Help me with bras?

[KrisM]

Please! I need new ones, but can't find anything that works. I think I'm a 38DD. But, everything I try on is underwire and it pokes me in the underarm. I'm not sure how to solve that. I don't like no-wire because the bands always roll. Ideas?

[birdie75]

If the underwire is poking you it is likely you have the wrong size bra. I find I have this problem when the cup size is too small. Maybe a good place to start is to go get a good bra fitting at someplace like Nordstroms or whatever nicer departments store is in the area. You might also google some bra fitting sites.

BTW myself and 2 of my girlfriends have been measured wrong at Motherhood, so I would trust what they measure they are trying to get you into bras at thier store.

Beyond that I am a 40DD and I find the Lane Bryant bras comfy and supportive in general. They would have your size there.

[KrisM]

If the underwire is poking you it is likely you have the wrong size bra. I find I have this problem when the cup size is too small. Maybe a good place to start is to go get a good bra fitting at someplace like Nordstroms or whatever nicer departments store is in the area. You might also google some bra fitting sites.

BTW myself and 2 of my girlfriends have been measured wrong at Motherhood, so I would trust what they measure they are trying to get you into bras at thier store.

Beyond that I am a 40DD and I find the Lane Bryant bras comfy and supportive in general. They would have your size there.

I thought that's what I had read and tried going up sizes in the cup and then the band and cup, etc. I tried a lot of sizes on today :(. Going up in the cup just made the underwire bigger and it dug in more easily, so I thought I had remembered wrong.

I'll try finding a place for a fitting. That's good idea.

[apetto]

Although Victoria's Secret doesn't necessarily cater to larger bust sizes the cotton and emma collections would always get rave reviews from my D and DD customers (I used to be a sales associate for the company). Now that I am pregnant I must say their cotton collection has been the only thing I want to wear. Not only are the bras comfy, they come in push-up, non-lined, lightly-lined etc. I'd try the lightly-lined full coverage because of their generous cut and support. They hold everything up and in! They're usually on sale (2/$40) and the matching panties go up to an XL- perfect for expanding waist lines! Another plus is the fun color selection and cute prints which will make you feel flirty not frumpy.

[wendibird22]

If you go to http://www.birthandbaby.com they have a fit page where you enter in 3 different measurements and it tells you your bra size. They offer a great selection of maternity/nursing bras and ship for only $1.

[AngelaS]

Lane Bryant has GREAT bras in that size. VS is for girls with smaller ones imho. :)

[sadie427]

Go to Nordstroms! Had a great bra fitting their recently. Turns out I had been wearing two cup sizes too small for a few years. Of course as you are pregnant you may not want to pay a lot for the bra, but you can tell them your budget up front, my fitter was great about that.

[tylersmama]

I third the rec for Nordstrom. Their brafittings are wonderful. I would NOT go to VS. I had gone about a month before I went to Nordstrom and they put me in the wrong size because they don't carry bras in my actual size. A 34C is NOT the same as a 32D!! The saleswoman at Nordies told me that the girls who work at VS bring their moms to Nordstrom to get fit. :p

It definitely sounds like you're not in the right size, so a good fitting should take care of the problem. Not to mention that even in the same size, different bras fit differently. I probably tried on at least 15 or so bras and found 1 that fit me perfectly. A few were decent, but only one was THE bra.

If you don't have Nordstrom near you, I would look for a specialty bra shop in your area. I agree that you probably don't want to spend a ton of money on a bra right now, but at least if you know what size you SHOULD be and what to look for in a bra that fits you right, you may be able to take that info and find a cheaper bra somewhere else. Good luck!

[AddiesMom]

My MIL and SIL are close to your size and they love the new Victoria's Secret IPEX wireless. Very comfy and lots of support. I am also in love with it! Lane Bryant has one that looks identical but never tried it.

[KrisM]

Go to Nordstroms! Had a great bra fitting their recently. Turns out I had been wearing two cup sizes too small for a few years. Of course as you are pregnant you may not want to pay a lot for the bra, but you can tell them your budget up front, my fitter was great about that.

I made a quick trip to Nordstroms today. I had both kids, so it wasn't ideal. She measured me as a 38DDD. I tried one on and it wasn't even close to the right size. I could barely hook it, it was so small in the band. It still poked me in the underarm, the center part was not against my chest, and I had extra "me" spilling over in the front, the back, and everywhere. This is the one she recommended to me - so not impressed.

[tylersmama]

Hmm...sounds like you got a bad saleswoman. It may have been the right size, but just been the wrong fit for you, but she should have brought you several different bras to try. The band *should* be tight, even almost (but not quite) uncomfortably so. You definitely should not have been spilling out. Sorry you had a bad experience, maybe try again another day with a different saleslady (and ideally without kids). I probably spent close to an hour trying different bras.

[KrisM]

Hmm...sounds like you got a bad saleswoman. It may have been the right size, but just been the wrong fit for you, but she should have brought you several different bras to try. The band *should* be tight, even almost (but not quite) uncomfortably so. You definitely should not have been spilling out. Sorry you had a bad experience, maybe try again another day with a different saleslady (and ideally without kids). I probably spent close to an hour trying different bras.

I'll try again if I get down there. It's about 45 minutes, so not too easy.

I like a tight band, but being 27 weeks pregnant, I don't want it super tight on the loosest setting or I'll only be able to wear it for 8 days or something :). From previous experience, I know I'll get a bit bigger in the next 3 months.

And, she went through a bunch of racks, and this was the only style that came in that size, she said. Nothing else went past DD.

[jvs195]

I too had a bad bra fitting at Nordstrom (after several good ones). She even brought me the wrong size after measuring me. I just went back when she wasn't there.

I also found the sizing information on breakoutbras.com to be the most accurate for me (no adding inches etc...) and I ordered bras online with no problem (especially helpful for anything over a DD)

[tylersmama]

That kind of surprises me that they didn't have anything else in that size. It's not that unusual a size, kwim? It's not like you were looking for a 30F or a 48A or something crazy like that. Maybe they just don't have a huge selection at your store. Do you have any specialty bra shops near you that you could try? Maybe you could try calling your local LLL leader or a lactation consultant and see if they have any recommendations. Or if you feel fairly comfortable that she measured you correctly, you could try ordering a bunch of different styles online and returning the ones you don't like, although I know that's kind of a hassle. I totally understand the band size thing...I was a 38F at the end of pregnancy/while nursing and am now down to a 32!D, so I completely get how much of a difference it can be!

Sorry it didn't work out very well, hopefully you can find something that works for you! :hug:

[dsb22]

I won't be much help but just wanted to say that I also had no luck with two Nordstroms that I visited (northern VA), once before dd was born and once after. The first had next to no nursing bra selection and nothing in the size I needed. The second time, different store, I ran into the same problem. Also the salesclerk did not measure but was quite certain by looking at me that I should be a 32D rather than a 36C. I'm petite but my ribcage expanded in a major way while pg and weirdly didn't seem to shrink for months after I gave birth. I didn't go back to my usual pre-pg 34C until like 11 months pp. Anyway, I tried on the 32D and sure enough it caused rolls under my shirt because it was too tight. I did have a good experience ordering from Herroom.com. Returns were very easy.