Nursing bras (neither fashionable, nor beautiful)

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Hi there,

I'm pretty big of bust (38FF/G) - currently looking for a couple of nursing bras (due to give birth wk 1 October).

Do you have any advice as to lovely, soft, yet supportive, nursing bras, for my
gargantuan ample bosom.

I'm not even sure if I need to buy my normal size, or a size up...

It's only to see me over between birthing (which makes me sound like a cow) and getting my shit together to go to the shops post-birth to actually try some on (and hopefully not leak all over the buggers).

Hotmilk bras are beautiful.
uk.hotmilklingerie.com/?gclid=CNao8Yz21c4CFVMz0wod-rALBg

If you're looking for something on the high street, the best I've found is the debenhams range called something like "comfort nursing bra". I'm a smaller back size but similarly large of cup and these were by far the most comfortable.

I would highly recommend the Royce Charlotte nursing bra. Not especially glamorous but very supportive.

Seconding the Royce bra, not sexy, but did the job perfectly well! (34g)

As soon as I gave birth I went down a back size, then when my milk came in I went up two cup sizes.

My favourite is the panache Sophie

Not at all glamorous but M & S do a good multisize nursing bra crop top type thing. It's clearly not as supportive as some, but better than expected and it covers you when you don't know what size you'll be from one day to the next.

Another vote for the panache Sophie.

I'm big busted. I liked elomi nursing bras the best.

But what was unexpectedly useful were those weird jml bras. Sainsburys do their own version and M&S do. But they look like they're never gonna fit/be any good but for utter comfort and the fact they'd fit you no matter what ballooning/shrinkage happens they'll still fit. Dead easy to pop a boob out of too. I don't know if I'm describing them well, but they're not wired, no clasp, no strap adjusters, just fabric. And cheap!

I'll see if I can find a link.

You can but kits to convert normal bras
Make sure you get fitted properly at somewhere like bravissimo not m&s or motherboard.
For early days you want comfy, I have a bravissimo seamless crop top style thing which was good for milk coming in etc. Then once supply settled and bfeeding is established get fitted again after aboutc12 weeks.

I've finallh had enough of my 4 manky nursing bras this week & bought two from Hotmilk in a 36F. They give a much better shape & more support than my old M&S ones which were awful. Bravado do okay soft bras & I liked the Emma Jane bras although they don't give a lot of support.

I know generally underwire isn't recommended but I've been BF for almost 8 months and I'm desperate for an underwired bra & something pretty so I'm waiting on this coming

m.asos.com/mt/www.asos.com/asos-maternity/asos-maternity-mai-underwired-plunge-strap-lace-nursing-bra/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=6712722&clr=Navy&SearchQuery=ASOS+maternity+bra&pgesize=27&pge=0&totalstyles=27&gridsize=2&gridrow=1&gridcolumn=2

And these

m.vertbaudet.co.uk/Navigation/Produit/026000030?type=Boutique&fc=6679&cmpid=&intcmpid=

It's worth getting measured if you can- I was a 32F before I got pregnant and am now a 36C at 27 weeks! Mine are from Jojo Maman Bebe.

I have Royce One and found it awful. So it's very individual.

You can but kits to convert normal bras

Yes, you can - but I found that they were generally too small. I adapted an underwired bra (absolutely fine once supply has settled down, as long as properly fitted with no underwires resting on breast tissue) with clips snipped from cheap H&M nursing bras, found in the sale. Worked really well.

Underwire is fine once supply has settled as long as it fits properly.

rae is that a typo? Yes your back/underbust size tends to go up in pregnancy but I doubt your cup size has gone down!

Another vote for the Royce Charlotte. I had two of those in my huge-boobs-feeding-all-day phase (34HH!!) then swapped to prettier yet still supportive Hotmilk ones once I settled at a 34G.

Another tip - avoid M&S and Mothercare like the plague. I bought various cheaper feeding bras from there once I got down to an F cup, but it was a complete false economy as I simply couldn't wear them.

By the time I finally stopped BF I was down to a floppy E cup and could just wear my everyday bras again, but that was impossible in the first few months.

I've actually found the best ones from Mothercare! Bigger sizes than Bravissimo and they don't give me the weird pointy shape that a lot of their bras do (though they're my favourite for 'normal' bras!)

The shape isn't fantastic but the support and comfort of the Mothercare ones are my favourite so far

I should say bigger BACK sizes than Bravissimo. I'm normally a 38 back but finding a 40 much more comfortable at the moment

I would recommend some of those soft crop top styles for early days, like Royce Blossom. They accomodate several sizes, so it's not so important to get the size absolutely right. In both my pregnancies, my back size went down and cup a few sizes up.

Once your boobs have settled down, there's absolutely nothing wrong with properly fitted underwires (not by M&S or Mothercare). Soft cup bras cannot give the same support. I have big boobs and really hated the droopy sweaty mono-boob. There are several underwired nursing bras around, Freya Pure was my favourite. Anita does one, but careful, their sizing is different as the cup sizes skip double letters. Also, they tend to be expensive.
So with DC1, my solution was to get normal bras from ebay in my correct size, and convert. With DC2, I just wore normal bras, slid the strap down the shoulder and pulled the boob out. This is of course easier to do if you go doe a half-cup or balconnet bra and not full cup.

tl;dr: get a stretchy one in about 2 cup sizes up to start with.

Rae that seems unusual. A properly fitted 32F measures approximately 32 underbust and 39 overbust. A 36C measures 36 and 39- so that would suggest your overbust measurement hasn't changed at all 3hich is unusual. Don't suppose that second fitting involved m and s?

Have you looked at the Rosie Soft bra?

I stopped nursing recently, have a large bust.

I loved the underwired Anita maternity bras. Got fitted in Rigby and Peller but found them half price online. Brilliant material - soft and comfortable but they are actually supportive and uplifting unlike most nursing bras which I found awful. I didn't suffer from mastitus at all (I was told by Bravissimo not to buy an underwired bra).

If you are 38FF/G, I would recommend getting something like a 36 I or J in the Anita nursing bra. The back is very stretchy due to material. You can get fitted in Rigby and Peller or buy and return from Figleaves.

Another vote for the Anita underwire here - excellent and nice and smooth under tops.

Absolutely get some soft crop top type ones for first few weeks. There is SO much fluctuation in size so it's a waste of money to buy fitted bras for first 2-3 weeks. I had some sleep bras from Mothercarr which were fine for my E cups but see that a pp has mentioned a Royce version which might have more support.

seren you can buy larger/wider clips on eBay for wide bra straps.