Maternity bra's grrrrr.....

[macdoodle]

Sorry if been done before can't seem to find..
Am busty girl was 36DD wearing old 38DD form before weight loss - now 16+ weeks and finding am busting out
So went to M+S and NOT impressed - lady measured me as a .....38DD but clearly am not as my bras are clearly too small...she was adamant that I could NOT have underwired even when I said I believed I could as long as fitted properley
Anyway the maternity bras she bought me were pathetic NO support atall saggy and uncomfortable...so she bought me some boulder holder/total support ugly bras which hmmmm I suppose are supportive but not as much as my underwired ones
So I ended up with 2 38...F horrid boulder holders - was desperate as bras so uncomfortable but wary of buying underwired as so unsure of correct size....so advice where to go who to be measured by bloody hell cannot remember this bit from last one (DD nearly 6) but do remember being humungous by the end

I am also very unimpressed with M&S Maternity Bras! Have got these two really ugly ones that dont feel like they are giving me enough of a lift. if anyone knows of anywhere to get one that actually makes you look like you have two separate breasts rather than a large lump across your chest I would appreciate it!

You can have underwired. I would take the bras back. They aren't what you want and the service wasn't great. Try Mothercare or John Lewis though ir is just down to the training of the person, not the shop. I used to fit pregnant women when I worked for Boots and 9 times out of ten they were shocked at the size they ended up being.

why dont you just wear normal bras?

measure yourself at home and buy what you want! I ahve never bought a maternity bra in my life

I guess I just thought you had to although if other people arent necessarily wearing maternity bras then as long as they are comfy and fit it shouldnt matter. What do you think Macdoodle? Ditch the maternity ones?

Are you anywhere near a Bravissimo store? I wore their underwired bras all the way through my pregnancy. I was re-measured every 4 weeks to make sure they fitted properly, without touching the breast tissue anywhere.

You can also order them online here.

Didn't get maternity bras got total support non wired ones - but like the idea of bravissimo underwired - no where near shop though ?? And no John Lewis either

I bought M&S ones and didn't wear them because I didn't like them, and there weren't matching knickers available. I know, this is a silly reason. My mum said that never bothered her but it does bug my little sister too.

Have bought from Mothercare, preferred the range of colours and styles, and was able to buy some knickers and then nursing bras in the same styles, although it can be a challenge matching up the items, and I didn't find Oxford Street any better than my local north London branch. And I've never found that there were enough staff on to get myself measured, so probably have the wrong size now.

I hardly put on weight during pregnancy but it redistributed itself, and I found my normal bras were the first thing to get uncomfortable. I'm a DD cup and worried about going without underwires too - apparently they can affect milk ducts, but found the Mothercare maternity bras were ok for support,

Macdoodle - you sound just like me!

I was 38DD, then lost some weight and went to 36DD, I'm now 16 weeks and invested in a pair of these a couple of weeks ago in a 40 F size:

www.marksandspencer.com/gp/product/B000NXTTWO/sr=1-1/qid=1184259342/ref=sr_1_1/203-1453579-24 31948?ie=UTF8&node=&m=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM&keywords=&mnSBrand=core&size=9&rh=n%3A43246030%2Cp%5F91%3A40F%2 Cp%5F94%3APlunge%2Cp%5F10%3ABlue&page=

Ignore what the fitters etc say about underwired is bad - I hate non underwired bras and this is truly the comfiest bra I've ever owned. I'm going to go back and buy some in 36DD just in case I ever go back to my old shape as well!

Also (and this is important to me) they do matching underwear

I find the best way is to go to M&S and just try on lots and lots of bras that YOU like

Good luck!

M&S fitters are totally rubbish - I'm a 32gg and was told I was a 36d. Silly moo.

Are there any independent underwear shops near you? Might be the best place to get properly measured.

If you've got big 'uns, there's no such thing as a supportive non-underwired bra, I reckon. You have to put up with them flapping about, OR go underwired but take a risk that this might affect your milk supply.

When your size settles down treat yourself to a trip to Rigby & Peller - they really know their stuff. I wore vaious sizes similar to yours for years until I experienced the joys of being a 32H. I've found bravado do good nursing bras for the large norked lass if you're trying to avoid an underwire. But this time around I've also ordered some of these converter kitsas I'm planning to turn some standard, but well fitting underwired bras into nursing bras. Haven't tried them yet so I can't speak from experience but they look useful.

Oh and the trick to a well fitted underwire bra is to make sure that the inner wires sit flat against your breast bone - that never happened for me until I wore the right size. Honestly you look so much better and feel so much comfier in a properly fitted bra. I get quite evangelical about it

As usual, I'm here to extol the virtues of the completely wonderful and helpful Rigby & Peller. If you can possibly get to London, they will measure you properly, and find you lots of bras that fit so well you won't know you're wearing them. And they can cater for any budget, as they've got hundreds of different ranges.

Ooh, treacletart, cross-posted with you! Glad to find I'm not the only R & P evangelist around tonight!

I had the same crappy service from M&S. They measured me, brought me a couple of ugly, unsupportive non-wired bras that clearly didn't fit and insisted that they were fine .

I'd gone to M&S because I was a bit strapped for cash and didn't want to spend Bravissimo prices, but my next stop was their shop in Glasgow where the fitter told me that it was absolute nonsense that I couldn't wear a well fitting underwired bra, measured me by sight and brought me lovely, comfy bras that did me the rest of my pregnancy. Ok, they weren't cheap but they made me feel good which was priceless.

I just don't think M&S are up to the job if you have larger than average norks.

If I have a second baby I think I will treat myself to visiting R&P/Bravissimo fairly early on in pregnancy and see what they can do.

Macdoodle I shop at John Lewis. I am similar stage to you but 34G pre pregnancy. I am still in underwired and the only time I wont be is when I am waering nursing bras.

MacDoodle - I think we've had identical experiences, right down to the style and size of bras we walked out with.

On advice from the experts here, I'm off to Bravissimo very soon to try again.

Those total support ones from M&S certainly are v supportive, but I can't wear half of my tops with them because they come half way up to my neck! (slight exaggeration!)

The thing I love about M&S is that generally the bras are well made, and they have such a good range that you're bound to find one in the style and colour you like.

I've had myself measured twice, once correctly, once incorrectly - often now I try a couple on either side of my size and see how they feel. Often one style of bra will fit in one size, and another style will fit in another size.

Also, one of the benefits of having big norks is big cleavage, and it seems such a shame to hide them under granny bras unless support is really your thing, so I always go for a plunge bra if I can

Er...as long as its comfortable that is!