Hi Mamas, Once again I am hoping to benefit from your experience and wisdom. My daughter is almost 6 weeks old and a very good nurser. However, the Bra's I got from Motherhood Maternity just do not cut it. Without nursing I am usually a 36D or 36DD, for the Nursing Bras I got a 36E but they still do not feel right. I might need an even bigger size as my breasts got really big, but I think that is the biggest size they carry. Do you have any suggestions for good quality nursing bras? I am willing to spend some extra dollars if I could find one that fits right and makes my breast look nice considering that they are so huge at the moment anyway.
Thanks so much in advance for your advise and feedback,
C.
Hi Mamas, Thanks so much for your wonderful advise. I had no idea that there are so many of us in the same boat. I really thought I was the only one having this problem. I went to fashion after passion and I am now the proud own of Bravado Nursing Bra's. Those are fantastic. Although I am an "underwire" girl since forever, I was even convinced to go without as it is recommended while nursing. Those Bras I got provide so much support although they do not have the underwire.
Thank you so much again. I feel like a new person and so much happier.
C.
If you can get to El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, they have a maternity store with tons of bra inventory and wonderful women who will go to great lengths to fit you right!
http://www.elcaminohospital.org/Womens_Hospital/Pregnancy...
Bravado!
http://www.bravadodesigns.com/
I have 2 Bravado Bliss nursing bras that I love. I'm a 36 H/I while nursing, so I understand where you are coming from. I also have a nursing bra by Freya that I like, but overall I think that you can't go wrong with Bravado. Check out their website, or try www.breakoutbras.com, they have a good selection of nursing bras, free shipping, easy returns, and some really good advice on sizing. I buy a lot of bras from them.
Good luck!
I feel your pain!
I have the same problem - and found this website where they sell sizes even bigger than what I need. :) (Which is pretty incredible - I mean, who knew that bras could come with a cup size of 'J'? Useful for those of us mortals, who through no intent of our own end up being insane sizes!)
bravadodesigns.com (Bravado Designs)
They specialize in nursing bras, so they seem to understand that one size will NOT fit all. I have had really good luck with them. They have a good return policy, if needed, and have made breastfeeding and the bras needed work for me. :)
IN my experience, Motherhood bras are pretty cheaply made. I ended up going to Nordstrom and was fitted properly and bought two different Anita nursing bras. They are well made, are holding up really well to washing and nursing all the time. They are a bit expensive at $69 each but they were so worth the money! The bras also keep my shape looking nice as well so I'm a happy mama. :) Good luck to you!
At the risk of embarrassing myself, I wear a 40E and find them at motherhood maternity. With that being said, I don't like my nursing bras at Motherhood Maternity; for some reason they like to make them sexy and they aren't practical. I bought some Medela nursing bras from my hospital's lactation clinic in 40DD and you can find the same bras at Babies R Us. They are reasonably comfortable and functional. Just today I bought one of their sleeping nursing bras and I'm loving it! Medela bras run about $40 each.
I was a 38C when I got pregnant with my first and ended up a 38DD by the time my supply leveled out. I tried EVERYTHING I could find, and NOTHING worked for me :( I tried the Bravado and hated it; no support. When I had my 2nd, I grew to 38DDD. For my regular bras, I had already found and fell in love with Cacique from Lane Bryant. I hit the jackpot with the nursing bras as well when my mom suggested we stop at the Playtex outlet store by her house!!!!! Playtex underwire nursing bras are the ONLY bra I found to be comfortable AND supportive.
Don't balk at an underwire nursing bra. I know they used to say to avoid underwire because it can cause plugged ducts, etc, and that's something you'll have to monitor for yourself, but as long as you lift your breast into the bra, and the underwire isn't resting any breast tissue, you should be fine.
The next biggest plus to the Playtex is: IT'S ONLY $18!!!!! There's a Playtex outlet at The Great Mall in Milpitas, and you can actually order them online. I wholeheartedly recommend you physically try on the bra before you buy it. Wear it for a few days and see what you think. If you like it, then you can go back and get more or order online.
