Maternity Bras

Although I am 10 weeks and already have a tummy showing significantly enough to wear maternity clothes, my boobs have barely changed. I have heard that it isn't good to wear underwires during pregnancy which is all I have.

What I want to know is how soon should I be looking at maternity bras? I'm scared if I go out and get one now to fit me or even one size bigger, that in two months time I will need to buy another one, and then 1 month after that I will need another. They aren't cheap and with a new baby on the way I can think of more practical ways of spending my money than on bras that last me 2 months! When are they supposed to change size and shape significantly? Should I go and get some now, or wait a little longer?

Thanks for your help in advance!!

hey there...
as far as I know, everyone is different- so I think its a personal choice.
That said- I've been living in sports bras since I fell pregnant...more for comfort than anything else!

i didnt wear my maternity bras untill i was breastfeeding, i just bought a C cup bra, instead of my B cups (after about 3 months of living in maternity bras.. i went back to regular ones, i never wear mine at all anymore - even tho im still breastfeeding.)

It does depend because some girls change heaps and others don't. There are many people who say it's a good idea not to wear wire and I would agree with that. I got a couple of maternity bras - one fitted at Myer that was about $40 (Loveable brand) and then a couple of cheapies from Kmart. All were good and comfy. I wore them for most of my pregnancy.

Since I've had Mackenzie I have barely worn them because I am totally in love with the breastfeeding tank tops! You can get them from ABA shop or MYer (prob other places too). They are like a maternity bra but with tank top so it means when you lift your top to feed, you can't see tummy - VERY important to me cause I didn't want to show of stretch-mark, squishy belly!!! I also didn't want to buy heaps of tops that could be pulled open from top.

The tops are about $60 for Glamour Mum brand but I wear them all the time - so comfy and easy and go under most tops. I have a couple of cheaper ones too that are good for night time - not quite as supportive but still really comfy. they are Loveable brand. I would def recommend those but up to you! You can buy them for pregnant belly's or after belly too.

Good luck!

You can wear them as soon as you want too. My bb's didn't change much so I was lucky. I started wearing maternity bras about 8 months and am still wearing them. For fitting they say you need to buy one that fits and supports you but can stretch to fit when you place your fist inside the cup when wearing the bra. It is a great idea to be fitted by a professional.

I went yesterday and got two maternity bras fitted at bras n things ... i changed size from 10 to 14 as the girl indicated most of the movement and change will be around you as well as cup size but i am normally a D cup and went up to a DD cup - and they tested the same with the fist inside as i still have more to swell .... excellent i say not lol they are big enough already lol but i bought two as what i have now are underwine and nearly not anywhere near as comfortable as they used to be ....

If you haven't grown in size yet (I haven't either and I'm 16 weeks tomorrow) it might just be worth getting a couple of cheap wireless bras to tide you over. I haven't worn wired bras in years as I'm paranoid about breast cancer and there's a theory about wire causing it. Hestia has some nice ones - I think they are classed as sports bras and I usually get them from Best and Less for about $10 - they come in several colours up to size 16D. This should keep you going until you see any change and then you can invest in maternity ones, but still be able to use the wireless ones after you go back to normal size. Most chain stores have cheap sports bras that don't have wire and any of these would be fine right through your pregnancy.

By 8wks, most of my usual bras didn't fit anymore, and were all underwire. I went to bras and things, and they said I could either get fitted for a mat bra then, or go by wireless tshirt / sports bras from kmart etc... I went the mat bra option, and have been loads more comfortable ever since. I have heard the time to be fitted is around 20wks, so some people are warning me I may grow out of the ones I've bought. Oh well, will cross that bridge when I get to it. Atleast, I'm heaps more comfy, and that is what's most important.
Hope that helps!

Thanks ladies! You have all been so helpful!

I was concerned that I was doing damage by not swapping over, and by the sounds of it I'm not - but the potential is there!! The cheap sports bras sound good in theory, but I have never fitted in to them properly and have found them ultra uncomfortable (just my luck for my boobs to only fit the expensive ones!!), so perhaps I can get a couple of maternity bras and then continue to use them afterwards when I go back to normal size? I know HotMilk do some really pretty ones so I won't feel like they are maternity bras. Good in theory anyway!! What do you think?

I went to David Jones and bought my bras when I was about 2mths with my first baby, they just sized me up and yes you do pay more BUT they feel nice to wear and I did get bigger and still fitted in the bras. Now pregnant with bubba number two, I am 6 weeks and already wearing my bras from 1st pregnancy, I just feel it doesnt hurt starting to wear them early.
Zorica

Where do you get the Hotmilk ones from?

There are a number of stockists. Just google hot milk bras and you will find their site which has a listing of who stocks them. You can also see what they have on offer.

