Nursing bras?

galah

Hi all,

quick question: in the 'list for hospital', it says I should bring some nursing bras if I want to breastfeed. However, I read somewhere that the milk doesn't come in until 3 days after birth - so getting fitted for a bra now, when I don't know what size my boobs will be, seems a bit pointless to me - does anyone have any advice?

I have some soft bras (kinda like bra-tops) that I could use for now and then get fitted for proper breastfeeding bras later - or do I urgently NEED to have a nursing bra for anything? Apart from making breastfeeding that tiny bit easier, is there any point to these bras?

Cheers ;-)

galah

How Strange

I'd buy a couple for after the birth. Your breast size won't change that much but you'll get very full around day 3. In hospital you'll be feeding your baby colostrum. Once your milk comes in you'll leak a lot so you need a spare and you'll be busy looking after your little one and bra shopping will be the last thing you'll feel like doing.

Nursing bras are essential for breastfeeding. It's quite difficult to get a full, big breast out of a normal bra and you'll be feeding every 2 hours or so for the first 6 weeks.

Stay away from marks and spencer though as they are terrible at measuring. I bought a bravado bra on a website called onceborn.com and I like it. They come in small, medium and large so you don't need to be fitted for it.

Ayla

I got fitted around week 36-38, and found nursing bras essential. Your breasts will change dramatically depending on how full they are with milk, but the bra is more the measurement of your ribcage size. The cups are designed to change along with your breast swelling so that's not something you need to worry about.

I would strongly recommend getting professionally fitted prior to having your wee one. As How Strange mentioned, the last thing you're going to want to do when you have a newborn is go through the hassle of trying to find & get fitted for a bra.

You may not need them in hosp as your milk won't likely come in until you're home, but if you're in any way concerned about modesty the bras help. Me, I pulled the curtains & remained topless for most of my time there (max skin on skin, convenience, etc) but it gave the doc a shock

EDIT: On further thought, I would also highly recommend going for the absolute best quality bra you can afford. I balked at the idea of spending €40 on a bra (I'm one of those €10 bra kinda ladies), but considering you'll spend 24hrs in these bras you really want the best comfort and fit you can get. After feeding both of my girls for over 6 months/each, I definitely got my money's worth with the bras I purchased, and spending that extra bit was well worth it. Just forget about any sort of feminine appeal though, b/c all the nursing bras I saw (and purchased) looked more like a suit of armour than intimate apparel

annamcmahon

I would half agree with How's Strange. Go get measured somewhere else but don't rule out buying bras in M&S. I got some there and I find them great. However the woman that measured me was trying to convince me a needed a cup size bigger than I did. Thankfully I didn't listen to her and just ones the same size as I normally wore because I had back strap expanders.

I definately agree with the others that you will need some nursing bras if breastfeeding and when baba is born and you are feeding at least every few hours you won't want to get measured.

In the hospital I just wore a vest top and no bra and pulled the top down when I needed to. Like Ayla I did a lot of skin to skin contact so was topless most of the time.

Toots

I bought Carriwell nursing bras and found them fantastic, they're designed to expand with your boobs but still be soft at the same time. I wasn't too hopeful of the results but when I wore them they were just great. I used them from about 34 weeks pregnant when it became too uncomfortable to wear an underwired bra, and I'm still wearing them now. I wore them in the hospital too, but that was mainly because they were my everyday bra by then, my milk didn't come in until I got home. They are handy for modesty though.

I went and got measured in M&S and bought two bras from them which were useless, so uncomfortable and terrible shape. I binned them and bought two more of the Carriwell bras instead.

How Strange

Apparently the hot milk bras are sexy. Expensive but sexy! Their sizes are odd so you need to be measured specifically. Brown Thomas stock them so they'd measure you too. I've never had the spare time really to go to bt's for a fitting. I've spent a small fortune in maternity and nursing bras; probably more in 1.5 years than in the 10 years before. To me it seems they all lose support after a while but I'm impressed with the bravado one I have at the moment.

Moonbeam

I think it also depends on your breast size.
I think they are essential and needed them but I know a few more flat chested people that just wore cami type tops or no bra.
The m and s soft ones are lovely .

wmpdd3

I couldnt believe how expensive nursing bras were, and everyone told me you'd need a few pf them as you could be leaking.

I ordered 2 sets of these:

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Maternity-Nursing-Bras-7211-DIPHIA-3-PACK-/220890919020?pt=US_CSA_WC_Intimates&var=&hash=item7915aaa52b#ht_815wt_942

I think it cost €28 for 6 bras, they are so comfy I'm wearing them now while pregnant. They have 4 sets of fasteners at the back so are very adjustable.

liliq

M&S measured me completely wrong- a back side bigger than I am, and 3(!) cup sizes smaller, I was in bits when i put them on at home, I don't know what the girl did in the shop that they seemed to fit, but they were terrible.
They're around €35 for a pack of 2...
I also bought one in H&M for I think around €12.
None of the ones I have so far are great... there's a seam that runs over the nipple which isn't ideal with full boobs and pulled out nipples!
I only bought them a while ago, and my baby is 8 weeks old. I didn't bother with them for the first few weeks as I wasn't really out and about.

I must have a look online now that I'm a bit more confident of what size I am and buy one or two good ones!

galah

thanks you guys, very helpful info here! don't have massive boobs anyway, but I might take a trip into town now and get at least a couple of decent bras (you're right - bra-fitting is annoying at the best of times, so going in with a newborn is probably not the smartest idea).

Cheers again!