Nursing Bras

JNR6510

Hi! IBTC member here. I was curious about your opinions on the necessity of nursing bras? Are they worth while? Is it a necessity for breastfeeding mamas?

I am debating whether it is worth it to invest in nursing bras. Even with the pregnancy boost in cup size, I am only just barely a B cup (up from the girl's trainer A previously). So support for larger boobs really isn't much of an issue right now.

What benefits do you ladies feel comes with going the nursing bra route?

BigBadWolf12

I thought the purpose of nursing bras was "easy access" not better support. But I'm a ftm, so I might be totally off base here...no experience :S

lilpoots

Bras are recommended without under wires for the first few months because they don't promote mastitis. Your breasts may not have grown much now, but they will when your milk comes in and there will be a period of engorgement. Engorgement is no joke. Some moms have no trouble, but I think they are rare. Also, some moms use sports bras exclusively or nursing tanks.

DPandMB

BigBadWolf12 said:

I thought the purpose of nursing bras was "easy access" not better support. But I'm a ftm, so I might be totally off base here...no experience :S

I was going to say this. I'm a larger chested lady, but the nursing bras were helpful for me, because of the easy access. The nursing bras clip at the cup, so you don't have to push the bra up or take it off to feed. Along these lines though, I found normal tank tops to be fine. I personally didn't have a need for nursing tanks.

tiki8286

Pre pregnancy I'm an A, during pregnancy a B so really no support needed. Post birth? Holy moly - like a D! A nursing bra is a must! I even had to sleep in one bc it was so uncomfortable having them that large when I was not used to it. Also - regardless how small or large you are, you will leak so having a bra where you can slip in a breast pad to catch leaks is necessary. Having a nursing bra is ideal because it not only clicks open for super easy feeding whether at home or on the go, but the straps on the back are designed differently than standard bras - they distribute more evenly. I recommend getting even a cheapy nursing bra - no need to get an expensive one. I used a nursing sleep bra for the first 6 weeks, day and night (no hooks, no real built in support, the front had a cross over design but holding the girls in prevented pain from them just hangin on their own haha). I recently bought a Target nursing bra (their Gilligan brand) for about $16 and wear it now. It reminds me of a cross between bra and sports bra, super comfy. 

Sprite2012

I looooove my nursing bras.  I second the Target Gilligan brand bra - cheap and comfy.  Medela also makes great ones that I lived in after DS was born.  You'll be grateful you have them when you need them!

Jamiern01

I could not have nursed without a nursing bra. Especially when DD was newborn. You are trying to hold support a baby and your breast and it makes it so much easier if you can inclip the cup for easy access. I think just pushing the bra aside still gets in the way so opening the cup just makes it easier to nurse. 

That being said nursing tanks that unclip for easy access would be just as easy. I didn't use them since I'm large chested and wanted as much support as possible.

Souptin

I dont have HUGE bewbs but I am on the larger side of normal C or D ( sometimes) post baby engorgement really is NO joke you want ALLLLLL the comfort. My go-to's were actually cheap amazon  ones- I still wear them to sleep in sometimes. I also had a few walmart sports bras ( that would be terrible to work out in but were great for nursing/sleeping)

Link to Amazon Canada

MyNamesTaken

I loved nursing bras! You'll want one for the easy access. I tried using sports bras but pulling up one side always exposed the other side and since I always leaked, I needed to keep a nursing pad on the other breast. Plus it squished and was uncomfortable.

I found the same thing with regular bras. There was just no good way to get one cup out of the way while keeping the other one in place.

I did get some from target that I think were called sleep bras. They were thin fabric and looked sort of like a sports bra but each side was its own piece so you could pull it down individually. No real support but was comfy and held a nursing pad. You might want to look for those?