NEEDED: Nursing Bra

My favorite bra is a black sorta spandex like material one I got at motherhood, it was cheap and it provides comfort and support. And they sell large sizes there, I was a 40 F at first and an E cups now!

They have some decent ones at Walmart and Target. I bought one from Motherhood and ended up hating it (it gave zero support).

They have black ones at Target. (I hate white bras)

From experience I suggest you try before you buy.

Motherhood has them as well as you can order them on-line..Or get fitted and then order one...
Good-luck, I know how you are feeling!!!

S.

Hi J.! I can relate. I had the HARDEST time finding a bra that was comfortable, but still supportive. I found that underwire was the way to go. Check out Motherhood Maternity. They have inexpensive underwires that are pretty comfortable and although they aren't AS supportive as the Medela's, they do provide adequate support. I hope this helps!

Good luck!
M.

I was a 34F after my daughter was born so I got my bras through a Medela rep (the ones who rent pumps). That size is not available through regular stores.

Underwire is not recommended while nursing because it can cause blocked ducts.

Go to Babies R Us or to Florida Hospital Breastfeeding Center. Don't know if that is the right name, but they sell nursing bras. You do not want underwire. I wore a D. It will mess with your milk ducts and could cause mastitis.
Hope this helps.
L.

I bought great bra's from motherwear.com. They have night ones that are like sports bra's and very comfortable. They also have bra's with snaps in the middle not the top of the cup, I found them to be much easier to close back up than the top snap ones.

J.,

I've found the most comfortable ones at Target and they're reasonable!

Take care,

L.

Hi J.,

I was in the same predicament... I found luck with the Lady Grace catalog (or www.ladygrace.com). I can't remember now, which one worked out the best for me, but they had large sizes, and tell you how to measure yourself to get a good fit. I was shocked to find out I was an "H" cup size!!!! (I didn't know they made them that big!) Good luck!

J.

Hi J.,

The best nursing bra that I found for fit, comfort and style is the Bravado bra. here is a link to their website.http://www.bravadodesigns.com/

I wore them for all four of my kids (tried others, but always went back!). The bra goes on like a sports bra and really, I could wear one all day and use it for night feedings, too. Instead of cumbesome hooks, there are snaps. I had one of each color eventually (even the leopard print, LOL). They also carry maternity undies. Honestly, I wish my "normal" bras were as comfortable.
Good luck with nursing!

M.

Look for Motherood brand bras in your local sceondhand baby store. Or Babies R Us, they will usually have a "Motherhood" section. Your local mall might have a Motherhood store. Once you find a size that fits properly, you can order more from their website ( motherhood.com ). I swear by them!! I am like you with the big "ta-ta's". My daughter is 18 months old now and I was not able to breastfeed (had to pump for 8 weeks) but still have to wear the nursing bras (only thing I can afford that fits). I would recommend getting bras with underwire but it is a personal comfort choise, Oh, get a nighttime nursing bra too.
Good Luck,
K.

I had the same problem, with the exception that I also needed a large band size. I bought bras at Target. They were inexpensive, supportive, and easy to use. If you have larger breasts, get the underwire for day and use ones without the wire for night. Wearing the underwire 24-7 could cause mastitis, but as long as you only wear the wire to work, you should be fine (I was anyway) Good luck!!
C.

Dear J.:

There are lactation consultants who have their office at UCH and they do free fittings. They do a great job and don't charge for their services, but the bras are fairly expensive ($34 I think?) I am large chested and do not require an underwire.

Good luck!

C.

I would go to Nordstroms and get fitted for a bra. I went there and realized I have never worn the right size bra. Oprah did a whole show about it. Nordstroms is awesome and they have great nursing bras. Good luck.

The best I have found are at Kohls they are Oh Baby by Motherhood. they have awesome padded straps and they are seemless so they look great under clothes even if you have to wear pads. Hope this helps!

