All my bras are driving me wild and I want to tear them off

[Miffster]

help! I am almost 25 weeks and I can't bear to wear bras. Not even soft ones. Not even sports ones. Not even camisoles with built in secret support.

My boobs are itchy and swollen and having any kind of strap/band/elastic round my ribs is very uncomfortable. I have gone from 36b/38A to 40DD and I appear to be still growing

What is going on?
And what can I do about it?

Me too!!!!!! I absolutely have to wear them each day for work but they are making me so uncomfortable. The least uncomfortable are ones that barely do any supporting at all but give a bit of support. I've bought a few double supported vests for at home and to sleep in but think we just have to grin and bare it for now. I have found that if I layer my outfits, ie vest, sheer top and cardy I can get away with the more comfy types but afarid no real solution. I was a 34DD and I am now wearing a 40 F.

Same here!
I have 3 bras from Mothercare, all supposed to be 'soft' but they are not and I cant wait to rip them off as soon as I get home so nothing is digging/itching/irritating me around the ribs. All the shoulder strap seem to constantly fall off too. I hate them and would so rather go 'au naturel' but mine are also a 40DD and slightly saggy to do that!

No suggestions im afraid, just thought id share your angst!

Burn the bras!

Me too! I've gone from a 34C to a 36E or F.. I've started wearing sloggi bra tops, one didn't seem to give any support, but 2 at once seems to be ok, although its a bit bouncy in the car

Arrgh! Boobs of fire! Well I am glad it is not just me. Sympathies to us all

The itching is soothed by rubbing E45 cream or cocoa butter on them, but not talc or anything scented - anyone else find this?

My DH came in the other day and said ' what are you doing' and I said 'I just can't stand wearing this bloody bra, I have to take it off now!' and then I tore my leggings off as well because they were annoying me, and threw myself on the bed and started rubbing cream into my boobs and going 'Oh, argh, that feels SO marvellous' and he thought it was some kind of incredibly OTT seduction attempt, like an 1970's blue movie and his eyes gleamed.

And I was like, 'erm, no, sorry, my tits really are on fire and I do have to get topless right this moment but it's not, erm, you. Sorry'.

He was very good about it and went made me a cup of canomoile tea. He did offer to help me with the soothing cream application any time I needed it as well, told me I must go topless as much as I liked at home and was generally extremely sympathetic about the problem.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

Try Carriwell bras, i got mine from Boots (online). They're not very suppoertive though but enough for me (36d or so).

I'd go to Bravissimo. My experience is that Mothercare can't fit bras for big-boobed women and their bras are not comfy if your boobs are big either!

Body butter helps with the itching sometimes I find.

Miffster, I haven't had as many problems as you yet, but I had to laugh at your 'seduction' of your DH! I really hope you find something that works and feel a bit more comfortable soon.

I don't wear bras round the house anymore (am 28 weeks) as they are far too uncomfortable.

I bought some non-wired ones from M&S but they are still annoying and dig in.

The most comfy one I have is a pre-pregnancy underwired one which for some reason fits great (can't have fitted that well before!).

However my boobs have only gone up a cup size unlike yours! Not sure whether I am jealous or aghast.....

Me too - and it was especially bad on holiday with the hot weather. No bra at home is the way to go! And this solution has occasionally even been adopted in public when in dire straits... :)

Wow, I can't go without a bra at all. At the very least I need a sleep bra.

But then I have gone from C cup to FF/G already.

I just massaged them after the bath and they feel a bit better, have found one support camisole that is ok to wear.

One measly camisole, and a whole drawer full of new bras of various sizes which I have been forced to keep forking out for. Jeez, pregnancy is expensive. I buy things in the sales and ebay but I can't really do without a decent-fitting bra.

Have quickly ordered another 2 to wear over the next few weeks! I daresay the moment they arrive they will instantly feel all wrong as well. {rolling eyes emoticon]

Have you tried Bravissimo? I hardly notice my bras now...my Mothercare ones drove me mad.

oh how funny -I know exactly what you all mean - I have always been such a bra lover and would never ever dream of going unsupported. Until pregnancy.

I was coming home from work and ripping everything off and rolling around on the floor whilst scratching madly (no chance of misinterpreting that). I also started taking my bra off at work and leaving it in inappropriate places...anyway... I found really strong cotton elastic vests helpful on the days i could get away with it (sometimes two), h+m have lots of organic cotton, but it needs to have a bit of elastane in as well and otherwise I got a sloggi bra which was OK, or cake bras (expensive but cotton lined). I also stopped worrying about the fact that my boobs are getting no support, until the baby dropped anything around my ribs was hell.

One more thing - I did try taking out the metal bits of underwired bras, but only if the bra was definitely not going to work otherwise.

I am so glad that you started this topic Miffster.

I'm was a 32DD and am already up to a 32F so wouldn't dream of going without but I may have to make the exception

I am only 14wks with baby no1 but I felt like I had been stabbed with a hot poker the other night. I was wearing plain cotton M&S bras so no seams or anything to irritate me but when I put my PJs on for bed I was very tempted to get a bag of frozen peas out just to calm them down.

Jo :)

Ladies! A possible solution!
I have a whole drawer full of secret support vest tops (used to wear them before I was up the duff for yoga and stuff) and since I got pregnant I have been experimenting with pregnancy ones from Mothercare, Blooming Marvellous and longish non-maternity ones from M&S and H&M.

The non-maternity ones are now a bit short over the bump.

Anyway, have rummaged and tried things on for the last hour and the clear winner is this one, from FunMum - bought in a size larger than my pre-pregnancy size - I was a M before, and now I am an L, at least as far as the rib measurement goes (the rest of the top stretches to cover boobs and bump).

Comfy and the best news is, 50% off in the sale! Just as well, I don't think I would pay 23 quid for what is basically a vest, but 11.50 to finally be comfortable is fine. I got a black one and a white one, already had a black one, and as autumn comes I think I will live in them - one on, one off and one in the wash.

Thank God.

I think they look nice enough to wear as tops actually, am quite pleased. No more bras for me. Sigh, I did used to like matching knickers and bra sets.

Anyway, if anyone else has any further recommendations please post 'em up!

PS. Quick Q - Do Bravissimo do support vest things for pregnant women, or just bras?

They do a clothing range and have vest tops: www.bravissimo.com/products/clothing/strappy-tops/bravissimo/ov15-details.aspx?ck=ZEWfOtYk6Ow%3d

Unfortunately my FF/G cups are now far too big to just wear a vest top. I miss my C cups!

i hear your pain on the bra front, i was practically crying in m&s after trying on about 25 uncomfortable bras. I would recommend this Bravado bra:

www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/sp+Bravado-Maternity-Nursing-Bras+A1111

Its not hugely supportive (as i discovered whilst running to catch the bus!) but it is soooo comfy and quite flattering too although it has a large panel at the back (like a sports bra) so you can't wear with any low backed tops

The only place I know who can fit bra's properly for larger size's is Bravissimo. There fantastic and I'm a 34J.

I'm with splodge- Bravado are really comfy! my others were feeling like they were cutting me in half but these are really comfy! x