Bras when pregnant

[Tezbean]

Hi

I am 12 weeks and have grown from my usual 32E to 34E. I had heard that you can't wear underwired bras when you're pregnant or nursing so I tired on some soft ones today but they didn't give me any support at all. I'm really sore at the moment so support is really important.

Are they any big breasted ladies out there who can give me some advice? Would it be ok to stick with underwired bras and if not can anyone recommend any brands?

Many thanks

I got some sports bras from Matalan last time around and plan to do the same this time too, they have no underwire but are still supportive because they're designed to stop you giving yourself two black eyes when jogging ;) the only drawback is that they are completely unsexy, they're like anti-lingerie.

With DS I found that as I got bigger my underwires were really uncomfortable and would dig in.

You can wear underwires, but it's important that the bra fits really well. As you can change shape/size unpredictably and rapidly, you may need to replace frequently (I never felt rich enough for that!)

I suggest you try a specialist "large size" retailer (like Bravissimo) for either wired or supportive non-wire. You can get a fitting in stores, and ey have a phone line for fitting support if you're buying on-line or catalogue.

I've heard Bravissimo are fantastic - a friend said they changed her life by fitting her properly.

I was told by a fitting specialist in Marks and Spencer that the reason you are not supposed to wear underwires is that if you grow too large for your bras, underwired bras will give you stretch marks. Therefore not a problem if you a) get new bras when you need them b) don't care much about stretch marks!

The thinking is that you shouldn't wear underwired bras in case the wires restrict your milk ducts/supply.

I read that it was fine to wear underwired bras if they're fitted properly so I kept wearing mine through pregnancy with DD and through BF her - I had no problems with supply and BF until DD was 16m so am planning to do the same again this time.

32H here I wore underwired bras through my pg but the soft ones for initial bf and then switched back to wired ones. I was in agony going without a wire.

How do wired bras give stretchmarks? I would prefer thoose to 9 months agony, damaged back and saggy boobs personally.

I went from 34DD to 34/6 E depending on the bra. I bought some larger underwires to begin with but found they became very uncomfortable after a few weeks so I switched to Debenhams none underwire 'teeshirt' bras. Because of the slight padding they give a similar level of support to the underwired ones (plus hide the prego nipple bonk!)

I'm a 32F when not pg and i wore underwired bras throughout my pg with DD, have no stretchmarks and had no probs bf. I'm now 16+3 and have gone up to a 34F. I go to bravissimo to get fitted and they're really good. I've also just discovered that you can now buy underwired nursing bras so I shall be investing in a few for after the baby's born. Personally I find non-underwired just aren't supportive enough and I get v bad backache.

Reallygrumpy which u/w nursing bras have you found? I used an Anita one at first which was OKish but a bit frumpy compared to normal bras.

Hotmilk etc do lovely ones but I don't think any of them are u/w - any tips?

I am 36 weeks with DC4 and currently a size 34F. I have worn underwired throughout this pregnancy and have bought some lovely underwired nursing bras.

Provided your bra fits well then underwire shouldn't be a problem. I find that because the support is more even nothing digs whereas with soft cups to get any support the band has to be so tight it is uncomfortable IYKWIM.

The debenhams gorgeous range seem to fit me well and are very reasonable.

I'm 30FF usually; stuck to my normal bras until last week (30wks) when I got a Royce soft cup one for wearing at home. My cup size hasn't changed a lot but my ribs have expanded - she Bravissimo fitter said I'd fit okay in the 32 back but I'd better take the 34 in case I expand more in the next few weeks. I've found the soft one more comfy, but it doesn't have the same support at all. I'd hate to have to stick to bras like this long-term. And I don't usually find underwires uncomfortable at all - only the top of my bump has been really sensitive.

reallygrumpy - do you know where you can get these underwired nursing bras from? Sounds right up my street.

is it normal to be bursting out of a bra that is usually too big at 10 weeks?

i got my 1st maternity bra at 7+5 weeks
having gone from 34c/d to 38E

i got a pack of 2 from debenhams. they dont have any wire but they feel like they do (to my boobs) and seem very very supportive

Im 10 weeks today and havent been able to get into any of my old bras for weeks!

