Bra getting tight?

[shop1909]

Hope you lovely ladies can help :) I'm almost 34 weeks and my current bras, which I got from bravissimo have been getting a bit tight. I got a pack of bra extenders which sorted it to start with but getting on the tight side again........ I was going to go back to bravissimo at 36 weeks for nursing bras and so naturally I am really reluctant to spend £30ish on a new bra I'll wear for days?

I have seen the bravado nursing bras that come in s,m,l and wondered whether to get one of these on the basis it would last me the last few weeks of my pregnancy, then I could use for nursing until my sizes settle and delay my trip to bravissimo till then ??

but.......(!) the (tight) bras I'm wearing now are a 34e which is a bravado medium so I guess I'm more like a 36e at least now I which is a bravado large, so wondering with 6 weeks to go and then rib cage going down but breasts getting bigger whether a medium or large is best.

Throw in all the literature about ill fitting bras causing problems with breast feeding I feel like I'm about to have a breakdown about this !:( Sorry if this reads like complete waffle!

As some who had rather large boobs before, during and after pregnancy I would really recommend you go and get fitted for a well supporting and comfortable bra. I know £30 is a lot but it would be worth it. I went up to a 36 G when heavily pregnant and breast feeding. You need the support and comfort. I tried not to do this to avoid spending money but I ended up spending more as I should have done this to begin with! I would really encourage you to go and get fitted at Bravissimo or similar for a good nursing/soft bra for now and later. Your boobs will thank you for it. I also had a break down about it as I felt I had porno boobs and everyone was staring at me. They were HUGE. They needed some tlc! Go get yours some tlc it will make you feel so much better.

If they are in good condition afterwards, they should have good resale value on ebay! You could also try looking there yourself if you don't mind 2nd hand. A potential 6-8 weeks of unecessary discomfort isn't worth it.

I would be reluctant to buy a new one at 34 weeks too! Can you double up on the bra extenders?

I'm having this exact same issue. I'm 32 weeks and on my second lot of bras this pregnancy and at the end of the bra extenders. I am a less well endowed girl (originally 36B, now on what must be 38D with the extenders) and the underbust band is digging in. I would just go and buy a non-wired t-shirt bra from M&S in a size up to tide me over but they stop at D cup so I can't.

May even go and get a nursing bra early in the hope I can use it for a bit longer.

I found I was growing out of my normal bras at 22 weeks and I have bought a couple of these: EmmaJane seamfree maternity bra

They are very stretchy and breastfeeding suitable so I am hoping I will still be able to wear them for the rest of pregnancy and post birth. If not then it is only £11 rather than £30. Sooo much more comfy than my previous underwired bras though admittedly not sexy!

Thanks everyone for making me feel like I'm not losing my mind :) I had thought of doubling up the extenders but feel it's under the cups bit that is getting tight so not sure how much it will help. Been wearing a maxi dress with built in support band and no bra today and been so comfortable has made me realise is getting ridiculous (and don't think it's an option to wear dress everyday for next 6 weeks!) Hadn't thought of ebay even though bought a load of baby things from there especially from a resale point of view Thanks for the emma jane link they sound more reasonable will have a look at them. I might go into bravissimo this weekend and hope they'll sell me something that will last until size settles after baby rather than going back at 36 weeks too

I have the Bravado bras and they are so comfortable. I am only 22 weeks pregnant but have been finding that the bands of some of my bras are uncomfortable so I have been wearing the Bravado bras at home. I am a 38DD if that helps.

My boobs just keep growing and I've gone through 4 sets of increasingly larger bras. I'm now a 34 F up from a 32 C, and only at 22 weeks!

More recently I managed to get some really cheap bras (£4 or less a pop) from Debenhams' sale - the Miriam Stoppard range. Might be worth you having a look there. I find them v comfy.

Bit of a meaningless whinge........Went to bravissimo today and was really disappointed. She took the extenders out and said my current bra fitted fine (by the time I took it off to try nursing one she bought on I had big red marks around ribs...) Said nursing bra would be no use when baby was here if I bought it fitting now etc etc so said I needed something for now as was uncomfortable and she said she couldn't tell what my bra size was at the minute because I was wearing the extenders?

