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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

Bras

28 replies

oh4goodnesssake · 13/01/2011 14:20

21 weeks preg and I am finding wearing a bra really uncomfortable. Was measured in John Lewis before Christmas and was OK for a few weeks but then those bras started to dig in in the evenings and are now pretty uncomfortable from about lunchtime onwards. Can anyone give any advice on really comfortable bras? I was a (size 12) 36c pre-preg but am apparently now a 38D.

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minibmw2010 · 13/01/2011 14:33

I went to M&S today to get measured as I was coming out of mine though I didn't actually feel as though I'd grown that much. When I was first pregnant I picked up my normal size (36DD) in a maternity style and they have done OK so far (I'm 20 weeks) but today the lady said I was a perfect 38E so suggested I buy a 38G so I had "room to grow". I got 2 in the maternity style and 2 in a normal "more dressy" style. It does feel a lot more comfortable I have to say.

Fab123 · 13/01/2011 15:14

I get mine from Debenhams and they are great at not pressurising and finding supportive non-underwired. She also gave me room to grow and I'm still comfy even though they seem to be still growing. I usually get a 2 pack for about £20 and just wear one and wash the other to keep price down. They are a bit boring though (black and white) but our store is quite small - might have more choice in yours :)

FindingStuffToChuckOut · 13/01/2011 15:15

I had only one bra I could wear through first PG & have 2 for this one. Anything else is just insanely uncomfortable. I don't even think the current ones technically fit 'properly' but they are bearable.

marriednotdead · 13/01/2011 15:17

As a bra fitter, I would recommend a Bodysilk nursing bra (in a L). The most comfy but supportive option in your size range IME.

As it's stretchy, it will accommodate your varying boob size too

FindingStuffToChuckOut · 13/01/2011 15:24

ahhh married I loved the Bravado nursing bras last time round and I am really looking forward to wearing those Bodysilk ones this time around. They rock!!!!

JBrd · 13/01/2011 15:26

I went a John Lewis a few weeks ago to get measured and buy some new bras, but it's been very unsatisafctory. Like oh4goodnesssake, the bra I bought in the end is not comfortable at all, it's really digging in after a while, and my breasts don't feel supported... Not sure why, as I used to have the exact same bra in a 36C, and the one I've got now is a 38D. I think I'll have to go back and try some more, or maybe even get measured again.

Original poster

oh4goodnesssake · 13/01/2011 16:07

Thanks everyone, I'll need to try to get measured again I think as I'm desperate to get home every evening and let it all hang out! Bit miffed about having to fork out for another granny bra which may only last a few weeks again.
marriednotdead that bra looks good but I don't understand how the wires are allowed - I thought that they were a "no no" during pregnancy Also, it would be good to get fitted for one as it's a bit weird to buy a bra online. I don't want to fork out and then find that it's not wearable.

OP posts:

missp2010 · 13/01/2011 16:08

I'm struggling too. I was measured in mothercare a few weeks ago, but outgrew them pretty quickly. I went to M&S just before christmas, but was very disappointed. I don't think she measured me properly at all, I had to take them all back! Ended up going to debenhams the week before last, but there wasn't anyone free to do a fitting. I just tried loads on and bought the two that seemed to fit best. Although I must say that they are now getting uncomfortable too. I'm getting pretty fed up wasting so much money!

florilegia · 13/01/2011 16:40

If you're at all on the "big cup" side (meaning anything from C-D up if you're also wearing a big back size), I'd highly recommend Bravissimo: I was fitted there around about 20 weeks, and I'm very happy with the fit and the time they took to find the right bra for me. I'm wearing a bra with underwiring as I've 36GGs to support (eek!), but I've done a lot of reading around and it seems that underwiring is not a problem as long as the bra really fits well, and the wires sit on your ribcage, not on the breast tissue. I was really worried about this, as I've previously had a reduction and didn't want to do anything to compromise my potential ability to breastfeed, but I'm getting (according to the MW) very healthy amounts of colostrum, and so the wires don't seem to be doing any harm :)

tlise · 13/01/2011 17:34

Well I went up from a 44b to a 46c and try finding anywhere that sells them that doesn't look like hammocks :( Couldn't get anything from Mothercare for nursing, so cheated and bought 44 and bra expander. Wish had thought of one of them before had brought new bra's lol.

FeralGirlCambs · 13/01/2011 17:40

wires not allowed in pregnancy?? That's one I haven't heard. Not sure I could cope without some scaffolding so am reassured by florilegia. My (34DD) boobs haven't expanded much yet (at about 11 weeks), though they've been pretty tender. When do they 'normally' start to do so?

PS why is the only 'luxuriant' pregnancy hair experience I'm having based around my nipples?!

lilly13 · 13/01/2011 18:14

i think calvin klein is the most comfortable... but i went only from 32A to 34B, so don't know how these might fit in a bigger size...

hippy3 · 13/01/2011 18:27

thats so weird... I have literally just bought some new bras from Debenhams...

I hadnt realsied that you werent meant to wear underwired bras either?? but I was getting home at night and the bras had felt like they wre cutting into me...anyway. I was measured by a LOVELY sales girl, who let me try on numerous bras...ended up with four. Two maternity and two that are just REALLY comfortable. And to top it all off I have gone from a 36B..to a 38E !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How the hell did that happen..mind you I have noticed that every shop I go into to, to be measured they tell me different sizes. 4 bras cots me 30 pound..Ill probably out grow them in a few weeks again.... but I cant stand the discomfort any longer !
married that bra actually looks really comfy I might also buy that one......

marriednotdead · 13/01/2011 18:49

oh4goodnesssake, not that wired one, sorry this one

You can usually wear wires but it's really important to get properly fitted (M&S/Mothercare doesn't count I'm afraid).

