Maternity bras are all wrong!

[Annie75]

What's with maternity sizing? Looking for some bras and the maternity shops seem to think that just because your cup size has gone up, you're also going to have a much bigger back! So, am normally a 32 back and a D cup - so now I want same back and DD or E cup - but all they seem to offer is 36-38 backs with that size, or worse, a straight S, M or L which doesn't have a hope of being well-fitting (how can it be when everyone's back and cup sizes are different?) They are also all sooo dull! Can anyone recommend a company which separates out the back and cup sizing and does pretty bras?

Also, would love to get away with buying as few as possible during pregnancy - is it realistic to buy a maternity bra which would also double as a nursing bra - or are our ample bosoms likely to increase loads more before/after we give birth?

I know what you mean. I had problems finding bras, starting off as a 30/32 D and now a 32 E or even F in some. I have found these bras, they are quite expensive but they fit really well and are pretty! have a look at the website.
www.amoralia.com/?pageID=73
The website also shows the stockists or you can order online.
Good luck with the search! I went for the nursing bras so that I can also wear them after the birth.

Where have you been looking?
They just recommend non wired - they don't have to be maternity
Figleaves and Bravissimo have a reasonable selection
The other option is to wear sports bras

As Fio says you can go for wired just needs to be a good fit

Mothercare has maternity bras in your size I think...? Although you have to be lucky with their stock - the ones near us are like a lucky dip.

Just be aware your back size does go up - often a LOT towards the end. I gained about 5 inches around my rib cage as DS was very high. Weirdly it didn't all go when he was born, I still take a size 2 inches wider around the back than before.

Go to John Lewis and get fitted properly - they do their own mat range at £10 each which I thought a bargain. I have gone up from 30 to 32 and SIX cup sizes (from which I am still reeling); lady was fab and spent a full 30 minutes fitting and adjusting and giving lots of good advice. Whole chest area feels much better today.

JL own range go up to a G.

Thanks for all the suggestions - like the Amoralia website, Danah

Didn't realise my back would go up too so thanks for caution, MissGolightly. I have been wearing my underwired ones until now as they are so much more comfortable and flattering for a larger cup size - don't feel guilty now! Maybe I'll just buy one for now and see how my size changes further down the line...

I hated everything I found in the UK, so I ordered some non-wired bras from Victoria's Secret. Great range of nice looking bras for big cups with small backs and they even look nice!!

I think I have the smallest preggie boobs and DH is traumatised! However my measurement around my back has gone crazy! Have gone from 34A to 38A Also morning sickness has meant that I couldnt wear anything tight - including bra - so basically I have been living in those support vest thingys. Very envious of other mums-to-be who now have awesome clevage!

Other end of the scale is that I can't find maternity bras with small cup size as manufactures assume - in their infinite wisdom - that all pregnant ladies have a huge cup size.

I think I will need to get measured nearer my due date. I am a 36G at themoment. I dread to think what size I will go up to.

thought it must just be me that was finding it hard to get a reasonable, comfy looking bra. i went to john lewis' at the w'end and was there for ages, trying on everything in my size (the fitter measured me as a 36G, which is wierd, because my back measurement is still, as it always has been, 31 inches, I ain't THAT big yet, mrs bra-lady). in the end i felt pushed into buying the most hideous object, that was well uncomfortable, and it didn't even fit properly - my boobs are very full and heavy, but not very wide, as it were (sorry if tmi) and all the royce/anita/sports bras were massive and saggy. So i took myself off to m&s yesterday, where i usually don't fit anything, and came away delighted to have bought four reasonably priced (16 quid each) non-underwired bras that all fit and are soooo much comfier than my underwired ones. i'm going to keep the receipt and only wear two of them so that if i get bigger my the end of this trimester i can swop them for the next one up. so knickers, as it were, to bra-fitters. and give m&s a try - not sure if everywhere has the same range tho, and i was in the oxford street one where there were loads of styles.
btw, a big bosom is not necessarily something to be envied. i dread to think of all the hours of my life i've wasted trying to find tops that a) fitted and b) didn't make me look like i was trying to be jordan. if it wasn't for the breast-feeding thing, i'd have had a reduction years ago.

I was 32G before I got pregnant and was not looking forward to wearing non underwired and getting sausage effect. went to bravissimo and they said that the old rules of not to wear wires were a load of rubbish, and fitted me with lovely non maternity bra with wires in it which is lovely.

never been more comfortable (except for burning pregnancy nipple pain once in a while)

have gone on a bit but in answer to origginal question bravissimo is way forward - GO!

Dundeemarmalade, are you measuring yourself at 31 inches round? If so, you do need a 36 bra as you have to add 5 to your own measurement.

I've gone from a 34B to a 36E and eventually found Matalan and sports bras to be the best and most comfortable.

I fought against the non-wired as i always had found them pretty useless prepreg and continued in wired but in the last few months of my pregnancy they became agony so had to go off to m&s and buy some of their marriage killer bras v comfortable but no style. post baby whe bf I found H&M's fab colourful cheap nursing bras but they only do them in a few of their stores.

I actually got some plain t-shirt style bras in Primark at the weekend. £3 each & they are great I'm a 36E & it's a perfect fit, haven't really gone up any yet, little bit fuller in the cup but not overflowing, even if I wear them for a couple of weeks they're a steal & as comfy/supportive as most bras I've had. I'm usually around £20 a bra so it was a big eye opener. I bought non-wired last time round & felt so unattractive the whole way through. I bought nursing ones from Mothercare for after & DD wouldn't bf. this time round I'm waiting to see how it goes & if I have to tuck them into my pants on the way home from hospital so be it.

I bought some in M&S but they were very boring and didn't bother to offer matching knickers which I'm picky about so I haven't used them. Eventually I found some in Mothercare, but while everything has matching knickers supposedly, it's quite hard work sifting your way through to find matching stuff in your size. They say they have staff who can measure you but my local branch is far too busy (Wood Green, north London), and I was even less impressed with Oxford Street!

What I like about Mothercare's range is that they do some fun print ones in both support (for pregnancy) and nursing styles. Hence I've been able to get a pair of nursing bras that I already have matching knickers for. Whether they'll turn out to be the right size or not.

I did put off giving up underwire until I really had to though - but that was the first and for months the only place where I seemed to be bigger! Some people were still saying they wouldn't have guessed at nearly 7 months.

I could have done with a lot of the advice here sooner (I'm 39+ weeks now!), but good luck to all those looking for something comfy and not too hideous.

Luci

I'm with you, pedalmonster. Thought one of the upsides of being pregnant would be bigger boobs for the first time in my life - but in fact have increased back size from 32 to 36 and stayed an A cup!!! DH trying not to show disappointment.

kittykit and pedalmonster - me too! virtually no increase in actual boobs, though my back has got much wider. it's been a nightmare finding suitable bras - i went and got measured at John lewis and bought four (non under wired) which seemed comfy in the shop but after a day of wearing one of them it was cutting into me so badly I am going to have to take the other three back. The only comfy one I have is a 36c from topshop and it's perfect (even though I am still only an A cup!) but they stopped doing them. So I am currently wearing the same bra practically every day and washing it the whole time. Why do manufacturers assume that EVERYONE'S boobs go enormous during pregnancy??