Small boobs...

[1950sHousewife]

AIBU to think that I could find a bra that is uplifting, but not wodged full of foam, which will be flattering on those of us who are not overendowed on the boobicular area?
At the moment it either looks like I'm completely flat chested, or have two bean bags shoved down there.

I am struggling to find a bra that's pretty and supportive. Any recommendations?

I only bought one so not a great sample - I think technically the sizing is the same but they do tend to be very stretch so it's not surprising that they didn't offer the support.

How often is she feeding? If it's not too often I would be tempted to go for "proper" bras. My understanding is that as long as they fit properly then wires are actually ok when feeding.

Always had a big back and tiny boobs but on reading this thread i have just hunted for a tape measure im a 35 under and a 40 over currently wear 36/38 b i scoop too having tiny boobs all my life it only now at 40that i have just accepted this still self cocuiosnous of them so if any one can tell me which size i should be looking at before the shops open i would be truly gratful as my brain hurts with reading so many numbers this pass hour many thanks

Stars and unicorns

On the basis of your measurements you are quite a bit more than a B cup.

Can you do me a favour please? Put on your bra, and then do some serious scooping. Basically, put bra on, then take your right hand, put it inside your left bra cup (right round underneath your armpit) and hoik forward every bit of soft tissue you can. Your wire should be resting on the firmest area possible rather than on softer tissue - that all belongs in the bra. Then have a real look at how your bra fits. Based on your measurements I'm expecting that post-scoopage you should have cups which runneth over :) and that the back may well be too big.

Most people who measure an odd number get on better with the back size below - so I would be guessing at a 34. I would suggest trying a 34DD and a 34E as base points. If that feels truly too tight then a 36D should also be tried.

ok thanks statisitically (runs to bedroom like a overexicted teenager) :) will report

Start with a 34 or 36 DD or E. if you can comfortably do it up on the tightest hook then try a smaller band. Whichever one fits best in the cup once you've hoiked everything in can be seen by checking in profile in the mirror; no wrinkles or bulges underarm or over the top of the cup. If you do need to go down in the back, you will need to go up in the cup so for example if a 34E is perfect in the cup but too loose around the band then try a 32F.

Different bra styles suit different boob shapes so experiment until you find what's right for you. There are big variances in sizing (as there are in clothes) so you may end up with different sizes in each bra that you buy!

ok after much scooping from all round my ribcage and armpit ! the bra cup still fits but the back is defo smaller i needed to put it on the smaller hook but will get dp to measure me again (which will amuse him so much ) but will go and try smaller back bigger cup when shops open (why did i only find this thread on a sunday morning i have to wait till 10am wails) the only good piont at small boobs (which i tell myself each day) is that they havent drooped much after childbirth and getting old :)

Going down a back size will automatically mean moving up a cup size or two anyway - just to maintain the volume of your current bra. But it is definitely worth trying the bigger sizes of the 34DD and E as when you scoop in a bra that is tight enough, a lot more soft tissue stays in the cup.
Don't worry too much about what the number is but do run through this list (C&Pd from above) when you are trying new bras on to make sure it FITS.

Firstly, when you but the bra on, lean forward then take your right hand and put it inside your left cup. Reach right round under your armpit/towards your back and hoik all the backfat/escapage forward in to the cup of the bra. Repeat at the other side.

If your bra is a good fit after doing this it should:

• Be worn on the loosest hook (when new). If you can fasten it on the tightest hook then try a back size lower.
• The band should be completely horizontal
• You should only be able to fit a couple of fingers under the front of the bra. If you can get more than that, or you can pull it more than an inch or so away from your body at the back, it is TOO BIG!
• If you raise your arms, the back should not really move - no riding up
• The wires should be entirely encasing your breast tissue - breast tissue goes suprisingly far back and a lot of people don't realise this. If you feel where the wire is sitting under your arm then it should be sitting on a fairly firm surface.
• The central gore (where the wires meet) should sit flat between your boobs. if it is being pushed away, then the cup is probably too small (and the back possibly too big as well)
• There should be absolutely no lumps over the top of the cup. Take a fitted t shirt with you to put over the top of the bra and stand side on to a mirror and watch as you breathe in. If you have a bit of a bulge only when you breathe in, you probably need to go up 1 cup. If it is visible when breathing out then IME it's probably more like two cups or more.
• The cup shouldn't gape. If it does, it may be too big or it may be the wrong shape of bra for you. Moulded cups are particularly bad for this as they don't adapt to your shape.
• The shoulder straps shouldn't be painful and digging in. Most of the support should come from the back. If you find that you can't get enough support without the straps being so short they hurt the bra isn't for you. Most likely it's too big in the back but it may also just be a bra that doesn't suit you.
• and on that note; not every brand works for every person. There are quite distinct differences in shape between brands which mean a particular brand may just not suit the shape of your breasts. I can't wear Panache, for example.

ok thankyou :) truly the last time i was measured was after breastfeeding dd2 15 yrs ago and was just so happy to be a b cup then.
is 7:55am to early to sit outside Asda my dp is so supportive of my shape where as i have no self condience he always says im sexy but i never belivve him (had a awful marriage with a self absored controlling man) my body image is still low 7 yrs on and my dp always wants me to wear sexy stuff but i feel so akward maybe today is the day that i start to become ME :0

Good luck :)

Hi ladies...I would just like to vent frustration and concur with fitting each bra individually.

