Is it really bad to not wear a maternity bra during pregnancy?

Okay before anyone jumps on my back about this I want to explain wear I am coming from.

Before becoming pregnant I was a 14DD. Since becoming pregnant I have bought new bras that are 16E.:redface: I am still wearing underwire bras (that are properly fitting- no spilling over top or sides) but am concerned that I should be in a wirefree bra.

I did buy one and it cost me $65 (so it wasnt a cheapy) and I hated wearing it. I felt like I had no support and that my breasts were being damaged from the lack of support. I dont want them to be all saggy.

I will definitely have to get around this issue when breastfeeding but for now is it that bad???

And did anyone else do this and not have issues with breast feeding??

Thank you in advance for your replies. :)

i'm in the same boat - have gone from DD to F cup in 10 weeks!

i have had a number of people say that, even though the wires fit well, the shaping of your breast changes throughout the day and this is where damage can occur as it becomes tight without you really knowing. i've had to move to mat bras already, but have a number of sports singlets with shelf bra, or sports bras - they seem firmer and more supportive...

Thanks BG. I might try the sports bras so there is more support. What brand maternity bra did you buy?

i got lovable - i'm a bigger chicky anyway, so looked for the ones that looked supportive in my size - went up a back size and one cup size - and when i wore that last week, realised that i'm almost overflowing from the E cup already (thankfully i grabbed an F cup just in case)

if you're a busty wench like me, blest bras have larger sized bras on there - customer service is great. i live in the sticks so generally have to shop online to get big enough as the shops here seem to only cater to skinny runts (who make up about 5% of the population!)

Hey there Ali
Similar size to you 14d pre pg and now and 16E. I find that maternity bras feel like you are flying in the wind, so i always wear a b/feeding singlet over the top- the ones with the inbuilt bras- That way you have double support. K-mart sell b/feeding singlets with a shelf type of bra thingy for around $16 each- they have the slits so bbs can come out of B/feeding. I found that last pg- i always would wear a singlet top under my clothes and bubs were constantly pulling at your top and exposing me- so stopped the embarrassment of me being flashed at everyone!
HTH- materinty bras take a bit of getting use to but wearing the extra support in a singlet top does make a difference
take care
odette

I know I probably did the wrong thing but I didn't go near a maternity bra until I started breastfeeding with both my kids, I once had a blocked duct that was easily fixed but that was the extent of my problems and I wouldn't put that down to not wearing a mat bra during pregnancy! I hate mat bra's feel like I have no support at all. i even started wearing underwire bra's when still feeding DS and DD although it was just once in the morning and at night before bed when they were 12 mths - wore the underwire all through the day.

Please take into account when you read this that I went from a C to a D so not as big as you so I'm sure that would make a difference although for me I think it would make me hate mat bra's even more!

Hi AB
I am very similar sizing to you 14DD when not preg and now about an F, i went to a shop and they sold me an underwire when i was about 5 monthes (said i was too early for a mat bra)i was stoked as it has so much more support, BUT have had problems ever since i ended up with painful lumps all over my breasts which ended up with an U/S to check for cancer and it totally freaked me out!!! not ehat you need when preg! Thankfully nothing more than some blocked ducts probably caused by the underwire (i did stop wearing it after about a week as i was in agony) I have then went to a really repuable shop and they got me into a Hotmilk bra which is still only a DD and it is really supportive. Defiantely wouldnt recommend an underwire after my experience.

Urgh I hate mat bras so much. I have been nursing for 4 months now and I have given up and bought some underwire bras and the difference is just amazing. I am now a 10F (was even bigger just after I had my baby) and I can only find two mat bras in that size, one of them was hopeless and really hurt, the other is okay but not great. I like Triumph mat bras (if I had to choose) but they don't come in anything smaller than a 12 once you're an E cup.

I am wearing underwire more now and just keeping an eye on myself for blocked ducts - so far so good. Though I did have two cases of mastitis when I was wearing mat bras only.

I have been putting off the event of buying a maternity bra for months :-( I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it.

I am normally a 14 F-G cup depending on what brand I buy and the though of having to go without underwires terrifies me.

I wear an oroton brand bra at the moment only becuase it's the comfiest I have and it cost me $99.95 - Not cheap stuff!

I also dispise being fitted for a bra...any other big busted girls find this?

I just got fitted for 2 maternity bras today at Myer. It was an embarrassing experience because of all my pimples on my back and stretchmarks. lol.

