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November 2011 Moms
Nursing bra question
I know I am supposed to bring nursing bras to the hospital, so I want to have some ready to go. I will have to special order them online because I have a unique size, and they are expensive, so I really want to have a decent idea that they will work before I order.
I was wondering if there is a good way to guess what will work based on how big I am right now? Also, my band size has gone up a bit since pre-pregnancy (from a 28 band to a 30)...will it likely go back down after birth? Or will it take a while for my ribcage to return to normal? Would it be safe to order just 1 cup size up from where I am currently if I am ordering one with some stretch?
Thanks!
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Re: Nursing bra question
My band size didn't go down until after I was done nursing with both of my girls. I also have to special order, but that's because of the large size. I'm already a 40E and with my last baby I was a 40F once I started nursing. We're guessing I'll be around that size or larger.
One thing may be to get the sleep bras--they look kinda like a sports bra but are easy to nurse in, especially at the beginning and don't need a full sizing and then once your milk comes in get measured and order then.
Maybe I am overthinking this, but I am googling sleep nursing bras and sports nursing bras and it seems like they all give very generic size ranges like XS (30-32 B/C) , S (32-34 C/D) , etc. I am just not sure what to order...I am a 30G right now and growing and really need the support of a fitted band, so I am tempted to order a XS, but I just think the cups would be ridiculously small.
You're going to look goofy for a little while, no way around it. And when your milk comes in, your boobs are going to grow a lot more. But after you get into a nursing groove, your boobs will shrink again. Mine shrunk even smaller, they get pancake flat.
Target sells nursing tanks. I'm not a tank person and never wore the ones I bought but you can use it as a good indicator of what might work for you and then go and order them online.
My nice bras were Bravado. I looked on their website and found a local vendor and went and tried them on. You may be able to go into a store now and the women there can help you with a plan. Where I went, the women working there were also LC's so they had a pretty good idea of what was coming down the pike and helped me out and they were Bravado certified fitters. I wouldn't recommend buying these bras until after you have the baby but you could go just to get some ideas.
My answer is...it's difficult to pick something out ahead of time. The part bolded above was not the case for me.
My boobs didn't grow during pregnancy, and they went up a cup size while nursing...and have since stayed that way (even when I was down to nursing just 5 minutes a day). They levelled out in the sense that they weren't as full as when I was engorged, but my cup and band size stayed the same.
I have tried lots of nursing bras and found only a few that support larger chest sizes. I was a 36H with DS and am currently a 36I with this pregnancy so far. The Bravado ones are great for sleeping and night-time feeding, but I found they gave me a uni-boob for daytime wear. My favorite nursing bra is made my Medela and it does have underwire (something I feel is a must for daytime wear).
https://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/intimate-apparel/325/seamless-underwire-nursing-bra-nude
I'm not sure where you live but I live near DC and there is a big breastfeeding center. They carry lots of nursing bras there and it helps to try things on.
Good luck!
This is a toughie. For people like me, the generic s/m/l sizing is a godsend because you really have no idea what your boobs are going to do. I think I'd find a specialty store and see if someone can help get you fitted for something. Even if you just buy something that fits right now, chances are that it will work for at least a few days before your milk comes in and then you can go get something else.
I lived in nursing tanks and sleep bras and heck went topless a lot of the time. The sleep bras aren't very supportive at all. Really it seems like their purpose is to have something to put nursing pads in. The tanks are a little bit more supportive and have a lot of stretch.
~Working Mom~Breastfeeding Mom~Cloth Diapering Mom~BLW Mom~
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Shawn and Larissa
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How long does it take to deliver the bra after you order it? If you can, I would suggest waiting until closer to delivery and then try to rejudge if you haven't found a place where you can actually get measured. Even if you go with the 1 cup size up option, which worked for me the first time around, your boobs may continue to grow into the 3rd tri.
I second the PP's about getting a nursing tank to start with. It takes a while to get in the swing of things and your boobs do tend to level out after the first 6 weeks or so. I even wore some of my regular maternity and pre pregnancy tanks that had built in bras or my bella bands over my boobs if I had to. Nursing pads were a must for me at all times, even while sleeping, or I would leak.
Good lord! Do you look like a porn star!? Ha ha. I hope that you don't take offense to that...I'm just laughing at how they must look. God bless you. Does your back kill you?? I'm normally a 40DD, so I know what big boobs feel like, but at a G and to be only 30 inches around? I'm sorry....
Yes I look exactly like a porn star! My husband loves it, and I am on the verge of a DIY mastectomy.