maternity / nursing bras in London?

[missytequila]

Can anyone recommend the best shop in london to get nursing/maternity bras? Was in selfridges and very disappointed with selection, there were only 2 options!

Need to buy some and am asking for advice where to shop.

*By the way, am part of the young and the breastless crowd, so despite being 37/38 weeks I am still only a B/C cup size, so Bravissimo is not my place

any help is very appreciated...

I found all shops everywhere pretty useless TBH, speaking as someone who trawled London. Once you're measured, figleaves is quite good...

I'd go to Rigby and Peller - even if you don't buy anything you'll get an education in how to tell if a bra fits (rather than how to wield a tape measure) that will give you a lot more confidence in buying over the internet.

Are you looking for breastfeeding bras? I found I went up a cup size or two when my milk came in, and the bras I'd bought at 39 weeks didn't fit again till I was 6 months in... I ordered a few styles I liked the look of in 2 or 3 sizes from Figleaves just after DD was born, and then kept the 2 that fitted (DH was mighty relieved when I packed the rest up to go back - I think I'd ordered about £250 of lingerie to try )

Would you consider online shopping as well?

I trawled London for nursing bras when I had DC1, being young and reasonably breastless myself

Alas, I ended up with 2 useless ones from mothercare and an elle macpherson one that didn't fit from selfridges, I exhausted the whole of zones 1-2 searching

Anyway, I recommend online shopping which is how I have managed with DC2-If you aren't sure about sizing of bras, post here for advice. Good sites are, imo, figleaves, mama la mode, isabella oliver

Bear in mind that for the first week or two your breasts may swell up massively and become an E or F cup, so I think it's good to buy one very big soft fabric nursing bra for the early days and a couple of ones that should fit otherwise. Try and buy from a website with free returns. I personally like bella materna bras from isabella oliver, and I have an amoralia one but the sizing is a bit strange. I wore a crossover front maternity bra for the first few weeks which had fold down cups and was very stretchy

good luck!

You should have gone to the Agent Provocateur concession in Selfridges... or there is a shop in soho.

Not a huge selection, but nice and very comfy. They had more colours in store when I bought mine (hot pink).

John Lewis (specifically Peter Jones in Chelsea) sorted me out.

Get measured in John Lewis (Peter Jones in Chelsea people are good) - but then you can also look elsewhere for bras. I am small-ish (36D) and bought the black lace and pink and white Elle Macpherson BF bras which are both lovely. Got the pink one in John Lewis in Kingston, and the black lace one in JoJoMamanBebe - this shop has a good selection (I went to the one at Clapham Junction).

go to rigby and peller. definitely.

Whats wrong with M&S, I got me a pack of two Maternity bras in there for £20 and measured for em, if they don't have your size on the hooks you can order em in.

John Lewis is good. But make sure you try on and possibly re-measure for each brand, as some of them seem to be more generous/miserly than others, and therefore the original "fit size" wasn't right for the other bra(s).

With regard to Ryoko's question about M&S, this doesn't apply to the OP (who is not a Bravissimo Girl), but M&S is not very good for larger sizes. Also, when I went to be measured for my maternity bra while pregnant (bye-bye, underwires, for so long! ), the woman measuring me said, "You'd better pray you don't get any bigger (cup-wise)." It was such an outrageously unhelpful comment that I vowed not to return even when my cup size had gone down after breastfeeding.

re. M&S, my experience is that they're too reliant on a tape measure. I used to wear a 36D, as fitted by M&S - my sister dragged me to Rigby and Peller before I got married and I came out wearing a 32F and looking as though I'd lost over a stone!

In my experience you can't even rely on being the same size for all styles from the same manufacturer - I'd far rather be fitted by someone that focusses on how the bra fits rather than what a tape measure says.

The Fitting Studio in Forest Hill does a great range, some of which are really pretty! Although they specialise in D+, they have a couple of nursing bras that are suitable for smaller cups, so it's worth a trip if it's easy to get to for you.