Bra conundrum

[Anonymous]

I'm at 17 weeks and have already waved goodbye to my regular bra size. I'm normally a 36C, am presently borrowing a friend's 36DDs and I doubt that I'm done growing. Can anyone recommend a strategy for what to purchase and when?

I loathe the thought of starting to wear nursing bras now and feel too far out from the end to have any idea of what size I'll need. They also seem impractical since the ones I've seen are mostly full-coverage and 90% of maternity styles seem assume that all women want to show off their newfound "assets" (a gripe for another post...). However, I also hate the idea of spending a ton of money on bras that fit today just to have to buy new ones to fit next month, and then do it all over again with nursing gear.

Being on the well-endowed side, I've always had to spend money on well-fitting, supportive bras and it seems really cost-prohibitive to have to do this 3-4 times in the next 12 months. Maybe I'm overthinking this and nursing bras are fine for now and later?

I'd really appreciate any suggestions, or thoughts on what I'll really need to purchase and when so that I can budget accordingly - thanks!

[Anonymous]

Don't spend any money on nursing bras now -- you'll still need a different size. I'm similar in size to you and I bought a nursing bra in my 2nd trimester that fits me like a training bra now and is useless (my son is 8 weeks old). I eventually grew to a 38H.

I bought large size bras at Target and Macy's for the latter part of the pregnancy. I did spend money on one expensive well-fitted one from Trousseau in Vienna but that one ended up being too itchy to wear anyway, so I just wore the Target one the most and washed it a lot.

Once you are at the end of the pregnancy you're much more likely to be your post-pregnancy size. At that point you can go to the Breastfeeding Center of Greater Washington on K street and get fitted for nursing bras. That's what I did...However, I did lose a lot of weight right away after the baby was born so the bras actually are a little too big now, but they're fine for the maternity leave period and I'll get a new better fitting one soon. They get a lot of wear and tear because I wear them 24 hours a day. Boobs this big can't be let loose!

[Anonymous]

Bras are tricky but important - if they're not comfortable then you're in for a long day.

I am regularly a 36B - early in pregnancy I bought 2-3 bras that were 38C and I also bought the extenders - these have lasted my whole pregnancy thankfully.

Some ladies go up a lot more in cup size though (my problem is my rib cage just expands a lot) so you may need to buy bras a couple times if you outgrow them.

I say buy as you go - get a couple good ones that fit well and then wash them often. Then if you need to get a couple more if you get bigger then you can do that too. Just remember you will may also wear them on the way back down to your normal size and/or for a second pregnancy (I did).

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I've had better luck with very stretchy bras -- like the original Bravado ones -- not the microfiber (http://www.bravadodesigns.com/), and even running bras I get at Target (they carry Champion ones that are very soft). You can't wear a thin white blouse over them, but because they are stretchy each size is comfortable for a bit longer.

[Anonymous]

I had the initial growth during my last pregnancy and they stayed the same until after the birth, even when I gained 50 lbs (!).

I went out this time and made the investment in a couplle of good bras from Nordstrom around 17 weeks. I am approaching 30 weeks and they still fit just fine. If I find myself needing another size (which I doubt), I will shop on ebay now that I know what brand and style I like. I am in a DDD cup now, so there are many places that do not have my size.

[Anonymous]

I also went to Nordstrom to get fitted at 18 weeks and it was well worth it. I had gone from a 34 D to an F and would have never guessed it if I was trying to size myself. There was a large selection of larger sizes at the Pentagon City Nordstrom and the women who work there were really helpful. I am so much more comfortable than I was before!

[Anonymous]

I feel your pain. I started out pre-preg. as a 34 D and am currently a 36DD/E at 33 weeks pregnant. My boobs only did one (alarming) growth spurt; I think I bought new bras at about 16-ish weeks, which is where you are now. I went to Nordstrom and spent a lot of money on two nice Wacoal bras. I thought it was well worth it because they made me soooo much more comfortable (I swear each boob weighs about 5 lbs right now. I am so afraid for nursing!). I haven't gone up any more in size (or at least not enough to buy more new bras). I am determined to eke out the rest of this pregnancy with the bras that I bought - I plan to just use bra extenders if I need them. I just went to a breastfeeding class at The Breastfeeding Center and plan to go back there about 2 weeks before my due date to get fitted for nursing bras. Apparently, they are very good at predicting the size you will need for nursing, and have a large selection of brands and styles. The Center also recommended NOT buying anything until 2-3 weeks before your due date at most, because you're likely to get the wrong size.

[Anonymous]

OP here - thanks to all of you for the very helpful answers! I'm going shopping this weekend...

[Anonymous]

I fell in love with the Bra-Llelujah Spanx Bra. I went up one cup size pretty quickly and bought those at 4-5 months and I'm still wearing them at 36 weeks. I also love the champion jogging bras at target. Went from a M to a L and got a few XLs too just in case but they're perfect for wearing under sweaters or on the weekends or for sleeping in and you can't beat the price!!