Maternity Bras

[thedolphin]

i need to be fitted for a new bra as the one im wearing is killing me!!!

im just wondering though if your boobs keep growing the whole way through the pregnancy or do they reach a peak? stupid question, but im curious.

i just dont know wheather to buy a new bra in a different size, or buy a maternity one now - im only 10 weeks! :eek:

i dont want to buy one size maternity now and having to keep buying new sizes...do you know what i mean?

i know everyone is different, but as a guideline:
1. when did you need to buy a bigger size bra?
2. did you just buy a bigger size normal bra, or go straigth to maternity?
3. how many times did you have to change sizes? or once you got the bigger size, was that it?

i dont know...anyone have any suggestions?

[Janie]

I don't know if there is any 'should do' in this situation. I figure that my bbs will keep growing and growing (so I'm told by wise friends!) so ATM i've just bought some soft, comfortable bras that are the next size up. (I'm currently only 6 weeks pg). I got mine from Target, relatively inexpensive, so I can keep buying as my size changes! As far as I know, you certainly don't NEED to be buying a maternity bra yet, there'll be plenty of time for that later on! But if you want to, go ahead! There seems to be mixed opinion as to whether or not pg women should/should not wear underwire bras. I have stopped wearing underwire, I want to give myself the best chance of being able to b/feed, but mostly because soft cup bras are more comfy ATM!

HTHs! I'm sure if I'm wrong, someone will correct me!

[Danni]

i went into a maternity bra at 5 weeks as underwire became my enemy. I bought one cup size up and its great. I just bought another one in the next size too.

I wouldnt worry about buying normal bras, just stick to maternity, especially if you are wanting to breastfeed, so you have the drop down cups. You can always wear them if you're not b/feeding too. No one will know.

I bought mine from best and less and big w and they were $22. I find them invaluable and so comfortable, but not the sexiest things going around

[Fi]

With my first pregnancy I needed to go up to a DD (from a D) when I was about 10w. I ended up getting a couple of "touched by Berlei" bras as they were sensationally soft, but still had an underwire.
I also gota new sports bra as I was still playing netball til 19w.

At about 25w my breasts started leaking colustrum, so then I got fitted into maternity bras. They were still a DD, but I gone up from a 14 toa 16.
I still fit all my maternity bras from last time, the cups in some are a little big, but I just cope with it.

While its important not to put extra stress on your boosies bduring pregnancy, I actually got fitted for a new push up underwire bra about 3m ago as I was sick of maternity bras. I had been in them for nearly 2 years!!!!! The woman at Myers tried to tell me I shouldn't be getting underwire, but I know what a blocked duct feels like, I'm pretty familiar with my breasts now (breastfeeding for 15m does that!!!), and I only wear the underwire bra maybe twice a week??? Its not that comfy, but it looks great, and my boobies look lovely and high in it - a novelty these days!

[clare076]

I was just about to post a similar question this morning. Only my problem is finding a maternity bra that fits. What do you suggest for a women that had no boobs prior to pregnancy, and still has no boobs at nearing 15 weeks? I was flat as a tack with my DD, even after my milk came in I was still not fitting into a B cup maternity bra. Every bra company assumes feeding mothers have at least a B cup, well no not I! Any suggestions.

For the original poster, I was told that once you hit around 16weeks you can pretty much guarantee your boobs are as big as they will get, (lactation nurse information) Obviously when your milk first comes in they will become engorged for a short time but should go back to normal size when milk supply settles down. I probably would stick to normal bras for now (or crop tops that will grow with you) until about that time

[thedolphin]

thanks for that link caro - very helpful.

here is what i thought was helpful:
The right time to be fitted for a maternity bra varies from woman to woman and there is no right time for everyone. The breast begins to prepare for lactation quite early in pregnancy and some women will outgrow their usual bra size earlier than others. Generally speaking, most of the changes to the breast have occurred by around four months (16 weeks gestation) and this is a good time to be fitted, if you haven't needed to earlier.



A correctly fitted bra gives you comfort and support, so it is a good idea to be professionally fitted. This is a free service. You will be fitted for the size you are at the time, as maternity bras have your changing needs incorporated into their design. It is not necessary to buy a bra you will grow into - indeed too big can be as bad as too small!

i guess im just one of those women who needs fitting before 16 weeks! :eek: i might just buy the 1 for now and see how i go in the coming weeks...

[Tashie D]

Hi,

I also went from a D to a DD by week 10 of my first pregnancy. My BBS are horrendous in the first trimester.

But all I can say is, go into Bras n Things, they were great for me. I was told that it doesn't matter if you wear wire or not during pregnancy (by a lactation consultant) but no wire while breastfeeding.

This time around I thought, I'd go the wire all the way, but I'm only 4 weeks and back into my 12DD wireless (pre-maternity bra stage) bra as I found my underwire yesterday very uncomfortable.

The maternity bra's are great because it's also about your back width and that gets broader and broader the bigger your belly gets! So I personally would get a couple of nice soft bra's in the next size up and then around week 15 or so, go and get properly fitted.

But I have to say that my boobs didn't stop growing and by the end I was wearing wireless crop tops from Target! They are the best when you tummy is really high and bras are just awfully uncompfortable by the end anyway!

[Naomi]

With my first pregnancy i went from a 14c to an 18DD:eek: I had to buy new bras at least once a month, i have now been in maternity bras for 4 years.

I was told by my midwife in my first trimester with DS1 that you shouldn't wear underwire while pregnant and breastfeeding, but it looks like we are all getting different advice from different people.

Luckily the maternity bras i bought for DS1 still fit now, but i have had to replace a couple of them because of wear and tear LOL

[Tashie D]

God, I thought i was bad in the BBS department!