I was a 14D but the lady said Im now a 16 E.....wow. She said the 14D was way too small. You need to get the bra cup a bit bigger to fit in breast pads too.

Definitely go the lovable....it is soooo comfy and even though it has no underwire, I feel very supported. She also gave me Triumph which looks like a granny bra but the support is fantastic.

Id recommend getting properly fitted, you will find a bra that is comfy!

I just bought a few Bendon Pregnancy bras last week, they have 'flexi wire', which basically goes from around the side (not right up next to the boob like normal underwire) and underneath, but doesnt come up the center, so the middle of the bra is almost like a crop top. Its taking some getting used to (ok the lace on this one I'm wearing today is driving me INSANE.
oh yeah, and I have gone from 14D to 16E so far!

I got ftted at myer a couple weeks ago . What a horrific experience!!!!!! the girl looked like she was about 12 years old. and when i asked about wires or no wires and the different types of openings she NO idea. What a waste of time. I ended up buying one, which fit good in the shop but after wearing around for a while my bb's seem to squash together and end up in one big lump in the middle of my chest. I hate it!

which bras lift and separate and support best without wires? and in big sizes...

Thank you all so much for your responses.

MySon- I had the same experience with a mat bra where it was okay in the shops but my boobs were all squishy after wearing it for a couple of hours. Im still looking fo r a bra to lift and separate!

Angelartstudent- I hate being fitted as well. I am 16E now and just feel embarrassed!

Gabi- I know this is a weird question but how do you know if you have blocked ducts? Do they feel like little/big lumps or like a bruise? Can you feel if they are blocked when you are pregnant or only after your baby comes along?

Tam- How did you get rid of the blocked duct? Im a bit clueless in this area.

Scooby- You poor thing! The cancer scare would have totally freaked me out as well. Glad that it wasnt cancer but it still sounded painful. Thanks for the tip on the HOtMilk bras.

Odette- i got a couple of those singlets and have been wearing them to bed at the moment so that I still have some support at night. They are quite good. I actually got a smaller size than I usually would (because I found the tighter it is the better the support without being too constrictive). Thanks for the tip!

BG- what happens if you order online and it doesnt quite fit right? Do they let you exchange or return?

You are all wonderful and so supportive! I swear my boobs weigh a few kilos each probably get even heavier when the milk comes!!

why is it that it is so hard to buy mat bras in decent sizes
i've been to target, big w and kmart this week trying to get some that are low cut so they don't stick out at the top of all my clothes and can't get anything over a c cup!!!
I was a 12-14B before falling pg and am now a 16DD and can't get them anywhere :(

ALI - i ordered from blest bras - they have a measurement table and everything - and delivered within about 5 days. they have a returns policy provided tags are still on - so if you receive them and they're the wrong size, you just send them back to exchange

i ordered two different back sizes with same cup size, knowing that the larger back essentially meant i could go from a 20E to 22E (equiv of 20F) - i got a call from the company next day confirming that this was deliberate. considering i'd gone from an 18DD to 20E at 5 weeks, it was definitely intentional! but it was good that they checked that i was leaving room to grow, as opposed to ordering the wrong size...

Well ladies I have managed to put off my bra buying for another week.

My nipples have been looking very very strange lately (sorry! but they are!) and I feel it adds to the embarassment. Being a "big" girl already I am nervous that the shop girls will think I am using "I'm pregnant" as an excuse! :-)

Hi ladies,
I am dreading buying new bras too. I am normally a 14D or 16C/D depending on brand, an I hate buying bras at the best of times! I bought a new bra a few weeks back but its already too tight and I am spilling out. I live in the sticks too - its a 3 hour drive to get into Adelaide where I can go to a proper lingerie store and get fitted! I am so busy at the moment and just can't work out when I can go but I swear if I dont go soon I'll have nothing to wear! My boobs just hurt all the time now - they are so heavy.

BG - I am checking out Blest bras just now. Looks good! The 'night-time support' bras are looking good too. I didn't know that I shoud be looking out for mat bras already! I thought underwires were better for the support but now I am so confused and worried that I am going to have two potato sacks hanging from my chest in the years to come!

you're better off without wires from as early as possible - your breast tissue changes from early in the pregnancy (hence some of us going up a couple of cup sizes already!) - and milk is produced and reabsorbed by the body early as well. it's not unusual to get blockages well before bub arrives...

if you don't want to get a mat bra as yet, definitely start looking at wire free bras