Hi girls, just wanted to say that after wearing three diff uncomfy soft cup bras for the first 3-4 months, i finally bought some hot milk ones. Got them at 25% off so was good buy and they are really comfy and good value. Plus they look nice and the lady fitting them said that they would last for the rest of my pregnancy. I know im a bit further along than some of you guys, but i have friends who have bought them early on and they are able to wear them the whole way through as they have stretch panels in them etc etc. Great buy :) and they feel supportive too. I had trouble finding them but if you look on their website- hotmilklingerie.co.nz they will tell you where they stock their lingeries in countries all over the world :)
Good luck.

Hi Mel,
Just wondering where you got those for 25% that's a good deal!! I know the ABA at Castle Hill have them but with only 10% off if you're a member

I didn't wear a bra at home... but did wear one underwire one on and off. I bought a couple of bf bras at around 6ish months I think but ended up being a cup size bigger so I wasted my money!! Personally for me, I shouldn't have bought any until about a week after Oskar was born cos that's the size they still are now which is bigger than what I originally bought!

I've gone up a cup size and I'm still using underwire as it's still comfortable for me at the moment. If they keep growing and the bras get uncomfy I will probably use that opportunity to upgrade to a maternity one.

I dont' think it's unsafe/harmful to use an underwire, as long as it's not digging in or doesn't fit properly.

Sports bras are fantastic!
If you haven't changed too much yet, I'd say let it be for now.. My breasts had almost doubled in size by the time I was 7 weeks pregnant... Just so happened I was getting married that week, had to re-make the entire bodice and ended up not wearing a bra at all. hehe.

I needed maternity bras early into my 2nd trimester as my breasts were two sizes bigger than they were pre-preg. Then I bought new ones towards the end of my pregnancy, one cup size bigger. I ended up buying four bras, some I got on sale for 60 but others were 80 dollars. So yes, not cheap at all! But you need to support your breasts. The underwire can cause problems with breastfeeding, even if you just wear them while you're pregnant. Having said that, I didn't buy new ones until I outgrew my pre-preg ones.

Your breasts will definately grow a fair bit, and chances are you'll need new ones again towards the end of your pregnancy. When you get fitted for them, they should allow space for your breasts to grow as they fill with milk.

I wish the hot milk range came out in my size! They look so pretty!

I love the Elle McPherson bra's they are BRILLIANT!!

I went and got fitted for one yesterday, and was told I would be around a 12B, and the smallest and only one in the shop was a 12C. Tried it, looked like it had a bit of room for me to still grow (which I only started doing recently too), but when i got home and put it on this morning I'm not happy with it at all. It is a hot milk one, hlaf lacey, half satin like and where they join you can see the seam under my shirts! I think it is way too big for me, so will have to return it in a weeks time when I am back near the shop that is 2 hours away! Hope they will give me my money back as they didn't have any other sizes below the 12c so store credit wont help me out there.
The lady who fitted me said that by the end of the first trimester you should have done the majority of your growing, which just confused me as I think I'm still swelling up a bit? So who knows?

Nic

Hi Nic,

Don't stress about the size thing and if you aren't happy with what they sold you you are entitled to your money back. Ring them first and ask if they could order you a 12B and explain that you aren't happy with the one they sold you.

Then when you go to see them they should have your preferred size and you can try it on and compare. Otherwise I think you are supposed to swell lots just before you give birth and just after when your milk comes in, so chances are you will still get bigger. I haven't been pregnant before so I can't confirm this - perhaps other mothers could?

Hope that helps!

hey mummytummy , i dropped back into the store when I was there the other week and was served by another woman. I explained how I had been fitted for the bra, but when I got home I wasn't happy with how it fit and with how the seam showed up under my shirt. Well, she was less than happy with me, old cow! Told me that because there was a join there, of course it would show up under my clothes. Said she would exchange it for a different brand for me and directed me towards the bras I had previously been shown that had nothing smaller than 14's. I said "Oh they won't fit, you don't have anything smaller than a 12C there do you? So she looks me up and down and snarls at me "You're not a 12C, your at least a 12D" Told her I was only going by what one of the other women there had told me when they measured me up, she seemed even more impressed after that. Anwyay, got a different bra, it's ok, not totally happy with it, but it's better than my old bras.
Only have the 1 at the moment, will have to go and get another couple soon.

Nic

Hey Nic,

What a cow!!! I would have kicked up a fuss at that.... how rude. Just don't go back to that shop if you can help it to get new bras! It is really not hard to be nice to someone and not be insulting!

At least you found something for now. I am really angry for you! It is one of my pet hates - people who work in customer service industries with very poor customer service. I would even get on the HotMilk website and complain about that retailer - they might want to know what kind of service people are getting at one of their stockists, because it ultimately reflects on their brand.