Bra help!

[Flaminhottornado]

Hello, I am in desperate need of help with a decent bra. I have never had anything that has been comfortable and have received an array of size measurements from shops over the years. I just did boob or bust and got a 32E. My boob's are tiny though! No volume up top and saggy now after feeding 3 children. Any bra I get is normally too tight around the middle and gapes at the top. Any advice would be appreciated. Totally lost!

Go to a bra shop and try on lots of bras. Even if you know your size, trying on is important as they come up slightly differently depending on manufacturer and design. Bras are some of the hardest garments to make.

Breastfeeding doesn't cause breasts to sag, pregnancy does.

I'd look for something like a stretchy t shirt bra? If boob or bust says you're an e cup, you must have something there!

Personally, bras that I have been measured for never fit right and are never comfortable. I don't bother getting measured anymore.

Go to a large M&S, grab a load in the 32E and try them all on, on the loosest hook setting. If none of them fit properly then that's not your size! The reason you use the loosest hook is because the bra stretches over time, so to maintain the correct fitting you just move up to the next hook when it starts feeling loose.

Determine where it's not fitting right. If they're too tight around the chest, then try a 34. If the cups are too big, try a D or DD. Just keep trying a one size up or down until you're happy with the fit and look of it.

The band should sit flat on your chest between the boobs, and should not ride up at all at the back. If a bra gives you "fat armpits" its too tight. Cups should be filled perfectly, no gaping or excess material, or so tight it creates "4 boobs".

Not all bras are created equally. Different brands all fit differently, and even in one brand, sizing seems to vary between styles. I ordered 4 different styles from M&S earlier this month (all same size) and only 1 fit properly.

It should be quite snug round the band - obviously not uncomfortably so.

Measure yourself as per this guide - it will be similar most probably to Boob or Bust but confirms the measure

https://thebetterbracampaign.blogspot.com/p/fitting-advice.html

Also sometimes the band is too tight as it steals from the cup if the cup is too small so - best to try it back to front so the cups are not in the equation and see how it feels on its own.

If you are an E cup - or D, then Bravisimo are your best bet.

M & S - do not measure correctly - they add 4 inches onto the band making them loose and giving the falseness of 'being comfy' - But they are then the wrong size.

Boob or bust measured me as a 32E, I couldn't even fasten if! I found the A Bra that fits calculator more accurate. Even then it varied a little depending on the actual bra. If sizing up in the back you may need to go down a cup size, and up a cup size if sizing down in the back. Have a look at sister sizes for a better explanation than I can give.

I used The Bra Intervention which was recommended on Mumsnet a few years ago and it was brilliant. After years of wearing a 46 D bra I discovered that I'm actually a 42 E. The difference has been amazing! I honestly wasn't expecting a great outcome as previously when I've used similar things,it's come up with a ridiculous result (e.g. saying that I was a 44 G). Only drawback is that trying to find decent bras that come in an 'E' cup is somewhat difficult at times.