Maternity bras??

[VJONES1985]

Help needed please! I'm five weeks and my boobs have grown and got sore and tingly. What is recommended re bras? Are they designed for later pregnancy mainly? Should I get a larger sized normal bra or go for something specific? I literally don't have a clue. Thanks!

Okay. Does it matter where I get measured now I'm pg? I usually go to La Senza.

it depends how they measure. if they add extra to the under bust figure then they will give you the wrong size. Use your own measurements and pick bras to try on without being measured there

Okay, good idea. After xmas, I'll go to Mothercare and House of Fraser.

I bought the little bra extender clips as I found my cup size didn't fluctuate but I got a bit wider , so just used the extenders on my normal bras, saved a fortune. ( Went from 32 to 34 round the back ) The only time my boobs got bigger was when my milk came in and i found my sports bra fine for this until the milk dispersed ( Formula feeder).

I've read lots of disparaging comments about M&S bra fitting in mumsnet, do people really think they're awful?? I'm one of those people that's never shopped anywhere else for undies

Where would you recommend?

I got maternity bras from there last time, have done same again. I'm in a 34D non wired soft cup which i got at 5 weeks (now 12) and have already had to loosen to middle notches. They recommended going back for another measure when I get to end notch or I feel they're too small. Is that right?

when you get a bra they should be done up on the loosest hooks, not the tightest as bras tend to stretch and you can then tighten them. If you have them on the tightest hooks to start with then chances are the back size is too big in the first place. Could you measure yourself as described above and post them so we can tell you what size you should be wearing?

(If you measure tightly under your bust and then bend over 90 degrees and measure round the fullest part of your bust and post your results then we can give you an idea of what sizes to try)

ilovepowerhoop she told me that with mat bras you start on the smallest and move to the largest as you expand. Is that totally wrong? Pre maternity bras I did actually wear my bras on the smallest hooks, feeling a coming on again

Ok, just measured myself - 31.5" under bust, 38.5" round boobs. I'm in the wrong size, aren't I?

I'd say a 32F (ish) but try other bras around that size too especially if you are going to get bigger over the next few months.

Thanks! Might try somewhere else for bras this time then - John Lewis any good, and do they measure too?

I agree with the M&S lady about maternity bras and which hook to use (and I never thought I would agree with M&S on anything bra fitting related!). This was the advice I got from Rigby & Peller and Bravissimo:

Normal bras, you buy on the loosest setting as Powerhoop says. This allows you to tighten the bra as the fabric stretches.

Maternity bras are the other way round because your ribcage is generally expanding much faster than the fabric gives and many people end their pregnancy 2-4 inches bigger in the ribcage size than at the start (it does go back!). If you buy a maternity bra on the tightest setting, you are likely to grow out of it much faster and have less wear from it.

My back size was 32 pre-pregnancy and I was fitted as a 34 back at 8 weeks, 28 weeks, 38 weeks, and 3 weeks post partum. Don't think my ribs expanded at all!

I've always had good experiences with M&S - I think it depends which branch you're at! Got measured twice during this pregnancy and was given good advice on what size I was likely to go up to. Bras not cheap but well fitting and wide range. Also measured at 39 weeks at Mothercare, but their range is very small (in local branch, I haven't looked online) and expensive too. In non-wired crop tops - 'sleep bras' at the mo!

Anything - but they did if you went from a 32 to a 34 by 8 weeks . Just maybe didn't do more later.

Can I ask when you're supposed to buy actual nursing bras? Because if your milk only starts to come in after birth then you may not necessarily know how big your breasts are going to get! And I can hardly imagine that you'd be up to hitting the shops immediately post-birth. I have no idea how big I'm going to be, considering that I'm just over 32 weeks and still in the bras I wore before I got pregnant!

It is best to buy one or two late on (so from about 37 weeks). They can make an educated guess at that point

Penguins - sorry I should've clarified. I think that 2 was due to honeymoon and Christmas food rather than expanding ribs!

Today I got measured at John Lewis - the lady said "that's not one of ours is it?" when I says it didn't fit me any more. Now a 34E. So good guesses! So much comfier and supported now.

Just want to add that for truly massive boobs (mine have gone up to 40h!) Try Royce lingerie on line.

Crikey apparently I've jumped 2 band sizes from 32 - 36. Seems hard to believe as a lot of my current bras are still wearable.

Matalan do maternity bras for really good prices. Especially good if your boobs change every week and you have to keep getting new ones!