When to start wearing nursing bra

wtg4baby

Hi mommas and mommas-to-be!  I'm 32 weeks with my first and have been reading up on BFing to prepare for when my LO arrives!  I'm wondering though when other moms start wearing their nursing bras?  I know you don't really need the "nursing" part until after delivery, but I'm still wondering if anyone starts wearing theirs earlier?  My chest hasn't grown much, but I'm expecting it to in the next few weeks and especially after delivery, so I'm still wearing my normal bra (that has an underwire).  I've been reading that underwires can hurt colostrum and milk production - am I already hurting myself by still wearing a bra with an underwire??  I've haven't leaked at all yet, but they look the way I've been told they should look at this point in the pregnancy, so I'm not too overly concerned I guess.  Just curious as to how others approach this.  Hope this isn't a dumb question!  Thanks in advance for your advice

Brandiewine11

Do whatever feels comfortable for you. I wore my underwire bra until I had to take it off in the hospital. Just make sure your current bra fits well. I did have to buy new bras at about 6mo into my pregnancy. Your size will change again when your milk comes in, so don't spend too much money now as you don't know what size you'll be after.

vvvvvfee

i had major boob expansion while pregnant-- my breasts got significantly larger in the first trimester, and further into the pregnancy my ribcage also widened some. i bought my favorite underwire bra in a larger size and wore those while i was pregnant.

postpartum, for the first few weeks i wore very stretchy bralette type things that i just pulled down to nurse. eventually i switched to non-underwire nursing-style bras.

i think the concern with the underwire is more that it could cause a blocked duct- but i think that is more of a problem once you actually start nursing. if an underwire bra is comfortable while pregnant, then wear it.

but like PP said, do whatever is comfortable for you now. with a newborn, you're going to want something stretchy, comfortable, and easy to take on and off.

RachelCA29

I didn't buy nursing bras until after my baby came. I had maternity bras (I got them to measure me as the store) those are meant to stretch and grow with you as your breasts grow throughout pregnancy. Then I got a couple of nursing tank tops from Target and brought those with me to the hospital. Once my milk came (about day 4) I took a quick trip out to Target and bought a couple more tanks and some actual nursing bras since I could try them on to get the right size. I also bought sleeping bras because I leaked A LOT and needed to wear nursing pads all the time so the loose, comfy bras were nice for at night.

hpragolini

After buying bigger bras, then a month later bigger again, then all being uncomfortable, o bought a bunch of nursing bras and it was a great decision for me. It was also convenient because then I didn't have to go out an buy a bunch at the end /right after birth.

Again, do what's Comfortable for you

wtg4baby

Thanks for all the input, it's helped a lot! I've only had to buy new bras once so far and am still comfortable in them. I'll probably start looking at some nursing bras now, but might wait to buy until closer to my due date - and I think I'll go with a couple tanks too. Thanks again!