birth, the breasts usually enlarge and increase in weight, most pregnant mothers expand by one to two cup sizes - an increase of between 2"-4" / 5-10cm.

When purchasing a breastfeeding bra it is essential to leave room in the cup (especially at the top) to allow the breasts to round out and for the milk to come. You should be able to slide the flattened hand inside the top of the bra cup.

Breasts should be fully enclosed and supported in the cups- you are not looking for a pushed up cleavage effect, in, fact, wearing an underwired bra whilst breastfeeding can cause blockages in the milk ducts.

As with all bras, the strap around the body should be horizontal, snug, firm and comfortable (it should not ride up your back or able to move around).

(Information from this link)

www.nctsales.co.uk/nctbra_info.asp?cat=97&scat=97&parent=250&type=1

Good luck with the c-section!

Found this:

"Was in Mothercare on Wednesday and was told to come back in a week (I was 37 weeks) so was told to come back at 38. The girl said the advice was that you go down a back size and up a cup size so they can expand and you can also fit your breastpads in."

Apparently Bravissimo will fit you over the phone too

Bravissimo do fit you over the phone, get a tape measure in hand and give them a call +44 01926 459 859. You might as well order from them as well, they do ship abroad.

I'm wearing the same band size as my pre-pregnancy bras but either 2 or 3 cup sizes bigger; depending on the fit of the bra.

One of my feeding bras is a bit tight round the band so I use the extension pieces that you can get on the NCT and other websites.

Bravado bras are designed to cater for a range of sizes so perhaps some of their bras would be a good compromise until you could get to where you could be measured (if that's likely)

thank you all for your advice - such a relief to have someone else to talk to!

The bra extensions sound like a marvellous idea (they'll certainly give me the flexibility) and the Bravissimo suggestion too. I'm back in the UK in April for a visit, so can get re-measured then.

Thanks again.

www.bravadodesigns.com/page.asp?ID=621

I finally took the plunge and order some bras - and found this on the Bravado site which some of you might find useful if you are ever trying to size yourself without assistance.

Liz