A good fitter will teach you how to fit yourself by showing you how it's supposed to look and feel.

NancyDrewHasaClue · 13/01/2011 18:56

I got fitted for some lovely bras in Debenhams recently - the fitter was great and after trying on a number of soft cup ones - all of which I hated because the bit in the middle just wouldn't sit on the ribcage the fitter suggested that I go with an underwried one, explaining that provided it fitted well it could be just as 'safe' as a non wired one.

If you really want nonwired I wore Isabella Oliver bras in my last pregnancies which are not totally ugly, can be worn with realtively low cut tops and are super comfy although they don't offer much in the way of support.

doblet · 13/01/2011 20:50

At 20 weeks I wanted to rip any bra off, they just drove me to distraction. Bravissimo was the closest I got to comfy. If you are like me though there just is no room between bump and boob for a bra to fit. Debenhams were horrendous at fitting. They had me in a 40D, I am a 34F

Leilababyno1 · 13/01/2011 21:54

For all those ladies who are outgrowing their current maternity bras too quickly, why don't you have a look on Ebay? I was a size 34c pre pregnancy, then when I had my bra fitting at 16 weeks I measured 34e. Now at 24 weeks I have gone up again to 34f....It's too pricey to keep buying mat/nursing bras every time your size fluctuates.

So, I recently bought a couple on Ebay for £8- hardly worn M&S, really good condition, quick spin in the washing machine and fine + I'm not bankrupting myself on granny style bras I won't be wearing ever again! (Unless I get pregnant again I suppose?!)..

tlise · 14/01/2011 14:33

or bra expanders for 99p ;)

stegasaurus · 14/01/2011 16:37

I just went to the town to try and buy new bras. I'm 24 weeks and still wearing the same ones as before I was pregnant. I read this thread before I went and have read some others in the past on the same subject, but still it was a nightmare. We don't have Bravissimo here even though I live in a big city, so first I tried Debenhams where the assistant was rude and the fitting room was closed. Then I went to MandS, but apparently you have to make an appointment to be measured and there were no appointments left today, so I ended up in Mothercare because I couldn't think of anywhere else to try. I have read poor opinions of Mothercare for bra fitting on here, and I agree. I probably would have been better off measuring myself except I don't think we have a tape measure at home. She measured me to be a smaller underbust size than the bra I was wearing and one cup size bigger. I tried one on in the size she said but it definitely didn't fit and I could hardly do it up. It is weeks until I have chance to go to town and try again so will be wearing the wrong size bra for several more weeks now. There ends the rant!!!

Darlingdamsel · 14/01/2011 16:50

Lordy ... I am kind of afraid where I am going to land after all of the jump in sizes. At 13 weeks, I have gone from 34B to 36D. So its going to get worse? Smile.

For those ladies in the earlier stages and still in smaller sizes - I have to recommend Primark's sports bra. At £4 it is just great and comes in black and white! (Actually it was a women at Mothercare who measured me who said she wouldn't invest in a maternity bra just yet)

Granted if I grow much more, I won't be able to fit in their wares ... but I thought I would share as it was a great find.

Fab123 · 14/01/2011 22:32

stegasaurus - ahhh! How come you can't go in to town again for so long?

I know you probably googled bra fitting at home already but this one promises vid's which I always think are easier :)
www.simplyyours.co.uk/shop/page?pageId=1996

If I were you i'd do that then get some from ebay/amazon cheaply and double check the fit.

Or Jojo Maman do a day/nightime one that I found really stretchy and fairly supportive (I went from 32D to 36D by 9 weeks) and I'm usually a size 10 and got a small size if that helps. Bit tight now so if you are over 34 or 36 I'd go for medium:
www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/sp+Underwear-Tights-Maternity-Day-Night-Support-Bras+A9642

Hope that helps - they should deliver! x

florilegia · 15/01/2011 09:33

Feralgirl, mine jumped from 34F to 36GG somewhere shortly before 20wks. I ended up in this bra which is working well for me: the GG is actually slightly roomy in the cup, but the wires are sitting happily away from the breast tissue, and it's very supportive.

As married says, I think wired bras are supposed to be perfectly safe provided they fit properly; unfortunately this does mean M&S is totally out for a lot of people! When I was a 30DD at about 14 or 15 years old, M&S told me I couldn't possibly be bigger than a B cup at that age. They put me in something like a 40B, so I had the bra cups balanced over my nipples and acres of strap everywhere else! Haven't been back...

Another important thing to look for if you're a big cup size is extra seaming in the cup: lots of bras seem to have just a horizontal seam running across the middle of the cup, which doesn't allow for much fullness. Look for vertical-ish seams running up from the band to the middle of the cup as well as hte horizontal one: this just seems to work so much better if your breasts are full/round. Hope this makes sense - my descriptive powers are a bit limited this morning!

loueytb3 · 17/01/2011 13:48

Thanks for the recommendation for the bravado bodysilk married - tried one on in John Lewis yesterday and it is the most comfortable bra I've found. I've just ordered another one from their website.

PrincessScrumpy · 17/01/2011 19:14

Jojomamanbebe were brilliant at helping me and their sleep bras were better than mothercare. I also wore a vest top with built-in bra from M&S over my bra for extra support which was fab.

Original poster

oh4goodnesssake · 17/01/2011 19:46

Thanks married I'm getting bigger and more uncomfortable so have ordered one of the bras that you recommended, it looks great and loueytb3 has also given it the thumbs up so thought it was worth a try. Must try to stop spending money on maternity stuff that I will only wear for a couple more months but I'll need a nursing bra or two when the baby is born so don't feel too guilty .

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