Buying new bras?

gracehopper27

This may be a question that only STMs can answer, but I'll take any suggestions I can get. I'm 25 weeks and have been wearing my largest pre-pregnancy bras up until now. They are beginning to become uncomfortable since I guess I must be growing again. When do most people start wearing nursing bras? Should I buy a couple of regular bras that are another size up and just try to get by for as long as I can or try to guess what size I will be by the time I deliver and buy a nursing bra instead? 

Thanks!!

gracehopper27

@NOLA520 Where did you purchase the nursing bras, if you don't mind me asking? I've looked at a few stores but have had trouble finding them anywhere other than online. Would love to be able to try on before I purchase!

kalanieileen

Hi! I actually made a thread about this way back when--if you wan to read what others suggested, just search it, the title is Maternity Bra. A lot of moms posted on there with helpful info on where they bought their bras, and when. Someone (can't remember who) also suggested making their own nursing bra. I'm on mobile so I can't post a link, sorry about that!

thaisac1

In on the other camp - my breasts have grown by only about 5% (I'm 28.5 w) and I'm still comfortable in my pre-preg B cups.... I'm kinda paranoid that I may not be able to nurse.

gracehopper27

@NOLA520 Thanks! I wouldn't have thought to look at Burlington but I think there is one the next town over so I will try there. 

@kalanieileen Just found it - thank you! Have you already purchased some based on their recs? It's so hard to figure out sizing. 

spicedice

I would recommend waiting until after baby is born to buy nursing bras. Your breath will fluctuate in size while pregnant and even after baby is born. Mine went up after my milk came in, but settled down a little after nursing for a week. Everyone's breasts react to the hormones differently.

gracehopper27

@thaisac1 We definitely all have our struggles, just different ones!  

@fbanke42 Hmm, perhaps I should just try to find some inexpensive regular bras that are a little bigger for now. My mom always talks about how her breasts popped out like airbags for the first week or two after I was born but then went back down. 

AGK2015

Ha! I'm actually on my second round of new bras.  Honestly, at about 10 weeks I bought a three pack on Amazon of the ILoveSIA seamless nursing bras, and then another three pack in a larger size when those got uncomfortable.  They're sized as S/M/L/XL and are more like sports bras in the way that the cups fit, which took out some of the guesswork on sizing for me. They're decent quality and offer good support (saying this as a 34D pre-pregnancy who's god-only-knows-what size now), but they're also cheap enough at $30 for the 3-pack that I didn't fret over having to purchase more when I grew again. I figured I'd wait to splurge on a few nicer bras until I get to my "final" size after baby is born... for now, I don't need to be glamorous.  Just comfortable.

gracehopper27

I think I'm going to try out the ILoveSIA bras too! I'm glad to hear you like them. was a 32D/DD before so I'm definitely in the market for some good support.

brie_and_almonds

@thaisac1 This is anecdotal, but last pregnancy my breasts didn't grow at all, and I ended up with an oversupply (partly thanks to misguided pumping advice, but still, no lack of production). Don't stress!

katynnew

After being measured and talking to the lady at Motherhood, she told me buy a couple of nursing bras now but I made sure that I could clasp them on the tightest (or second to tightest clasp) so I could extend it more. You can the bra extenders as well. They're really comfy because there's no underwire and I'm already to the point where my belly is pushing into that part of the bra. They're still cute but made with comfort in mind! I wouldn't buy too many but if you don't mind them being a little big right now, I'd get at least two!

AmadorRose

@thaisac1 I don't know from experience but I'm in the same camp; all 3 of my sisters who have had children had very little breast growth before giving birth but then exploded after giving birth and overproduced until they were able to regulate. I'm really hoping this is the case for me as well!

spicedice

@thaisac1 Boob size or increase does not mean squat when it comes to milk production.

thaisac1

Thanks ladies, makes me feel better!!!

Missingchampagne

I've switched to sports bras with underwire, since by design they are incredibly stretchy with a lot of give. My breasts were on the big side (DD) to begin with, and while haven't changed cup sizes quite yet, nothing feels good anymore! I'm nervous to buy maternity bras and then get much larger at the 11th hour, so I'm sticking to supportive sports bras for now.

olivemomma

I love love love my coobie bras. They aren't exactly nursing bras but work well for that purpose as well. I got them at a baby shop by my house as they basically described them to me as the all around pregnancy bra - great for later pregnancy, breastfeeding, and can still be worn afterwards as well (which I did so didn't feel as if they had such a short time frame). There is no under wire because personally I found that extremely uncomfortable come third trimester. They are also one size fits most so unless you are extremely gifted in that area it will fit you now and continue to grow with you throughout breastfeeding so you don't have to be as worried about sizing. They come in all kinds of colors and tend to be less expensive than marketed nursing bras. They have been on zulily several times in the past couple of months so I'm sure they will pop up there again! I also bought several true nursing bras and found these to be so much better!

