nursing bra question

B

Beets

Cathlete
Hi everyone!
I am getting ready to deliver in about 3 weeks now and am making sure that I have all the essentials. I have already bought 2 nursing bras--don't love them but I suppose they will do in a pinch. My question is this: right now the bras fit pretty good but my milk has not come in yet since I have not had the baby yet. How do you know what size to get since you don't know what your "expansion" potential is until it happens? My bras right now are a 38D but I suspect my girls are going to get much bigger than this once my milk comes in. Also, any suggestions as to which brand you found most comfortable and flattering?
 
Hi there,

My $0.02 on nursing bras. They were a complete waste of money for me. I nursed my daughter for a little over 18 months. I wore sports bras... just bought 'em bigger for comfort's sake. I'm about 5'2" and I was around 235 pounds when I gave birth -- so I wasn't exactly small anywhere! Sports bras (with somewhat less lycra/spandex) purchased bigger were easy to flip my breast in and out of, comfortable and CHEAP. We have a Hanes outlet store here and I think I paid about $6-$10/bra. I have about $100 plus dollars worth of nursing bras I used a couple of times and then stashed away.

My body cooperated well with nursing. I did use pads on occasion during the first couple of weeks/month or so, but -- for the most part -- I found the sports bras were really pretty absorbant too, so no need to wrestle with breast pads either!

Granted, I work in a VERY casual environment and my baby came with me to work, so no need for fancy clothes or anything. I wore big loose T-shirts, sports bras and breast fed in my office while taking phone calls and typing emails!

Take care and good luck!
Zoelda
 
I have found myself wearing sports bras from time to time myself... other than that, my favorite 2 nursing bras were from K Mart of all places.

I am also busty -- 36C/D normally... was up to 38F when my milk came in with my first (he looked like a small sumo wrestler by the time he was 9 mos... he was apparantly getting all cream from me LOL). With my 2nd, I was maybe a 38 DD when my milk came in and now I'm a 36D (Robby is 8 mos. old -- he still nurses about 5 times a day). My big recommendation is to avoid Motherhood Maternity like the plague... especially their underwires... I've had like 5 different bras from them, and they've all ended up either self destructing or, in the case of underwires, poking me under the armpits!

Once my milk settled down, I really liked my t-shirt bras (and they were underwire) from Victoria's Secret. I found them to be comfortable, and I could pop my boob up over the top when I needed to nurse. Much easier than fumbling with hooks and stuff.

Susan
 
Oh... and if you get a bigger bra before the baby arrives, remember that your ribcage will not be bigger, just your cup size ... so don't get a bigger #... just a bigger cup size.
Susan
 
Hey there Beets! Ditto to what tchersue said about the underwires at motherhood maternity. I must say that though they poke me in the armpits, I do like two I bought with a from snap as opposed to hooks up on the strap. I also have two that I got from Target that worked pretty well too. I made the mistake though of increasing the # and the cup size but the motherhood ones aren't exchangeable. Still, they were pretty cheap.

I would also like to mention that, in my case, my boobs have decreased somewhat since my milk initially came in. I was a 36C before baby and now at a 36D (but I bought 38D!!;) but I feel like I need a 36 C1/2! My Target bras also seem much more supportive than the motherhood ones but they all have a stitching across the nipple that I don't like because it's so noticeable with white shirts (which I recommend you buy in bulk!).

Also, my baby is 4 mos. old and I just ordered The Frog bra from Title 9 sports so that I can run (and do power step moves) with these milky things! I haven't gotten it yet but I hope it works better than the two I just returned. Apparently, there is less bounce if you "smash" them than if they each have their own cup.

Hope this helps!! jeni
 
I never use nursing bras either. I'm nursing my 4th child and I usually wear sports bras or regular bras. I found the nursing bras awkward to use. A friend of mine uses Olga nursing bras and loves them.
Erica
 
Thank you all so much for your suggestions! I am psyched to see that sports bras will do the trick. I have been wearing them all throughout this pregnancy but was not sure if they would work well once the milk comes in. It is also good to know not to get a bigger #, just cup size--that is what confused me the most. Thanks again--I'll be saving my money by not buying fancy nursing bras now!
 
This was an informative post. At 20 weeks I am just starting to grow out of my regular bras (36 B). I had wondered if I should buy larger regular bras or larger nursing bras to avoid buying both. After reading this, I think I will skip on the nursing bras and try the sports bras when that time comes. I am very fussy about bras. Although now I am wondering if I should just buy sports bras now! And I have the same dilemma as Beets--if I go with regular bras now, how do I know what size to get when I don't know how I'll grow. So far it seems slow. So much to learn! Gina
 
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