Almost every sentence she finished with "but I don't have a crystal ball" - I know it's not possible to know what will happen once my milk comes in but felt like she was preparing me for whatever I bought to be useless? She got me a nursing style in 32g saying my ribs will shrink/cup grow etc, I tried it on and all she did was ask what I thought, no "advice" as such..... I made polite noises and left. Really disappointed as had hoped it to be a treat to myself and feel I haven't learnt anything! Called in a few other places while in town but a lot stop at d cup in marks etc.

Think I'm going to order the recommended emma jane one for now, and then wait until few weeks after baby is born and have a mass of options delivered to the house and make it up as I go along I guess.

If your existing bra is being made looser by wearing extenders, it's more likely to rub/make marks as it has the freedom to move about more.

How many weeks are you? Ideally a nursing bra should be fitted as close to your due date as possible (2-3 weeks). It is hard to guess what will happen, especially with a first pregnancy but better she didn't say enough than fed you a load of nonsense.

Ring the store, explain how you feel and ask for a refit with a more experienced fitter. It will be worth it.

I was told by a friendly bra-fitter at 28 weeks that even at that stage, a good fitting maternity/nursing bra would be useful again 'on the other side' when weening the baby and things are coming down again in size, so it's not necessarily a waste of money to be comfortable now!

Don't suppose you're in the north west? I know an amazing speciality bra shop that did a great job of dealing with my humongous knockers last time I was PG

I'm in the North West so please do share! I'm in desperate need of a bra. 28wks down, still 12 to go!

this place

Personally I found the level of service amazing. Worth making an appointment as they get pretty busy (especially at the weekends). My bazzokas were out of control with DD so they fitted me about 3 times in the end.

Ooh, where can you buy bra extenders from?

Oh thank you so much for the link. The place looks fab. I'm going to go definitely. Can't continue with this one bra that doesn't fit anymore, it's killing me!! Will make an appointment tomorrow :)

minipie are you paid for this link?

When i click on your EmmaJane Bra link it takes me there via a website that gives revenue for clicking- why is this?

No idea! I just linked to the JoJoMaman website as that's where I bought mine. Definitely not paid, more's the pity.

Captain I think it's something that Mumsnet set up as I notice it on pretty much all links on here.

No probs bluemoon hope the lovely ladies sort you out

I'm only 9 weeks plus but need to go buy new bras soon. I was just going to visit to my usual fave M&S. Is bravissimo really that much better?

The only thing I would say about m&s is they're a bit clueless re pregnant people in my opinion. I did lots of research about what was safe re underwires etc when I was pregnant with DD (due to astonishingly sized boobs), had even discussed with MW.

so toddled off to m&s to get measured and stock up -and the woman flatly refused to fit me for an underwired bra.

Gave me a big long lecture about how dangerous it was to wear underwires during pregnancy (without any actual real knowledge) Patronising cow. I was v and did not go back after that.

Unfortunately in north east but thanks anyway for the tip. I got my bra extenders from jojo- 4 for £2.70 with the mumsnet 10% code but think loads of places do them. Ordered emma jane bra from jojo last night and dispatched today so comfort is hopefully in sight! I found m and s a bit useless pre pregnancy but think it depends massively on the specific fitter wherever you go- bravissimo were really great and very knowledgable about whole wired debate before think I just got someone unfriendly/ on a bad day yesterday!

Camel - interesting. MW, baby book and pregnant friends have all said avoid underwire so I was all set to buy non wired bras.

That's pretty poor cust service though, no wonder you were cross.

Agreed re specific fitter shop - totally depends who you get on the day

thetramp yes the advice is to avoid underwires. However my boobs were so huge that I was not happy to have them unsupported all the time. I did some research re where that recommednation came from and its all about underwires potentially pressing on milk ducts etc and squashing delicate breast tissue. A good fitter can advise on and fit you for a cup size big enough so that breasts are still supported but underwire does not press on any breast tissue. I therefore ended with a mixture of wired and non-wired.