What size nursing bra?

[racerl1]

How do you know what size nursing bra to purchase? I am now on bedrest for the rest of my pregancy, so I plan to order nursing bras online. Before pregnancy, I wore a 36B. During pregnancy I have worn a 36D, although the cups are a little big, the 36C was too small. How do I try to figure out what size I'll need in nursing bras?

[pritchettzoo]

Honestly there is no way to tell! Add to the confusion that every bra out there is a different size than every other bra. I would order some stretchy bras (like Bravado or Yes! or Jane by Blue Canoe) that will fit a small range of sizes to use in the hospital and until your milk gets settled. The two places I've ordered from online only have a 14 day return policy, so you don't want to be stuck with stuff that doesn't fit.

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03) and Eli (July '05)

[buddyleebaby]

ITA w/pp.
It's hard when you want to be prepared, but this is one of those things where you just have to wait and see.
In my case, I was a 38D pre-pregnancy, was a 38D throughout pregnancy, and now that I'm a nursing mom...38D.(Although when I'm engorged, I do pop out a little bit.)
So it just depends on the person.

[ellies mom]

One thing I wish someone had told me is that you should only buy one or two bras in the beginning. Not only is there the whole "how big will I get" issue, there is also the "how fast will I lose weight" issue. I didn't lose weight very quickly by any stretch of the imagination, but I still ended up with four bravada bras that were too big around my rib cage. If I could do it again, I'd have bought 2 and then waited a month or two before buying the rest.