I bought a white bra a few weeks ago in 34C. Fits lovely.

Saw exactly the same design in nude so bought the same. The fabric is much more stretchy so the back is too loose even on the tightest and the cups are too small that I have overspill (for the first time in my life) and that's without scooping cos I have a broken finger that prevents me doing that at the mo :(

Gah...it was nice to be in the ignorant days of just buying a 38A and getting on with it. Now I know what a well fitting bra should feel like its bloody annoying...

Haunted i am just about to leave for the supermarket for bra shopping i may well look like a mad bra lady instead of of mad cat lady in abit going try on loads plus will make note of ones that fit that are a big expensise that hopfuly will be in jan sales i may be trying on bras all week already doing night shifts

Haunted (and stars) unfortunately there can be size differences between colours which is just infuriating. Black can be especially bad. I think it's something to do with the way the dye affects the fabric.

Plus with a bra, it takes such a tiny change to make it fit/not fit that the same bra may just not fit the same because it was stitched by a different person!

I don't really belong on a small boobs thread, sadly but just wanted to say, "listen to sorrel, she speaks wise words. I have been a, "larger lady" since having dc; a size 18. For years I wore 42b bras and always had that, "can't wait to get my bra off" feeling at the end of every day, painful red marks where underwiring cut into my flesh at the side of my boobs etc. Four years ago I treated myself to a proper bra fitting at a small, local, independent shop owned and run by an ex Rigby and Pellar (sp) trained lady. She didn't even get a tape measure out! She just looked at me and said, "let's start by trying a 36f!! I was but she persisted. I finally left with a couple of 38e's and have never looked back. Now I always try on and all my bras are either 38e or 38dd depending on make/style. I never have to go and take my bra off in the evening now and no more nasty red marks!

well im back havent brought any as it is a poor week. However i was trying on 34 dd and even a E OMG :) the style of the bra definalty makes a differance as balconay bras seem to flatten my boobs. But only did one shop so will began looking at diff shops in the week. I know up thread it has been said that the bra needs to be tight but some are really uncomfy down the side but will contuine to look
One thing i did notice is that at the top of the bra where the straps start and when i place my arms by myside i get a way more lumpyness of me (next to the armpit if that makes sense ) but thankyou all :)

Do you mean lumpyness outside the bra cups? That's the stuff that needs scooped in - if it doesn't fit you need a bigger cup.

Sounds like a good trip though :)

if i have my right arm down by myside the lumpyness is by the crease of body and arm (next to arm pit) when i had the new bras on (did like the feeling of trying on bigger bras beacause some boob was still overflowing though ) !! may have to do one shop a day though poor things are in shock lol

It may be that the bras weren't quite the right shape, but that is also often an indication of too small a cup. It may also be that the cup wasn't wide enough - I don't get this issue in Freya but do in others who have a narrower wire.

thanks stats well dp is just up and we off to one of the shopping centres near us to do 3 more shops :)

Ha ha, sounds like all Sunday plans have been abandoned in a bra quest!

(I suspect as long as you give him a twirl DH won't mind!)

I always thought I was a (m&s) 36 or 34a.

After DD I went to an expensive lingerie shop (the queen's one!) recently and shelled out on a few at my new size, 34b.

The 34b ones are comfy but i occasionally have a sore bit in my right boob. After reading this thread I'm wondering if I'm still wearing the wrong ones...

I'm 31 under and 35.5 over

Yes when you have small boobs the .5 matters

What should I try?

this whole lumpiness under arms thing confuses me. Have been experimenting to figure out how I could possibly squash my boobs back under my arms. I suppose I might succeed if I wore a tight A cup. More likely to spill out over the top & front, though, methinks.

Untamedshrew I think you'd want either a 30 or possibly 32 back and a D or C cup ie 30D or 32C but would need to try on to check. Definitely if you're 31 under I don't think you should be wearing a 34 inch back.

Untamed - I think you need to try a 30DD and a 30E.

Untamedshrew I would suggest trying a 30DD and E and a 32 D as a starting point and working from there.

lljkk - I guess it depends a lot on breast shape and size - my breast tissue continue right round my torso under my armpit so it can definitely lead to side lumpiness. <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=za9&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=KYFm0Gdge39STM:&imgrefurl=www.gocitygirl.com/en/Blog/My-Blog/%3FuserId%3D156%26entryId%3D582%26ajax%3Dtrue&docid=-VLu0Uo7HC1AlM&imgurl=www.gocitygirl.com/FashionImages/1_Bad-bra-fit1.jpg&w=3600&h=1200&ei=8BSpUOPXB_OU0QX31oGYCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=172&vpy=287&dur=1392&hovh=129&hovw=389&tx=142&ty=96&sig=107595361979090695160&page=1&tbnh=91&tbnw=240&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0,i:90&biw=1252&bih=522" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this sort of thing (that is a very very bad bra!)

I showed this to my DH and he laughed!! Am going to try some on tomorrow and see if I can prove him wrong. I have teensy boobs so can kind of see his point but I'm intrigued. Thank you all!