Help! Need bras - and fast!

[OctoberMommy2010]

Okay, I'm just over four months along. I hit a wall today. I can't do my bras ANYMORE! I'm petite, but busty. I wear a 32 C & was wearing mostly bras from the various VS lines, but my boobs are OVERFLOWING! I look ridiculous in anything tight, you can tell my cup floweth over. (o: I need some help.

Do I still search for a 32 band or should I look for a 34? Should I go ahead and buy nursing bras or stick to a regular bra? I am in need of any help you can give! I read some of the other threads and noticed a lot of Nordstrom references... we don't have one nearby. )o: Anywhere else?

[Andi98989]

You likely need to bump up at least one band size; I know I did at that point and was glad that I did - the further along I got, my rib cage continued to expand. I think I went from wearing a 32 to a 38.

I bought a Medela nursing bra because it was the only thing I could find in a store that fit, and it had a lot more give/take in the cup which was helpful for me. I was able to wear it through the end of my pregnancy. It also didn't cost any more than a bra would normally cost me. I got it from a breastfeeding specialty store in my area.

http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/intimate-apparel

[luckytwenty]

I started out a smallish 34D/large 34C, and at four months, I'm now wearing a 36D. I remember going up to a 38DD by my ninth month with my previous pregnancies, but staying a 36D for most of them, like maybe till 30 weeks or so. Unfortunately when I nursed, I became a 34DD, so I had to get a whole new set of bras!! It gets expensive!

[mousemom]

While it is pretty much inevitable that you will need a few new bras at different points in your pregnancy, sometimes you may be able to get away with getting some bra extenders to use with your current bras. You can get them at places like Motherhood or Kohls for just a couple of dollars.

http://www.motherhood.com/Product.asp?Product_Id=948940445&MasterCategory_Id=MC13

[sunnyside]

I don't have much good advice but :hug5: I'm in the same boat.

My baby is due in just 8 or so weeks and I went from not quite filling out a 34A to a 38D. And even that seems to be cutting me in half. I'm searching high and low for a soft cup bra at this point. I think I'm going to get a Medela nursing bra or something.... I'm a little sad that nothing seems cute. Good luck finding something! My only advice would be to not buy too many because you will likely continue to change. I remember picking up a 34B at about 12 weeks and thinking that I would be able to wear it for a while. :ROTFLMAO: Needless to say...

[Green22]

Check out www.breakoutbras.com

Lots of good info re: how to make sure you are getting the correct size.

I went from a size huge to size grossly huge and they are a place that has lots of band sizes and cup sizes. Around month 4 I ordered an Anita Underwire Lace Stretch nursing bra so it would stretch with me as I got bigger. I got a lot of months use out of it. I went with an underwire because I couldn't bear to be without, knowing I would have to when nursing.

[PearlsMom]

Bras that fit are right up there with elastic waist pants as a maternity must for me. This is my first pregnancy, but I figured that I'd be a different size post-delivery, so I just bought four nice non-nursing bras (and a couple of cheaper ones on sale) that have gotten me from about 10 weeks to now 33 weeks and counting very comfortably. I guess I've been lucky that my shape hasn't kept changing since that first dramatic bump up (went up a cup and band size practically overnight). So it hasn't been too expensive. I got mine from VS, but I'm also still "just" a C-cup, so their stock sizes work fine for me.

I also got a Medela sleep bra that is very soft and stretchy, a cross-over style, and I do like that to sleep in (sometimes exclusively, when I feel really hot at night). I got a couple more no-wire cotton bras cheap at Kohls or Burlington or something; those are also good for sleeping, if you need that kind of support.

[wendibird22]

I highly recommend the fit calculator at www.birthandbaby.com. It's the only calculator that gives me an accurate fit/size every time. Prior to DD1 was too was a 32C. Now that I've had my second I'm rocking a 32F. My band and cup size did change. Don't underestimate the help that a band extender can provide and you can get those cheap at Motherhood. I personally, would just get regular bras for now. They are much more supportive and generally cheaper than nursing bras and I think in the next 5mos your band and cup size are going to change more so not worth the nursing bra yet.

[DrSally]

My rib cage expanded in pregnancy. I even had sharp muscle pains, like I had pulled a muscle. There's a word for it, I don't remember what it is. I had to go up to a 36.

[ilfaith]

When I've been pg, I've generally gone up one cup and one band size (from a 32C to a 34D) Actually, for me, one of the small joys of pregnancy was being able to buy inexpensive bras at Target (which doesn't carry my normal size). Right now I am nursing and wearing mostly 32DDs (and some 32Ds) I expect to return to my "normal" size in few months when I wean DS3.

I woudn't spend a fortune on bras while pregnant. Everyone grows differently, and there is really no way of predicting how big the girls are going to get.

I never wore nursing bras while pregnant, and always started with Bravado-type bras at first, since they stretch to fit a range of sizes and over the first few weeks, with milk coming in, your size may change

[MamaMolly]

My ribs expanded more with my first pregnancy than my second. I went from a 36 or 38 D to a 40DD/E. Or maybe I was just fatter all over this time around? :)

Anyway, with DD1 I went for a really fugly white cotton (summer babies!) granny bra number while pregnant. This time around I bought extenders but found that the hooks didn't match the extensions. So annoying!

IME it isn't worth investing in nursing bras before you see how big you are when your milk comes in. Plus you'll be wearing them a while so you want that functionality of the drop cups plus good support for as long as you can. IIWY I'd buy ONE bra in a nude shade and wear it before I invested in a lot of colors. Being pregnant is uncomfortable enough. Don't throw an ill fitting bra into it!

I think the Nordstrom advice is for getting measured. 3 years ago when I tried on nursing bras there they had 3 brands, an Elle McPhearson, La Leche League, and Anita. This time they only had the Anita which was about $75. I bought them but I'm not liking the underwire one little bit. It is like I have to heft the 'girls' out and over the dagum thing. I much, much , much prefer the soft cup style. (Another reason not to invest until you know what you want.)

I can't believe it, but I also bought some at Motherhood. I swore I'd never give them any money due to their horrible return policy, but after finding only 2 bras at Nordies I caved. I bought 2 really pretty lacy underwire bras. The support is great and they look nice, the only thing is that again, they are underwire and it is a PITA to get my boob out with any measure of decorum or efficency.

So there's my 2 cents. HTH