Hi J.,

I always used Bravado nursing bras and loved the comfort (and I'm a D to DD, even when not pregnant or nursing). Also, to find really good tops that make nursing in public a snap... shop at Expressiva.com. I bought several of their tops and they really helped me feel comfortable pumping and nursing at work and when traveling.

Good luck!
K.

I found the motherhood maternity has great nursing bras. They have them with and without underwires. I have found that the ones without underwires are more comfortable while nursing. I too have a larger chest, their nursing bras, even without underwire, hold them up. I also invested in the Lily Padz breast pads. They are silicon cups that stick to you, sold at Motherhood. They look nicer under a shirt, you can't tell they are there and they offer great protection.

Hi there! I, too, have large breasts (36 G), and I love the Bella Materna bras. And, yes, an underwire is necessary to get the look of a regular bra ... unfortunately.

Hope this helps!
D.

This is a playtex bra I bought. It goes up to DDD sizes. Very inexpensive and pretty comfortable. If you want one with bigger sizes, but don't want to pay an arm and a leg, I recommend this one.

http://www.onehanesplace.com/webapp/commerce/command/Prod...

Hello J., "A pea in a pod" at the International Mall. Ask for Sylvia to be fit and measured and try a lot of different styles just for fun, you will find some great ones. Having super comfortable nursing bra is a must and it's worth every penny. Especially when you wear them 24/7.

Hi J.

Motherhood has great bras I am not sure how big they go but for many months I wore 38dd with no underwire. They are so comfy and so affordable..around 12$ also check out ebay. I got 3 brand new nursing bras for 15 bucks! Since your bra size will lessen as you loose weight dont spend too much just yet. My son is 19 months and I had to buy a much smaller size a few months ago.
The underwires are bad for your milk supply.

BOL
J.

PS congratulations on your choice to breastfeed it is a very rewarding experience and beyond helpful when tantrums come around!

no you don't need a underwire for support platex makes wonderful bra's that are comfortable without the underwire. im a 44dd myself,and tend to have the issue with nderwire of when i bend over i fall out wheich can be very imbarrassing, also kmart sells a nursing bra that hooks above the breast with adjustable hooks so you can adjust for more support or less and can be unhooked and opened when you need to feed the baby. i don't remember the name but its in the maternity section.

i used the playtex bras.....i think. it was the one in the box- i had bought several others but this was the brand i actually wore. i had HUGE double ds during those nursing months, and this bra was great. i didn't get the under wire ones- at least i don't recall. my youngest is 4 1/2 and my oldest is about to be 14!!! the bra was a full coverage, so it wasn't for 'sexy' clothes (for those i would wear a normal bra). and the clip was on top. it was easy to work with one hand. the shoulder straps were nice and soft. it never dug into me. i am a very picky person when it comes to the bras i wear and if the material (i perfer cotton) isn't absolutly soft i won't wear it.

i sure hope i have helped you. the bra runs about $20 so thats not bad for a nursing bra. just buy yourself one and see if you like it.

Here's a link to the model I found very useful during my nursing days.. I really liked the zipper. Just don't zipper it too fast *ouch*. I had other models but kept going back to this one. I've never used this retailer.. I just wanted to show you the model. http://store.rbkids.com/6-301136.html
Best of luck and God bless.
H.

J C Penney has great nursing bras. I was told by my Dr. to NOT USE UNDER WIRE BRA'S WHEN YOU ARE BRESTFEEDING, they are to rough on the milk ducts. I wish you and your little one the best.

http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/SearchDepartment.aspx?Search...

Enjoy your little one. They grow up so fast.

From one mother to another.

:)

I am a 36 G. I have found with both my nursing experiences that using a good underwire (but NOT minimizer) that is NOT an actual nursing bra is the only way to go for a voluptious woman. I just pull my breast up and over the top to nurse (really not much different than unclasping and uncovering as you would with a nursing bra). As the shoulder straps stretch a little over time, I just tighten them an inch or so every month. It truly works well for me.

