Maternity Bras

[LatteLover12]

Has anyone got any recommendations?

I'm only 11 weeks but my boobs are killing me and trying to squeeze them into my 32B bras is becoming the stuff of nightmares!

I'm keen to avoid the non-wired saggy boobed look so early on but have no idea where to start.

Any tips?

Just go a few sizes up for now if you still want regular bras.

They'll come a time when underwired bras are painful, at that point Aerie by American Eagle have a great selection.

I suggest waiting too. Chances are your breast size will keep increasing right up until your milk comes in.

Hi, my non pregnant boobs are fucking giant anyway (32ff) and before I got pregnant I bought a Lara Bra, they're wire free and super comfy. I'm still comfy at 12 weeks and my boobs are even bigger. So maybe just try wire free for now?
I'm holding off until later before I try to get a maternity bra.... Not holding out much hope of finding one that actually fits!!

Is there such a thing as maternity bras? Surely you just need the right size bra.

I have up on underwired pretty quickly as they weren’t comfortable.

I got a nice one from M&S that had no underwire, but I promise it wasn’t ugly. It looked like a normal bra and the staff were very helpful. If you plan to breastfeed it might be an idea to get some nursing bras now, to wear in pregnancy, alongside some better looking ones as you need a few nursing because you are supposed to change them every day. Although you are right that maternity / nursing bras are generally unattractive.

I wouldnt get any nursing bras now as you have no idea what size you'll be

Go and try on a soft cup one, a moulded one and a seam free one. You’ll soon see/feel which type suits you.

Thanks everyone, that's really helpful. I hadn't even though about just getting fitted for a bigger, 'normal' bra!

@user1480880826 maternity bras have no wire so you don't block your milk ducts.

I'm planning on breastfeeding so will hold off a few months and buy non wired nursing bras then.

Thanks everyone

I have bought a couple from m&s today. I had been wearing underwired bras until now (29 weeks) and these are SO much more comfy.

molke.co.uk/shop?category=1&order=name

It is actually more important to wear non-wired bras in pregnancy as your body and breasts can change so quickly and the wires become very uncomfortable.
Once you have established breastfeeding and the breasts have settled in size (after about 6 weeks IIRC but would have to check) it is actually fine to wear wired bras provided they fit correctly - "flexiwire" is best and there are several nursing bras with flexiwire - but normal wires can be ok as long as the fit is just right. I found that the best bras had a bit of stretch in the cup to accommodate fluctuations in size of full/empty breasts.

My advice is as follows:

• measure yourself using Boob or Bust
• buy one or two non-wired bras, you could either get a normal size bra or a soft stretchy bra that covers more than one bra size. You don't have to get nursing bras at this stage but it's worth considering it, because if you end up the same / similar size while nursing you could reuse the bra.

I am 13 weeks pregnant and my breasts have grown in the first trimester, I've stopped wearing my wired bras as they're too uncomfortable. I'm 34GG atm so support is vital and I have bought the Sugar Candy nursing bra (available at Bravissimo but I got it cheaper from an online shop). It's expensive but worth it for breasts of my size because it's so comfortable and reasonably supportive for a non-wired bra. It has a lot of hooks on the back and a lot of stretch so I'm hoping I'll still be able to wear it when my size fluctuates in late pregnancy and breastfeeding.

In my first pregnancy (and when breastfeeding) I wore the Panache Sophie nursing bra which is quite pretty but did give me a bit of a mono boob effect I also got some cheap non-wired bras from M&S which were not the most flattering but did the job.

Whatever you do though, do not get measured in M&S!

They look fab @Branleuse!

PS Based on my bra shopping to date, "maternity bra" is just a non-wired bra marketed at pregnant women, not suitable for breastfeeding, and "nursing bra" is a bra for breastfeeding with clips.

Ooh really @NameChange30 where should you recommend?

Because I am usually little of boob, I've always gone to M&S

Do your Boob or Bust measurement and then I'll tell you

I usually recommend Bravissimo, they are for DD+ so some women think their boobs are too small, but often it turns out that they have a smaller back size and bigger cup size than they were told by M&S thought.

Otherwise I think John Lewis can be pretty good and they have more bras in smaller cup sizes. Debenhams are hit and miss I think.

I think I've heard good things about Boux Avenue but there isn't one near me so no experience.

What size tops do you normally wear? Before getting pregnant that is?
If you're about a size 12 then 32B may be about right.
If you're any smaller then your bra size is probably wrong.
If M&S measured you I'm guessing the latter.

I'm usually a size 8-10.

I was measured as a 34B but I often buy a 32B to avoid gapping!

Yeah you're probably a 28DD or a 30D. Probably 28 before pregnancy and 30 now. Cup size could have gone up too so maybe 30DD.

Boob or Bust and/or Bravissimo!

Thanks so much @NameChange30 I re ally appreciate your help!

👍

@LatteLover12 you can’t get blocked ducts when you’re pregnant. You can only get blocked ducts after your milk comes in which is a few days after your baby is born. While you’re pregnant you can wear whatever is comfortable.

I started at 32DD/34D (depending on brand) and am currently 38DD at 28 weeks, i first bought some 36DD soft moulded cup bras at John Lewis when I first started to get bigger but now I've actually just been to Sainsburys to get some cheap bras since I'm bigger again and they are fine. I think I got a pack of 2 for £14, I didn't like the idea of spending a small fortune on bras that I won't need in a couple of months. They're actually super comfy too and pretty. I guess I'll get my first nursing bra when I'm closer to popping...

I have bought some non wired but moulded bras from Uniqlo which are super comfy (approx 36dd now). I have a 9 month old DD and have stopped breastfeeding now boobs have shrunk from the nursing bras but not quite back into pre pregnancy bras so bought these as a stop gap until boobs settled as don't want to buy loads of new bras only to find that they change size again.

Blocked milk ducts are NOT caused by underwires- unless the bra is the wrong size or shape the wires do not rest on breast tissue.

You can wear whatever bra you are comfortable in throughout your pregnancy, wired or not. The aim is just to get your breasts lifted up out of the way of your bump and sit them in a position that doesn't squash your lungs so you can breathe!
Some women have high bumps which make siting the band of the bra more awkward- there's no gap between bump and boobs. I find wide stretchy bands like the Bravado seamfree or Sugar Candy mentioned upthread are great for this stage.