Nursing Bras

[GeekLady]

Okay, I made my first real foray into the world of maternity underwear today. This time, the sales lady did not scold me and tell me to come back when I was uncomfortable in my current bra (I was uncomfortable, that's why I was there, you cow). I didn't look particularly pregnant at that point, I guess that's why she was annoyed, but I was still 20 weeks and my bra was uncomfy.

At 26 weeks, my bras were downright painful, so I went back, got a much nicer sales lady, and eventually a Bravado Body Silk, which is so comfortable that I wish they made non-nursing versions so I could wear them all the time. (And that they weren't 50 bucks. Ow.)

I like the bras where the cup comes completely away for nursing, but all of the nursing shirts/tanks I looked at (Majamas, Glamourmom being 2 I remember) don't seem to use that method.

Which nursing bras and tanks do have cups that come completely away?

And what do you DO with all that cup once it's folded down?

Also my husband says the clasp makes a very satisfying clicky noise, but that something that awesome sounding also sounds like it's going to break soon. Are Bravado clasps notorious for breaking?

[WatchingThemGrow]

Two Bravado Essential tanks are on the list of my most prized possessions. They come all the way down, and the cups are not in the way when you nurse. Never had one even think of breaking. I want to see this bodysilk. My Lifestyle from them has uncomfy elastic, but I love the Original.

[MontrealMum]

Bravado Lifestyle nursing bras come completely down when nursing and come in a wide range of sizes. They "click" into place and I have never broken one after 7 mos. plus of usage (and I am hard on things in general). Bravado makes a number of similar designs. http://www.bravadodesigns.com/home.asp?area=US
I don't *do* anything with the cup when it's folded down, I just let it hang there (it's not padded, but soft) and the baby nurses. It's not in the way. I also have Glamourmom tanks and have not broken any clasps on them either, though it sounds like you're less interested in them, I thought I'd put that out there just in case.

ETA: I don't particularly LIKE the Lifestyle bras because they are not comfy on me, but that's another topic. There were several threads on nursing bras in the past few weeks, you could do a search to find more brands/styles.

[nupe]

Love the bodysilk bra too, but wish it came in a size with smaller band and bigger cup area. I have had no problems with the "click" after several months of use. And I just roll down the cup + pad into itself when I am nursing now that DS likes grabbing lots of things.

[GeekLady]

I've heard good things about the YES! nursing bra (especially the $14 price!), but nothing that will tell me if the cup drops completely away, or if it just has those wee openings in an underbra.

Which elastic is uncomfy on the Lifestyle? The straps that run under the cups are a little itchy, but they're wonderful compared to an underwire that's 2 cup sizes too small.

[MontrealMum]

I find the band (not the straps) uncomfortable on the Lifestyle. But that's because I am wearing the wrong size. (I don't wear them all the time, which could cause clogged ducts. I wear the tanks in the house). It's a long story, but I had a hard time getting out right after DS was born (really couldn't drive or ride in cars) and very little help, and had to make do with what I could mail order to the house. And even though the Bravado bras come in a wide range of sizes, I had trouble finding the size I needed (small band, large cup) in stock. They might feel better if I had a larger cup size, but along with a lot of things post-partum it just went by the wayside. I will say that it's very hard to predict what size you'll be when you're nursing, so I'd wait to get nursing bras if you can, and if you will have some help to get things done.

[WatchingThemGrow]

The band on my Lifestyle feels "crunchy" for lack of a better term. It started feeling that way after a couple months of use w/DD. Now, with DS, I only wear it when all my Original,Basic whatever they are called are in the wash. With those, I cannot tell the difference between the ones I used with DC1 and the new ones I got for DC2 to replace the Mimi Softcup and Bravado Lifestlye that didn't hold up for use with another nursing infant.

The "2 sizes too small" thing is horrid. A good temporary solution may be the bra back extenders they sell for $2. They are awesome in some circumstances!

Usually, I contact companies whose products don't hold up - just to let them know so they can try to correct future products. I should let Bravado know, because I think their stuff is some of the best in the industry. I LOOOOve their maternity underwear as it was so comfy and didn't slide/bunch and it held up in the wash.

[Dyonia]

I've heard good things about the YES! nursing bra (especially the $14 price!), but nothing that will tell me if the cup drops completely away, or if it just has those wee openings in an underbra.

The cup drops completely away on the YES! nursing bra.

The fit is similar to a Bravado Designs Original Nursing bra. The YES bra has the little click-style clasps, while the Bravado Designs Original has snaps. The elastic band on the YES bra is thicker and less prone to rolling or folding during wear than the band on the Bravado Designs. I found that on me the YES bra had better coverage across the cleavage than the Bravado Original, but the side coverage on the YES bra is less than I need.

At $14 bucks, its worth a try :) I'm glad I got mine, but I still haven't decided if I'm getting more or going to stick with the Bravado Designs Original.

Like you, I prefer the cups that drop away completely. I plan on getting a couple of the Bravado Essential tanks. I'll have to take a look at the Bravado BodySilk ones too!

Cheers,
Donna

[WatchingThemGrow]

Another reason I like the Bravado over other nursing bras is the V at the cleavage. When I wear different V-neck shirts with the Medela Y-back comfort bra (forget the exact name), the top of the bra shows whereas the Bravados never show with V-necks.

[birdie75]

Anita bras drop completely away and. So far they are the only ones that I like for nursing. I have tried several.

For maternity bras I was able to just wear the next larger size of my normal bra which is much more comfy and supportive then anything I can find in nursing bra plus it was cheaper then the expensive nursing bras that I like.

[GeekLady]

I was going to just look for regular bras, but the underwire was really bothering me, and it's just impossible to find normal bras without them it seems. So I decided to investigate some nursing bras.

This one has room in the cup to grow, which is a little annoying now, but I'll probably get some nursing use out of it. Frankly, just having something that fits is a luxury.

It's also so thick with the shaping pads in and has so much coverage that I don't feel a lot of need to wear another top around the house when it's hot, the husband likes that part. :rolleyes: