When did you start wearing maternity bras?

[KentishDreamer30]

I'm 16 weeks and my boobs have increased 2 cup sizes already. At the moment, underwired bras are still comfy for me, but should I be wearing maternity bras instead? I've read that you shouldn't wear underwired bras for a number of reasons, including that they could stop the natural growth and shaping of the breast. I've always worn underwire bras as I feel nude without one... I was also told these are just rumours.
So that made me think, do I have to switch to maternity bras? Will it affect my prospects of BF? Or possibly I'm not too big at the moment and they will get bigger at a later stage, and then it will convince me to switch to maternity bras.

Any advise woudl be helpful.

Team underwire here. I wore normal bras until babies were born, then underwire nursing bras.

I’m also 16 weeks and starting to struggle with the underwire digging in under each boob. Today I’ve put on my only non wired bra and the relief is amazing. I cannot do without a bra as even before pregnancy I was a cup size that is at the upper limit of what is available to buy, even in specialist big bra places. I suppose the answer is when you need to for size and/or comfort.

@ShortWide Luckily, my underwire bras are still somewhat comfortable, and they aren't pinching my bits yet. However, as I said as I will get bigger in the later stages, I might need to rethink that. I really dislike maternity bras; they look like granny bras to me, haha! I'm also considering sports bras as an alternative.

I didn’t change until post baby, just stretched the bras to hell.

I just wore comfy sports bras and non wire ones after around 20 weeks. I switched ro maternity bras whilst breast feeding as they are designed for easy access to boobs

That's exactly what I'm planning! I might wear my usual underwire bras until I can wear them comfortably, and then switch to a sports bra for proper support. When I start BF, I’ll consider looking into nursing bras for the same reason—accessibility

Underwire is fine so long as it fits properly. I wore my normal bras throughout pregnancy then switched to nursing bras until I stopped feeding.

I wore normal bras (had to go up a few sizes!) until the baby was born then used non-wired nursing bras and moved onto flexiwire when DD wasn’t latching on every 10mins.

Underwire is fine as long as it fits properly. Maybe have some seamless crop top type bras that you can change into at night or if feeling uncomfortable.

It's not really worth buying breastfeeding bras until you know what size you need - and you won't know this for sure until your milk comes in roughly day 3-5 after birth (and in fact it can take a while for your milk supply to stabilise). I found this out the hard way as I bought nursing bras before birth and then they didn't fit!

Would recommend getting some flexible size nursing bras (Eg from M and S). They won't be underwired but will fit you for the first few weeks while you get to grips with feeding and you are very unlikely to be doing any gymnastics or skydiving so won't need fantastic support 😂

Then once you are feeling more stable, order some nice underwired nursing bras. You'll be shocked at the cost 😬

The wires started digging in after about 20 weeks. I got a couple of non-wired M&S nursing bras that lasted me through the pregnancy and first 8 months of feeding, then I was back in pre-preg size although still feeding. Non-wired are more forgiving on the fit, my body changed so much including ribcage so I went through various band and cup sizes - I'd have been constantly buying new bras to accommodate.

I got one beautiful lace wired bra from Hotmilk but barely wore it in the end.

Second pregnancy now and I already dug the comfy bras out of storage at about 6 weeks!

@catsnore Thanks for the detailed response, it's been really helpful! Yes, I’m going to hang on to underwire bras as long as I can, but with the way I'm growing, it seems unlikely I’ll be able to stick with them for much longer—maybe a few more weeks, tops. Also, thanks for the advice on getting flexible size nursing bras. I've already started looking on M&S, but I reckon I should buy a couple at least before delivery, right? Obviously, I can buy more later as my size changes. I’ve been told that the size can change depending on how much breastfeeding I do and how much milk I'm producing.

I wore 'crop top' bras when my normal bras started getting uncomfortable and for the first couple of weeks after DD was born. They were comfy, very easy to pull a boob out of for feeding, and accommodated massively changing in size boobs! Once they had settled down after a few weeks I bought 4 non-wired feeding bras.

Wear a bra that fits you well and that makes you feel comfortable and properly supported. Don't guess - get measured. I think those are the only rules worth paying attention to.

I wouldn't bother with buying nursing bras before delivery either. The size and shape of your breasts will be unpredictable immediately after, and honestly, if your baby cluster feeds the way mine did in those very early days, either going totally topless at home, or wearing a stretchy crop top you can pull down every three minutes will be more useful! 😂

I've already switched and am only 7+5 - my boobs have grown at an alarming rate already!

I just bought a couple of non wired ones from Next. They are still supportive

From about 12 weeks because I was going up a cup size per fortnight. I didn't want to buy new bras for just 6 months so at least the maternity ones will do after! I had really sore breasts and terrible itching until about 16 weeks as well and couldn't stand unwired so I have pull on soft maternity ones.

I'm only 6 weeks and have already ordered some soft M&S ones to wear for sleeping because my breasts are already so sensitive I can't stand sleeping without a bra 😫 I expect they'll be too small in a few months though!

Underwired bras are fine if they fit you - are you still wearing your original ones that are now 2 cup sizes too small or have you been fitted for new ones?

I normally wear a 34DD , but since my breasts have gotten bigger, I bought two underwire bras in size 34FF.

Can you find some bigger bras in a charity shop to see you through?

I’ve been wearing a non wired Sloggi one size bra from about 8 weeks! My boobs had about doubled in size (small boobs) and my bras just weren’t comfortable anymore, and I didn’t want to do more bra shopping while I wasn’t sure how much more they were going to grow. My boobs still aren’t big though, and I don’t feel like I need the support of a wired bra. I need to go maternity bra shopping at some point but I’m putting it off!

Then that's fine - just keep measuring yourself and make sure you're wearing the right size, but an underwired bra is fine!