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Can you please advise....when would people suggest investing in maternity bras? And how do you gage which size to buy? Say I was a 10B before pregnancy....what sizes do you go to from there? I know it depends, but is a 10B maternity bra the same size as a 10B normal bra? I also know that when the milk comes in after the birth, your boobs get bigger too, so how do you determine what size to buy?
Thanks
Sharon
Sharon, i was normally a 14C and i ended up in 14D maternity bras. i bought them within about 12 weeks of falling pg. as far as when your milk comes in - yep - they are huge!!! i dont know how you could plan for that. i sent my mum out to buy me more bigger bras, but within a couple of days when my milk settled down, i found that the bras i wore right through pg fitted fine.
HTH
I didn't buy any until about 3 weeks after Emma was born because I really didn't think I was going to be able to breastfeed and didn't want to spend the money if I was going to end up bottle feeding again.
When I did buy them I ended up with 12 F's when I am usually a 12 DD. Well, to be honest, 1 breast is a 12 F, the other isn't but is still fine in the larger cup.
I went for the more expensive ones because I really wanted to be sure of them being well supported.
I had to buy new bras at about 10w when none of my bras fit anymore (plus they were all underwire!)... At the moment 1 have 2 different brands and stiles, one is 16E and the other a 16F... I probably wont get much big (ok all you btdt mums you can laugh away now). I am normally a 14DD.
My best advice is to go to a bra shop (pg brain wont let me spell laungeray or whatever it is) and get properly fitted. Myer and David Jones also have fitting services. You don't have to spend a fortune at the place you get fitted and can jsut get an idea of size and what to look for in comfort then go to Target, Kmart of BigW and get something there.
Don't forget to check out the main site article on Maternity Bras in Pregnancy. :)
With my first I get mat. Bras at about 14 weeks or so coz I went from a 14A to a 14D....this time I'm 14 weeks now and still getting away with my 'B's but will have to move up soon....
I'm seconding what Kerry said - as soon as you start to get uncomfortable in your regular bras, go to a lingerie shop and get properly fitted, with an experienced attendant. Maternity bras should be fitted a little differently to regular bras, as your boobs expand and deflate depending on your milk flow and baby feeding!
As to when you will need them, well, with my first pregnancy I didn't need a change of bra right up until I had the baby. With this pregnancy, by the time I was three months pregnant I needed to up a cup size, and up another again at seven months! It's a very individual thing.
Kerrie
Thank you so much for all the advice guys. It has helped tremendously. I am 16 weeks and my poor husband hasn't seen a change in size...still losing weight rather than gaining :-(
Kerry, I think your advice is good, bum off a larney shop and get fitted properly and then decide you just don't like their bras or maybe you not sure it is the right time to buy...hahaha! Then dash into Target or that alike!! Good on ya O:)
I got a couple of cheap soft cup bras as my A cup BB's were too small to fit into a maternity bra. Seems they don't make them any smaller than a c cup.
By the end of my PG they had finally decided to grow so I went and got fitted. When my milk came in of course then they were too small :shock: for a few weeks till things settled down.
With my first, I went later in the pregnancy to get them and got them fitted, (that is a strong suggestion) definately get them fitted ok. Not sure of the size I went to but normally Im a 14C.
With William I was 11 weeks pregnant and went into Myer to get fitted I was a 14C going in and came out a whopping 18DD so funny (NOT) I freaked out but now I see the funny side.
Good Luck. O:)
Another question....which bra seems to be more comfortable. On looking at the maternity bra's, I see that when you unclip the front, some have only one "strap" on the outside, and others have two straps, which surround the boob, does that make sense. The one has like a triangle, where your boob would "fit" into and the other has only the outer part of the triangle?? Hopefully you experienced people understand what I am trying to say...and might have a better way of explaining it...
Anyway, from experience, which one is the better one or more comfortabe and supportive?
Thanks
Sharon
Sharon, it depends on the cut and fit of the individual bra to your shape. I have both types at the moment, one isn't 'better' than the other, just different.
With mine, the one with support down both sides is a better bra, but it cost three times as much as the other Target brand, so that's to be expected!
Kerrie
for me its the ones with 2 straps that feels better, by heaps cause u still have support while feeding iykwim?