K.

http://www.motherwear.com/prod.cfm/cid/54/sid/6270

Just one more link for you. You may want to browse supportive bras there at motherwear. I wore that one forever and it was very supportive. Unfortunately I just washed it too much and the hooks eventually got messed up (happens to me a lot, I guess I should hand wash). I nursed the last one till 2 1/2 and am getting ready for the next go around.
You don't need underwire to have good support.
But sometimes I like to buy underwire regular bras that are easy to pull down on the top and use those. Regular bras that have support and no underwire will not be able to pull down like that. GOod Luck!! You may try and find one that looks good and then see if you can find it on ebay for cheaper, at least thats what cheap me does =)!
~E.

I personally would avoid underwire bras just because if they do give you mastitis, then you've got an expensive nursing bra you can't wear!

If you need larger than a 44 chest size, here are two good sites:

http://www.jms.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce/CategoryDisplay?cgnb...#

(Just My Size nursing bras, they go up to size 48)

www.motherhoodmaternity.com

They have a plus size sleep bra that works great. Go to the plus size section, then intimates, and it will come up.

I tried the largest Bravada size and it didn't fit me around the rib cage. My rib cage seriously expanded with pregancy - I went from a 38 to a 46! And it's not all fat ... I've already lost 37 pounds from the pregnancy (and I only gained 40) ... but I am still wearing a 46! I sure hope it returns to normal!

Know exactly what you mean. It's hard finding a large size. The ones at Sears...don't bother with...The one I found to be the best is the ones at Motherhood. Underwire is a definite must!! If you don't have underwire, they do hang to your knees. Remember to go 2 sizes up from what you normally wore. I didn't know that and ended up buying 3 bras that I outgrew very quick. Motherhood has ones w/padding and ones without. They don't make the padding for large ta ta woman. The only advantage of having padding anyway is it hides the breast pads and makes everything appear smooth.
The bras at Motherhood are also cheaper than Sears. Haven't found bras anywhere else but those 2 places.

I found my nursing bras at Walmart. They aren't necessarily the nicest looking, but they work. Motherhood also has several, and I think those look like they would support and look good. I did just find a new nursing bra at Walmart that looks more like the ones at Motherhood did and I'm hoping that it will look good, but it will definitely be supportive. I have only a couple months before I can find out. I would highly recommend the underwire. It helps to keep the girls up off of your stomach. :D Also, find something you can wear to bed comfortably. I found I always wore a bra to bed while I was nursing. Good luck! Hope you can find what you're looking for.

The best one I got was in the lactation store in the hospital where I delivered. I also got a lot of other nursing supplies for my pump. Good luck!

HI J.,

I'm still nursing my son 14 months and also have biggins DD to be exact, and I had no luck with nursing bras, mostly because my chest size around is significantly smaller (at first they worked but then as I lost my weight and rib cage went back had a very hard time finding any for small chset with large breasts) than my actual cup size right now I'm wearing a 34DD which is very hard to find in anything and especially in anything that isn't granny like. I usually don't wear many nursing bras because of this problem and lack of finding any to fit both ways but the one I have isn't underwire I isn't more like a sports bra with a V-neck I think its considered the sleeping one but they give good support and are very comfortable and conveinant, hope this helps. Oh I also noticed you are from Naples so am I I live in North POrt now but go there all the time my family is still there. Where did you live growing up? what schools?

S.

On the advice of a friend, who was also a nurse, I bought my staple, everyday, boring, but very supportive industrial strength nursing bras at Wal-Mart. They were the most comfortable and supportive, but super ugly (Plain white industrial strength cotton with spandex.) For prettier ones, I went to Target and tried on every style they had. Most nursing literature recommends not to use underwire (although I can't remember why -- may be associated with blocked milk ducts or something.) Target has one or two that are lacy and pretty, but I'm not sure if they'll provide enough support for you. Good luck! E. (BCHS class of 1994)

J.,

My favorite ones are Medela® Seamless Maternity/Nursing Bra. They come in no wire and with wire. You can get them at jcpenney.com. Just do a search for it on JCpenney site.

T.