Bras...maternity Vs. Nursing Vs. Bigger Size

Updated on August 05, 2011
M.L. asks from San Antonio, TX
12 answers

Hi everyone,
I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I am 17 weeks pregnant and have officially outgrown my bras. I'm sure I will continue to increase in size, especially after the baby is here. I do plan on breastfeeding, but probably no more than 6-8 weeks. So....what should I do? Are there special pregancy bras out there or should I just go and get measured at the mall and buy a few. Also, are nursing bras worth buying? It's been over 8 years since I had my daughter and I don't remember being in this situation :)
What bras would you ladies recommend? I need support since I would assume I'm already at least a DD. TIA :-)

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So What Happened?

Thank you all for the suggestions! I plan on buying at least one bra my size and some comfy sports bras. I will also buy a nursing bra a little farther along. I never knew there were so many options! It's almost overwhelming!

More Answers

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A.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

Congrats.. .
well I am no where near a double D... but this is what worked for me
when pregnant my cup size did not change , i was able to use the extenders to jus get it to still fit around me
As for nursing bras... i love them. Makes nursing in public very very easy because of the latches. I personally like the nursing tanks... but with your size may not work
as far as brand... i like targets. I personally found the motherhood ones to be poorly made
good luck!

2 moms found this helpful
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S.L.

answers from Philadelphia on

When I needed bigger bras during my pregnancy I just bought normal ones in the right size.

For me nursing bras were a must, but I also nursed my son for 15 months. I think it depends on if you plan to nurse in public at all or how inconvenient you mind it being when you want to nurse and have to deal with a normal bra. In the first few weeks of my son's life I lived in my nursing tanks because it was so hot, but I doubt you'll have that problem with a baby due in the winter. I slept in sports bras, and they were easy to just pull up when he wanted to eat, so maybe that would work for you if you don't want to invest in nursing bras for only a few weeks. (Mind you this all comes from the prospective of someone who went from an A to a B cup when I was pregnant and to a C when I was nursing, so I didn't have the support issues that you do)

1 mom found this helpful
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E.A.

answers from Atlanta on

I agree with Amy for during pregnancy. Motherhood Maternity has a pack of two bra extenders (one with 2 hooks, one with 3) for less than $5. As far as nursing, don't go with something too price-y. I chose a few cutesy ones from a website and they literally fell apart. I ended up using mostly Target nursing tanks and the sports nursing bras from Motherhood.

I waited until 3-4 months after I stopped nursing before I went out and got fitted again and spent money on nice bras.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.M.

answers from Dallas on

I wouldn't do maternity bras. I had great luck at Soma when I was pregnant. I would go get measured for a new bra there and buy one in black and one in beige. Chances are they will last through the whole pregnancy.

They often have sales buy one get one free or buy one get one half off. As for nursing bras, don't bother. Instead use the Target nursing tank tops. They worked great for me and I was a DDD. I am very self conscious (would never be seen by anyone without a bra on) but i felt comfortable around family/friends wearing them with just a thick shirt or sweater over it. That is all I needed to nurse, hang at the house or go to the store. Good luck!!

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K.L.

answers from Savannah on

I have a larger chest as well and throughout my pregnancy my bra size changed 3 times, and then one more increase after the baby came. At my largest I was an F cup! During pregnancy, I looked for regular bras that were inexpensive. I knew that they might mot fit in a month or two and be in the store again looking for a larger size. I would not recommend bra extenders which only increase the band. Your cup size will most likely change and you will want to be comfortable. You might want to look into a maternity bra only because of your chest size. from what I understand, maternity bras provide even more support and comfort for large busts, but I had no problem with regular bras.

As for nursing bras, it really plans on what you plan on doing while breastfeeding. For sleeping, I would STRONGLY recommend staying away from the sleep bras at motherhood. The cups are just cotton crossover and they provide no support. When I would lay on my side to sleep, I would spill out because the bra would not stay in place. However, these bras were comfortable to wear around the house (again no support so they were not flattering in clothes, but still very comfortable). I liked to sleep in no wire cotton bras that they sell at wallmart in two packs. They were still all cotton, but had some shape to the bra so the cups stayed in place. These also make great everyday around the house bras.

If you plan on going out or having lots of company, I would recommend having at least one under-wire bra to wear so you feel like your breasts are in the right place, and everything appears smooth under your blouse. I ended up wearing an F cup and target did not carry my size, but motherhood seemed to work well. I noticed some other posts praising target and putting down motherhood, but in my experience there were no problems.

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R.L.

answers from Houston on

Just my 2 cents, I am currently breastfeeding and I bought a few bras from Wal-mart, they are super comfy and were not too expensive. I bought one at Motherhood Maternity but it was a little pricey and not comfy at all. I have 1 underwire and 1 without and the one without I sleep in it's super comfy. So if you aren't going to breast feed that long it would be definitly worth it to buy one at Wal-mart! Good luck!

M.M.

answers from Tampa on

I LOVED sports bras!!! They work well for nursing too.

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J.H.

answers from Houston on

I would say nursing bras are great when you are home and will be nursing. They don't offer as much support as a real bra so in public i wore a real bra.

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L.V.

answers from Columbus on

Well, I would personally recommend nursing bras if you don't already have some super comfortable stretchy ones. I tried to use some regular bras for nursing and it was just a pain in the butt. So I ended up getting some Leading Lady nursing bras (Bravado and motherhood sucked for me, so did the el cheapos from target) and I ended up being way more comfortable nursing than without them. MY personal favorite was Leading lady, Molded Seamless Lace-Frame Wirefree Nursing Bra, style J###-###-####. (It wasn't letting me put a direct link here) so just search for that at leadinglady.com. Hope this helps, good luck if you haven't already found soemthing!
good luck!

A.F.

answers from Chicago on

I read a gazillion reviews online and bought a top rated nursing and nursing sleep bra while prego with #3 because those from my past kids were shot! I love my nursing bras and nursing camis- newborns nurse so often I think they are worth it...though I plan to nurse a year like I did with my last one. If you only plan to nurse 6-8 weeks your breasts will barely have gotten past the "we are HUGE" breastfeeding stage so you will likely need a bigger cup size than you did while prego. Also my breasts got considerably larger in the 2nd half of my pregnancy so getting measured at 17 wks would have been a BIG mistake for me. I am only a DD when the milk comes in then closer to a C-D so I can't really recommend a particular bra for you....yours will likely be much bigger than that geven your current size! Best wishes!

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A.R.

answers from Houston on

Go to Motherhood Maternity. I was a 40E when preggo and I bought my nursing bras there - they are only $20. I wore them during my pregnancy and until I went down after I stopped breastfeeding and was still able to pass them on.

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M.B.

answers from Dayton on

I was pregnant 4 times and never did figure out what a maternity bra was - so I'd say you can skip that. I'd get measured and buy one or 2 inexpensive bras to last until you change sizes again. And yes, nursing bras are worth it. The newborn feeds often and it makes life easier.

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