:-)

[Lil_Aussie]

Well girls,
I have gone from a D cup, to literaly bursting out of DD, So i am getting some maternity bras VERY soon from Bodywise, as they cater for the large busted girls with some heavenly sounding bras. My boobs are still VERY sore, and they are still growing too :eek: this poor bubba had either have a very big mouth, or feeding is going to be interesting, as they have never been this big. To be honest, I would say that I am an E cup atm,,,,,and now that is enormous!!!!. Huby is loving it, I am hating it as they seem to get in the way, and finding a comfy way to lie in bed is hard too.
I would suggest that youput the underwires into the back of your undies drawer until you finish breastfeeding, as your boobs will probably be too sore to handle the underwire while you are preggers, and an underwire after the bub is born, might lead to mastitis in the early weeks.

[Rachel]

Hello...i too was advised not to wear underwire bras during pregnancy due to milkduct problems, at 16 weeks i gave in and went to david jones and was fitted for maternity bras - i did look at getting fitted for normal bras but no wire but they were more expensive than maternity bras with only 3 notches instead of 6 so went for the maternity. The best thing i ever did - so much more comfotable - and way more support than i ever though you could get from a non underwire bra. I normally vary from a 14 B to a 16 C depending on the bra. I was fitted for a 16 C on the smallest notch so there's room to grow. Once properly fitted i then went to target and got anther bra that was a lot cheaper but fits just as well as the more expensive one. This was only 3 weeks ago and so far so good, still fits wonderfully on smallest notch. Good luck with whatever you decide to do - i'd advise maternity bra, no wire.

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Well, girls, I have to inform you I hate you all (except Clare) - I've gone from a small A-cup to an A-cup, so am still in all my normal bras. I might look at maternity bras after Christmas if I don't grow out of my bras before then - failing that, sports bras are not always underwired and do come in an A-cup... or I can just go bra-less, has to be easier for feeding. (Anyone who already has a baby can laugh at that suggestion.)

However, half my growth was after the 16w mark, so I'm still hoping out that one day I'll get breasts... just another 17-18w to go!

[{sarah}]

I was just about to post a similar question this morning. Only my problem is finding a maternity bra that fits. What do you suggest for a women that had no boobs prior to pregnancy, and still has no boobs at nearing 15 weeks? I was flat as a tack with my DD, even after my milk came in I was still not fitting into a B cup maternity bra. Every bra company assumes feeding mothers have at least a B cup, well no not I! Any suggestions.

New Beginning do a crop top that might work for you...

[kristi14]

Hi,

1. when did you need to buy a bigger size bra? When it started to hurt my boobs and feel really uncomfortable

2. did you just buy a bigger size normal bra, or go straigth to maternity? Straight to maternity, you might as well, you are not meant to wear underwire bras during pregnancy as it can damage your milk ducts.

3. how many times did you have to change sizes? or once you got the bigger size, was that it? With 3 out of my 5 i was fine with the one bra from early on until the end of the pregnancy.

Dont worry about how far along you are, with my son i was busting out of my bras by 7 wks, the bra lady said "oh ur too early for a maternity bra" and then she looked at me and went "Oh, i think you should have a maternity bra". I got to a 10G with him, they had to import my bras from America and it took so long i never ended up getting them. So with him i had a few bra replacements cos of my size.

With this baby i bought a new bra 4 wks ago and grew out of it in 2 wks and just had to buy two news ones.

All the other times the one bra size did me the whole time though cos they do have 6 rows of hooks.

[thedolphin]

update-

i went to bras n things yesturday to get fitted. i had made up my mind i was just going to go for a soft cup bra - they were horrible flimsy things and i just kinda thought that i may as well not wear one at all! they just werent supportive in the least!

next i tried on a maternity one ewww. it was yuk! i did like the look of the loveable ones but they did not have it in my size.

so i ended up going for a short stories sports bra, but its just like a crop top. its actually quite supportive, looks like im waering a proper bra! i only bought 1 as they were $35 and didnt want to spend $70 if im going to grow out of it in a few weeks.

ive gone from a size 10DD to 12DD - maybe because since i found out i was pregnant, ive given up smoking...a double whammy on the munchie front! :eek:

so feeling much more comfy today YAY!

[Cherie]

Oh I'm so worried about the whole bra thing.

I am normally a 14G ... so I routinely spend $60-70 on a single bra. And they're VERY hard to find.
I am starting to grow out of my bras - getting the four-boob effect happening lol. And I have no idea where I'm going to find a bigger cup bra of any type, let alone a maternity bra. Help

[christy]

Cherie have you checked out the Triumph range? The factory is around the corner from my house, I'll go & check out the maternity stuff & PM you. When I buy a maternity bra from early on in PG I usually get one size up so if you are a 14G I would try for a 16H. Thats what I've done this time around and bought a few 16C's (before I got pregnant the first time around I was an A!!) and they fit but the cup is a bit too big still, which is good because when your milk comes in they get bigger too.

[Lil_Aussie]

Cherie,
Bodywise is an australian company, and they make nursing bras up to E/F cup, and up to a 22 in size. That might be another option for you?
I got triumph with all my other pregnancies, and paid $60 each for them. Unfortunateyl, even though they were fitted with extra room for when my milk came in (i was only fitted out 2 weeks before i had bubs), my hubby thinking he was helping, put them in the dryer The night i had my caeser. The actual drop cup shrank dramatically, yet the lining cup, and the rest of the bra stayed the right size. What eventuated was alot of money wasted, for poor fitting bras.
I will never buy triumph again!! It might have just been this particular line of bras, but i was in tears in hospital as the bras were too tight, yet baggy at the same time.