Why is it wrong to wear underwired bras?

[shinyshilling]

Sorry to sound so ignorant, but why is it wrong to wear underwired bras when your pregnant. I have been doing so for the last seven months and have just been to M&S to buy a new bra and the assitant was really nasty to me saying that my midwife must know nothing. I did check with my mw and she said as long as my bra fitted me well and didn't pinch my skin, that I would be alright. Might I have done some damage? I am sick of people chatting about my boobs as if they didn't belong to me. Got grief from my active birth class last night too as I've decided (with much consideration) not to bf. I came away feeling like I was going to be a bad mother and felt totally judged. Anyone else have any similar experiences?

Ooh I had this with my last pregnancy also from a woman in M&S. I basically told her to mind her own business - that it was up to me what I wore and besides which my mw had told me that it didn't matter - how the bra fitted was the most important thing....she soon shut up after that!!

they can dig into the tissue and upset the growing milk ducts I think. Can't imagine it would do that if it's not pinching at all though. Think M&S may be overdoing the training on that - I got told by an M&S assistant not to buy an underwired bra at 12 weeks, but it was fine, no lasting damage I don't think.

There is a slight risk that a badly fitting underwired bra might damage milk ducts which could lead to problems bf later, I think.
But if you have now taken the decision not to bf and are wearing a well fitting bra, then I am sure you don't need to worry.
Just wait til people are talking the rest of your body as though it doesn't belong to you either
Seriously shinyshilling, try not to let other people's comments upset you too much, we all get them in pregnancy unfortunately, and they are hard to live with. Stick to what you feel is right for you - although I'd be interested to know...was it the class teacher who gave you grief, or the other women?

I was told that if your bra doesn't fit you really well when you're breastfeeding, then the underwires can dig in. This can cause soreness or even mastitis, and can interfere with the milk supply. Maybe this is what the assistant was thinking of. I tend to agree with your mw - if the bra fits correctly then it's OK.

Don't feel like a bad mother simply because you've decided to bottle feed. You'd be a bad mother if you'd decided not to feed at all, but not just for not wanting to bf. Sadly sometimes people do judge, but it's your baby, and you have to do what feels right for you.

I had the underwired bra problem and Debenhams would not even sell me one!!

It is amazing how you become public property when pregnant.

Yes I think its a milk duct issue, only if they are ill fitting though.

To do with pressing on milk ducts and maybe interfering with milk production.
Must say though that I wore underwired bras all the way through pregnancy and when b/feeding (once past the feeding every two hours stage.)
There is even an underwired feeding bra in BM(?) that a kind MNer found for me when I asked about it a few months ago.

Debenhams wouldn't sell you one? That's a disgrace - what on earth did it have to do with them? I hope you complained long and hard!

I went to Bravissimo for a fitting earlier in my pregnancy and the lady there said that underwires are fine as long as correctly fitting because when they are fitted properly the wire doesnt touch your boob itself it goes to the side and underneath...i never find M&S good for bra fitting, plus i guess the girl who was nasty probably doesnt NEED underwires like some of us do and so doesnt appreciate the hideous sag a non underwire produces!!

If you do have a Bravissimo near you then i would defo recommend popping in...i know there are ones in Leeds and Manc but not sure elsewhere??

It's also pretty easy for your classmates to have those views, seeing as they've never actually fed a baby themselves (assuming they are all first timers too?). Wait and see what happens when they've actually had their babies...

Re the breastfeeding,noone can make you feel bad. You decide whether to feel bad about it or not yourself.

i read a study that suggests underwires may obstruct lymphatic system aswell as milk ducts which might increase risk of breast cancer. sorry can't remember article or source but if intersted try googling for more info.

wore underwirse with ds = many bouts of mastitis one surgical removal of abcess
with dd, no underwired bras = no porblems.

Piffle...!!
Gruesome. What did it entail??

local anaesthetic VERY large needle and a little chisel whhooops I mean scalpel.
I am now militant about good bras

And I still b/f ds off it 3 days afterwards. he was on on breast for a few days...

Were you brave?
I would have cried and shook and made a real tit of myself!

(Used to think that underwired stuff was urban myth. Not so sure now....
Were you aware of the spot where the wire was wreaking havoc??

I got mastitis first, got all flu like, high temp - took antibiotics two days later was hallucinating (having a ds who slept 20 mins out of every hr did not help things mind you and I was single parent to add to the fun)
So then they sent me to the hosp and sorted it straight away I got mastitis several times after that but when he was 8 mths old my mum made em go and buy decent bras, never had problem since.
I didnlt cry or wince, I was so out of it anyway, felt so much better 24 hrs later, did not want to leave hosp (had iv anti biotics 24 hrs) and they were bit worried) mum had ds and sorted his sleeping out abit in my absence she brought him in for all his feeds except the 12am 1am2am3am4am5am6am7am ones

lol (at funny parts only obviously)
Imagininig you clinging to the bed as they try to drag oyu out wailing
'Nooooooo,I'm still sick!!! A little longer please!!'

I know, it's amazing I never had him adopted I guess, but hes 11 now and gorgeous and sleeps like the dead... smells like them as well now though boys are yeuch

I didn't wear underwired more because it was painful, didn't know about the other issues!!

Thanks everyone for the bra boost. I now feel much better. I think you should all take jobs as bra fitters with your kind and caring comments.

Incidentally Marina, it wasn't the class teacher herself who judged me, it was the mw who also attends the sessions and a couple of the mums themselves, one of which has three kids already. We had to state if we had made our minds up re feeding yet, and as I was second in the circle, I thought I'd be honest...obviously the others were all brighter becuase they all said 'yes'. Honestly, I've come across less pushy double glazing salespeople!

Thanks anyway, you've all made me feel much better.

I thought it might be other attendees rather than the teacher herself ss. It's not really any of their business. As it happened everyone in my NCT first time and refresher classes intended to b/f but I know that even if they hadn't our excellent antenatal teacher would not have made them feel conspicuous or bad.
Glad the replies have made you feel a bit better. An emerging pattern seems to be that M & S bra fitters' training is out of date!

I think it's really off to ask people if they've made up their minds about feeding before the baby's birth.
I know in lots of places it is policy not to,because then people feel sort of obliged to abide by the original decision.

Spoke to a girl I know who was adamant pre birth that she wanted to bottlefeed and so was given a bottle. She said that she in the minute after the birth,she was quite keen to try b/feeding but felt the bottle thing was a sort of fait accompli.

I think some places now just ask 'Would you like to feed your baby now?' and let mum ask for assistance with what she decides.

May sound foolish in the cold light of day,but even I felt that my first baby wasn't really mine when in hospital.

Point being that you can always switch to bottles at any stage,but it's pretty hard to switch from bottles to boob.

Just a point.

You can buy underwired maternity bras so it's clearly a load of rubbish.