I got a couple of these from M&S - I was told they are their top seller! They are the business - for now anyway. I'm a DD so was sceptical about support but they are really good.

Sorry about the massive link - not good at these things...

www.marksandspencer.com/Total-Support-Non-Wired-Floral-Lace/dp/B003J5H4NO?ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_4&nodeId=47595031&sr=1-4&qid=1297813685&pf_rd_r=1JJHV0AAKA7G50J4HYRR&pf_rd_m=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=47595031&pf_rd_p=215570647&pf_rd_s=related-items-3

I went and looked in local m and s and the maternity bras in an f were sadly really ugly. will have to look around more i think.

I've seen underwired nursing bras online here and a few other places online - I just did a google search for 'underwired nursing bras'. They're still a bit frumptastic but look like they might be a bit more supportive. I went up a few cup sizes when bf DD and the only bras that were supportive enough were hideous bravissimo ones, I found the m&s ones hopeless.

Brilliant - you've just reminded me that I found a good website (Australian but ship to UK) that does u/w nursing bras.

I found it after I'd stopped BF DD and thought I'd remember it for next time - am definitely going to try this one, looks a bit less frumptastic than the rest!

In my early pg when I was a 34E (ahh, the distant memories now I'm a 36G) I wore larger sized Shock Absorber sports bras. Good looking they werent, but they gave me the support I needed and I wore them sometimes at night when the boobs were at their sorest.
Figleaves also do underwired maternity bras by the way

I can really rate the cake bras and I also find the elle mcphearson ones a very good (and accurate) fit.

I also have an anita underwired nursing bra and whilst the fit is good and gives a good shape under clothes it is very "full" so not suitable for wearing under much other than t-shirts.

OP you don't mention whether this is your first baby but TBH I found once you get the hang of BF you can just pull a normal bra to one side without too much fuss/exposure.

That's what I did Nancy - was no problem once BF was up and running!

I know what you mean. The best ones I found were Rigby & Peller, and cotton too. Though more expensive, their stuff tends to last longer.

I can highly recommend Bravissimo - I'm a 34 J and have gone up to 36/38 J and they were the only place I could find. Even M&S Marble Arch didn't cater for me after I'd dragged myself along Oxford Street. I could have cried. These bras are not sexy, but the non-wired ones are comfy and fairly supportive. It's not the same as underwired but it's best to steer clear of wire as it digs in and isn't advised, so I'm told.

As others have said, you can wear underwires but you must make sure they fit well. Bravissimo are good with maternity bra fittings.

I wore underwired bras and also sports bras when I was pg. I also really rate Hot Milk if you're looking for something specifically maternity/nursing but pretty. Elle MacPherson ok but not great support.

Freya do some quite nice nursing bras.

I usually get my bras online at Bravissimo and pre-pregnancy depending on my weight varied between a 32FF and 34FF/G. Like other big busted ladies non-wired variants just do not provide adequate support. When pregnant I do tend to go into my local House of Fraser (who carry I wide stock of Freya which tend to be a really good fit for my shape) where there are a couple of good ladies who know what to look for. they have been really good in fitting and advising on bras that will last through and fit well enough not to cause 'duct damage' and i have gone up to 36G so far. they both advised that as long as they are well fitting and you popped in for a regular check, that wires are fine and just said that they would only advise you to go soft if your shape was changing so rapidly and frequently that wires were digging a lot.

I would always er on the side of caution with M&S. On two previous occasions having been fitted in bravissimo with what i knew to be perfectly fitting bras (which were 30ff and 32ff a year apart) i went into M&S on both occasions (the second time to see if they got any better). rather than fitting the bra they measured with a tape measure and came back with ludicrously ill-fitting bras which provided zero support (and you could have wound around my frame twice at the time) in i recall a 38C and 36D and raved about what a great fit they were....what planet?!

re the comments about wires causing stretch marks, never heard that one before and would take with a pinch of salt, its definitely the milk ducts that are the problem with ill-fitting wires.