Can I ask a dumb question re: nursing bras?

KatieKim0815

How many do you need? Can you wear a nursing bra two days in a row? I ask from a sanitary point of view. What if milk leaks onto your bras - can you not wear it the next day - ie is it prone to bacteria etc?

tokenhoser

Leaked milk will make you smell like sour milk.

I have 4 bravado tanks and 2 nursing bras. This was about the right amount for me and my laundry habits; if you do laundry more often, you could get by with less. I do rewear my bras (always have).

af2004rn

I have three nursing bras. In the beginning you will probably find you need to wear pads or three bras won't be enough. Even then, I was so engorged in the beginning that I still ended up doing laundry every other day because I would like past the pads.

Now? I will wear the same bra multiple days, but I don't have a problem with let down anymore on the opposite side I am nursing on.

acbfreire

You can re-wear bras if you are wearing a good nursing pad.  I have 3 bras and 4 nursing tanks.

blu-eyedwife

tokenhoser:

Leaked milk will make you smell like sour milk.

I have 4 bravado tanks and 2 nursing bras. This was about the right amount for me and my laundry habits; if you do laundry more often, you could get by with less. I do rewear my bras (always have).

I'm in a similar position, but I don't rewear my bras after my first bout of thrush.  I have 2 nursing bras and 4 nursing tanks and that works for me.  I do a wash 5 days a week (whites, colors, towels, sheets, baby) and I just throw whatever's dirty in with the wash.

Bethbsn06

I wash my bras by hand in the sink. Otherwise I have issues with the material wearing and underwire coming out. I have 4 nursing bras.

mrst-tobe

I have three "good" ones and one kinda crappy one that I wear when I wash the other three. I do wear them more than once before washing though. 

Cheerio B

With DD I had 3 'good' nursing bras and one crappy one that  I wore while the other 3 were in the washing. I wore each one twice before washing and it worked just fine. With DS my body chemistry has changed and for whatever reason I have a lot more body odor. I don't re-wear anything and need more bras. So it's hard to tell how many you will need.

Also keep in mind that it's very common to sweat a LOT the first few weeks home from the hospital. Like wake up in a puddle kind of sweat.  More than likely you'll need to wear nursing pads and bra to sleep and you won't be able to wear it again. I bought a handful of cheap cotton sleep bras that I wore around during maternity leave and waited until I was closer to returning to work before I bought the nice ones. I didn't invest much money in them because I knew my shape would change a lot during those first few months.