AmadorRose

@olivemama did you get the coobie nursing bra or a different style? For $22 I'm definitely willing to give them a shot!

kimey1

I bought 3 from Destination Maternity (online) a few weeks ago when they had big sales. The $40 bras ended up being $10 each so it was a good price so I've been using them. Though in the past week i think my size grew so I may change one of them to a size up.
I generally avoid bras if I can by wearing a tight tank underneath. Bras are such a hassle and itchy to wear right now! So glad its chilly so I can cover it with sweaters or layers.

olivemomma

@AmadorRose, I don't think they had actual 'maternity' bras when I bought mine so I just got their regular ones. However, even on their regular bras you can unhook the bra from the strap for easy breastfeeding, or as I later did out of laziness, just pop your boob our without unhooking because they allow for that also. I have 4 of them and love them! You can also make them look like tanks under other shirts and they are just so comfy. Zulily has had them on sale for $11 a fee times in the past couple of months so if you aren't in a huge hurry may be worth checking there too!

amaniupendo

brenlo42 said:

@thaisac1 This is anecdotal, but last pregnancy my breasts didn't grow at all, and I ended up with an oversupply (partly thanks to misguided pumping advice, but still, no lack of production). Don't stress!

This! don't worry--I did last time and it was totally unnecessary!

amaniupendo

I would not buy too many now. I went from a b/c (and stayed that during pregnancy) to a DD then down to a d after supply issues worked out. I wouldn't over invest in a specific size.

GoogleMD

Lurking from N15
I would recommend against buying nursing bras until you are a couple weeks pp. I bought some towards around 20weeks and none of them fit now. I would just get some sports bras a size up, those were most comfortable by the end anyways.

spatter1

thaisac1 said:

In on the other camp - my breasts have grown by only about 5% (I'm 28.5 w) and I'm still comfortable in my pre-preg B cups.... I'm kinda paranoid that I may not be able to nurse.

I'm in the same boat and have the same worries but girlfriends and my ob have assured me that it is not an indication of ability to breastfeed. I'm still nervous but hearing that helps a little!

ETA I'm taking a breastfeeding class this week and can ask more about this there!

shani12345

I had to switch to bras with no underwire ages ago (I'm 27 weeks now) but I still wanted padding (for the "lift" effect hehe) they are super comfortable! I also work in lingerie where i live, so I pretty much knew what I was after. I bought nursing bras.

AnnikaD20

My boobs didn't grow until my milk came in with my first, and then grew 2 cups sizes. This pregnancy, they've grown during the pregnancy. No one knows how much your boobs will change or when. But you absolutely need at least one or two options that are comfortable and give you sufficient support, so get something now and make peace with the idea that you might need another size later. Nursing tanks and sports bras will fit you over a wider range of sizes than a structured bra, so that's a pretty safe choice.

My $.02 on nursing bras: Motherhood has my favorite nursing bras, and they've always done a good job fitting me, and getting professionally fitted was worthwhile for me after I rapidly changed sizes. Some people swear by the "no underwire" philosophy, but if you have a properly fitted bra, the underwire doesn't dig in at all and just holds the cups in the proper shape. So don't be afraid to try underwire if that's something you normally really like. Just make sure it fits really well (tacks between the cups, doesn't leave red marks anywhere at the end of the day when you take it off, etc.)

I actually prefer the nursing tanks from Target.

spicedice

Not looking forward to trying to figure out nursing bras... I'm currently a very full 32G. Most places don't even sell regular bras in that size, so I've had to settle with quad-boob and wearing layers to cover it up.

ivyvines6

I haven't worn a bra in over a month >.> I've just been using lined tank tops this whole time. When milk actually comes in I'm going to look into buying a nursing bra for some extra support, but I might just keep up this anti bra trend. Viva la Revolution!

mrstrax

@fbanke42 Have you seen this? https://blogs.babycenter.com/tips_and_tricks/diy-the-uncrafty-moms-nursing-bra-conversion/  It may be worth it to just convert a couple older regular bras than try to find a super crazy size and then pay the up-price for it being a nursing bra. I'm somewhere between 32D-34DD at this point, so not a difficult size, but I'm thinking I'm going to try this with a couple of the regular bras I never seem to wear because I struggled to get a good fit for a price I was willing to pay with DD. 

spicedice

mrstrax said:

@fbanke42 Have you seen this? https://blogs.babycenter.com/tips_and_tricks/diy-the-uncrafty-moms-nursing-bra-conversion/  It may be worth it to just convert a couple older regular bras than try to find a super crazy size and then pay the up-price for it being a nursing bra. I'm somewhere between 32D-34DD at this point, so not a difficult size, but I'm thinking I'm going to try this with a couple of the regular bras I never seem to wear because I struggled to get a good fit for a price I was willing to pay with DD. 

I'm at the "nothing fits anymore" and "no one has something for me to try on in store" point. I'll definitely keep this in mind if my boobs decide to shrink a little bit. I went from a 32G (after milk came in) to a 32DD (dried up), so I'm hoping they calm down a bit. DH loves it, but bras are not comfortable and the quad-boob is a pain to cover up--especially once I start breastfeeding (if that will actually be a thing this time around).