I feel your pain. I was searching a few months ago after I had my 4th baby, it can be tough to find a good one, especially underwire which I insist on. I went to Motherhood and tried on at least 8-10 bras in varying sizes (I am a 38D or sometimes 36DD), I went up and down in cup sizes and band sizes and NONE of them worked at all for me. I was spilling out of every one, even their "full coverage" bras. I finally found some Medela bras at Buy Buy Baby and got one. It fully covers me, is underwire, and is comfortable, which were my biggest requirements. But the one I have is a one-handed release, but i need two hands to hook it back together, kind of annoying. I also feel like the fabric of the cups is a bit thin, making it not as supportive as I would like and allowing recently nursed from nipples to be quite noticeable.
So not a glowing recommendation, but the best I could find when I was looking. Too bad I had to pay $45 for a "pretty good" bra, for that kind of money I really wanted a "great" bra, but no matter how much I looked I couldn't find one. Hope you have better luck. And Congrats on your daughter!
I really liked my Bravado nursing bras. You might check them out. They have several different varieties and styles. Good luck!
I'm in the same boat. I had NO idea how big one could get when nursing, and most stores don't even carry anything past an E (which I didn't know existed to nursing either, but hey, you live and learn).
After trying several different bras, I finally found Jeunique, which is unbelievably expensive for a bra but which was SO worth the money I spent on it. I had wonderful support finally, and unlike cheaper bras I tried, these did not wear out.
This is the website, but you may want to contact them before ordering to make sure you're looking at nursing bras (I tried to scope it out for you, but only found general information.).
http://www.jeunique.com/EN/pages/bodyfashions/jeunique.html
I did a lot of research before buying any bras and found the right design for my build and shape. It seems like they walk you through it on their website to make sure you get the right thing. But don't take my word for it. Good luck!
You know what I would do, now that I know better? I'd post a question for the Fremont/Bay Area mamas to find a good *foundation garments* shop. Then, go there and get fitted correctly. We have a shop like this in Portland, and I will never go to the mall for bras again. These shops tend to have staff that know how to fit a person, they'll have a larger variety of sizes, (so you will have adequate coverage) and they will have some experience in helping nursing mom's find bras that work... and likely a better quality of bra. These shops will often have a fitting fee that is waived upon purchase, so ask first, and call beforehand to make sure A. you don't need a reservation (some might) and B. that they have staff/product to suit your needs.
Good luck!
Hi there, I am big busted to and found great sucess at nordstroms. Go there and have a specialist fit you. They have larger sizes available and you will get an accurate fit. Good luck!
M
Go to Fashion after Passion in Alameda. It is a resale store that sells the largest selection of NEW maternity and nursing bras. They will fit you and they are wonderful! They have a local maker of bras named Melinda G and it was the only bra that worked for me, I only wish I knew about them with my first child. I struggled with all the bras from Motherhood and even Nordstrom.
1205 Lincoln Ave # B
Alameda, CA 94501-7433
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Hi C.! First off ... congrats on your angel! :)
I agree with Shelbie - Nordstrom was a savior for me. I typically wear at 34G and went up to a 36H after my son was born last year and Nordies was the only place that had a bra large enough with underwires (I also am used to wearing minimizers so a bra without an underwire was useless to me!).
Hope this helps and go shopping!
I was a 40E when I got pregnant, I just continued to wear my bras through my whole pregnancy and got extenders. After I had DS I ended up around a 42H/I. It's a total pain because I was only able to find one bra. It's a Bravado and I love it!. I've had to quit nursing so everything is where it's going to be and it's still the only bra that I wear.
Fancee Free has the only bra that worked for my J (jugs) while nursing. I got mine fitted at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View but you can order them online when you figure out what size you are:
http://www.biggerbras.com/fancee-free-plus-size-bras/fanc...
I've also heard good things about Bravado bras, but for my nursing bras I loved, loved, loved Bella Materna bras!! I bought 2 that didn't have underwire - somehow they were still amazingly supportive. SO comfortable to sleep in without the underwire. My breasts are also HUGE after baby so you shouldn't have an issue with sizes. I bought 2 that you just pull the cup over to the side to nurse...no clip. The entire time I was nursing, the cup never lost its shape from being pulled to the side. Amazing!
http://www.bellamaterna.com/shop/Nursing-at-Bella-Materna...
