Having had and breastfed four children, I see myself as a top expert on maternity and nursing bras now – well at the very least I have some experience in the area. I’ve even tested out and reviewed a couple here on my blog, from Freya and Bravado. It’s so important not just to be comfortable in the bra you’re wearing when you’re pregnant and breastfeeding, but the fit can affect your breasts and milk production. Wearing an ill fitting bra can cause a blocked duct or mastitis. You want something that’s made of flexible, soft material. When you breastfeed, your breasts can be uneven in size (more than usual) and the size fluctuates during the day and night. You’ll also most likely be wearing breast pads, these need to sit comfortably as well, and you might want to think about a thicker or padded bra so that the pads don’t show through your clothes. I’ve been out before and then realised you can see two circles round my nipples, not a good look! You want the hooks and eyes to be at least 3 so that it allows expansion of your ribcage, and the hooks and eyes themselves should be nickel free.
The top of the bra should sit flush to your chest and the cups should be flexible and made of tested non-irritable material. The seams should be hidden to avoid irritation. The band should be secure around the body.
The magic number of nursing bras to have is 3 – one to wear, one in the wash and one in the draw. That should see you through – I have five, it sees me through OK, especially when I’m disorganised with the washing! There are all sorts of nursing bras you can get nowadays, from sports and yoga bras, sleep bras to more sexy ones in all kinds of colours. It’s a myth that you can’t have underwires when breastfeeding or pregnant, you can, you just need to make sure the fit is good and that the underwire is not cutting in to the breast tissue. Below is a useful infographic covering these key points from Cake Maternity which you can Pin on Pinterest or save it to refer to.
1 Comment
Maternity nursing bras are so very useful for a nursing mom like me. I love to wear nursing bras because they are soft, comfortable and easy for my breastfeeding to my baby. I think every mom should have this to make their breastfeeding easier too.
December 19, 2016 at 6:42 am