Small-chested - do you really need nursing bras for the hospital?

[Roeslein]

I am very small-chested (AA cup normally) and haven't grown much during pregnancy (still struggling to fill a 32A). Prior to pregnancy I never wore bras for support, but rather to give the illusion of having something there and hence make clothes fit better. During pregnancy I have been wearing sport bras and bralettes in XS. I'm starting to think about ordering stuff I need for my hospital bag, and the local hospital recommends taking two nursing bras. The problem is that I've looked everywhere and nursing bras just don't seem to exist in XS / A cup, except for a couple of very expensive ones from specialty shops. I've tried a few in the smallest size available and they were huge. My question is, do you really need them, or can I get away with a bralette I can pull up/down, at least until I figure out how much bigger I'm likely to get post-birth (I understand you can only tell after your milk has come in) and/or whether I'm going to be BFing longer-term?

I wear those jml type of elasticated crop tops and h&m petite nursing vests. Never needed a proper nursing bra.

Yes, I went from a B cup to an H after my DD was born! They may be achy and the support may help with that. Good luck!

I had them in hospital but never wore them. I wore my sleep nursing bras (Mothercare) which were really comfy and easy to feed in.

You need something that provides easy access and also allows for breast pads should you need them (probably won’t but useful to have just in case).

You will likely swell a little when your milk comes in, but most likely you won't need much support. The nursing bras are simply so you can give access for baby without having to take your strap down. With bralettes, you can probably pop the bottom band over your breast without undoing- they're quite elasticy aren't they?

Well your boobs won't really get big until your milk comes in on around Day 3 after the birth, by which time you may well be home from hospital if all is straightforward. You are quite likely to go up a few cup sizes when milk comes in and your boobs will probably feel heavy, sore and in need of support. How supportive are your bralettes? How small is your back size?

You can risk it, and there will still be shops open after you give birth if you need better bras, but I would be tempted to get a cheap nursing bra a few cup sizes bigger. H&M do fairly cheap nursing bras.

Yikes craicmummy! That must have been a heck of a surprise

I’m a similar size and would say you need something to stick your breast pads to to stop leaking but I never needed the support function although my boobs did grow a bit. I got some crossover front style crop tops that were good. Good luck!

You'll need something to put breastpads in in case you're leaky. If you carry on breastfeeding you need something you can access easily under clothes and remove in a way that means you're not exposing both your boobs.

I was double A and went up to a B. I exclusively breastfed and did not use nursing bras as I found them a massive faff and uncomfortable. Did not use pads either. If I leaked I just got changed... because again I just found the pads annoying.
I used quite flimsy cotton triangle bras as i found i could easily slip my boobs in and out of them. Just bought a load of cheap ones from new look.
I just found that he nursing bras even in a B cup, were massive bulky things that actually made it more difficult for me to get my boobs out easily.

If you want a nursing bra I recommend Emma jane ones in the smallest size. They are quite sports bra like and fitted me well, I'm a similar size to you and didn't size up when pregnant or after birth.

I'm the same as you. After having the babies my boobs didn't become much bigger. I found nursing bras to be too much of a hindrance to feeding as my boobs weren't big enough to get out easily and the padding and wiring of the only ones I could find in my size pushed out too far and got in babies way when trying to feed. I just used little crop toppy things that pulled down easily and didn't have too much padding etc

It's so much easier using nursing bras than trying to pull a bra up or down to free your boob, especially in the early days when you need to see what you're doing. And you definitely want to wear a bra so your nipples don't get sore rubbing on your top (I speak from experience). I just use soft nursing bras from amazon though, they come with removable cups in but I just take those out. Alternatively, H&M do great nursing tops that clip down like the bras do and have a bit of support in so you don't need a bra. I lived in those for the first few 10 months!

It was haba I’d tried and failed breastfeeding, by day 4 I was hugely engorged! They looked amazing, but hurt like hell!

I used nursing vests instead. And IIRC I doubled up with another vest over the top. My boobs got bigger but my nursing bras weren't that comfy or practical.

I did go up a size but also found them good for putting breast pads in for leaky boobs but mine leaked a lot, I'd have been getting changed an awful lot especially out and about.

maybe seeing other peoples experiences you can manage without for a few days and then get them if you need them

I went from a B to a DD while breastfeeding and never used a nursing bra. At home I stayed braless, when I went out I just wore a normal one and pulled the bra up or down. I did try a nursing bra but couldn't really get the hang of it

Can I just advice you measure yourself for a bra with the boob or bust method! Bet you're not a 32A at all! It is actually life changing - though that sounds ridiculous. I went from wearing 32D/DD to 28GG and having a proper fitting bra is amazing.

As far as nursing bras, I wore the stretchy ones from amazon for the first couple of months and they were comfy. A lot easier than pulling down a crop top in my experience.

I'm similar in size. When milk came in after birth they did get bigger. I could only wear soft nursing bras with no wire. More than anything else I needed bras to put the pads in if you breast feed. Needed the pads to stop boobs leaking (ie not going all over your top) & were so sensitive that even a soft bra hurt too much, I needed the extra softness from the pad.

I hated bras when breastfeeding so didnt wear one at home or in the hospital i had nursing vest tops that have a built in bra but easy access for feeding

I took a nursing bra into hospital but found it awkward to use and not especially supportive. I was fitted for one at JoJo.

Like others I found nursing vests the most useful thing.

I started as 34b and finished up at 36b. The miracle breast inflation didn’t happen for me - much to my disappointment!

I bought a couple of little soft nursing bras (a bit like a sports bra or crop top) from Mothercare. Then got fitted for nursing bras once DD was Home and I knew how big or small I was after my milk came in!

I have small boobs. Two days after dc was born, I looked like a porn star. They were enormous.

I wear a soft bra with no wires and just pull it down. Didn't buy any nursing bras because of the price!

Have a look at these - they are like soft crop tops but with the nursing bra clips.

m2.hm.com/m/en_gb/productpage.0325027013.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi4CY8Znw2gIV67DtCh1PTQjGEAQYASABEgJz8fD_BwE&s_kwcid=AL!850!3!260676925409!!!g!367116983920!&ef_id=Wu5@RwAAAb5yptQr:20180506040215:s

I am quite large and never bought a nursing bra. I just wore bras that didn't have underwire, which is what I always wore anyway. You just want to make sure you have a bra that doesn't have underwire and that you can flop your breast out of easily. In any case, in the hospital just a top should be fine.