[maddie02]

I was wondering if it's a good idea to buy a cup size up when choosing a nursing bra before the baby arrives and the breasts become engorged? Do you have any recommendations? Someone in the Feb DDC recommended a stretchy bra in which the cups easily move aside to BF. Are those better than the kind with hooks?

[LaLa]

I would suggest buying one bra, with a little room to give for the first few days, nursing sports bras work well in the beginning.
Definitely stay away from underwires since the wires can put pressure & cause plugged ducts & mastitis.

I would suggest actual nursing bras, whether they move to the side easily or have hooks, I personally prefer ones with latches as
opposed to hooks, although i forget to "relatch" them again half the time lol.

But, I wouldnt invest much in nursing bras until after the baby comes, some women get MUCH bigger, others not as much. I personally
spent about 4 days in a 38 D, and then went right back to my pre-baby size of 34B/36A, even with Full Time Breastfeeding.

So - get one or two - maybe 1 thats 1 size bigger than you are at the end of PG, and then another 2 sizes bigger than you are at
end of PG (esp if you went up in the # - dont go back to that prepg #! those ribs take a long time to go back down lol).

Then, about a week or two postpartum, once your milk is in, and a little better established, buy another bra or two, and then again
maybe 6 weeks you may find you need yet another size, and thats closer to the size youll use long term

Hope that helps!

Lala...

[Lindsey608]

It's all going to depend on the individual so I would also suggest a nursing sports bra or something for the beginning.

I went up a size in the band & cup while pregnant and then just really filled the cup out well once my milk came in. After the engorgement passed I was back in the size I wore all pregnancy.

I got some bra extenders from Motherhood Maternity that were really great too!

[403girl]

I bought several different nursing bras and wasn't happy with any of them... None of them were very "supportive" and didn't do the trick while I slept at night. Then... I found the Medela Nursing bra. Its basically like a sports bra. Its super awesome!!! i love it. Can't live without it! IMO, the best nursing bra!

[beck12]

I think it depends on the person. I would rather wear tanks with built in shelf bras - but that's me...I own plenty of nursing bras, but have hardly used them. I am also not very chesty & quickly came down to just a bit bigger than pre-pg size, so I don't need much for support. I only bought one prior to delivery - and that worked out fine for me.

[srs]

As you can see, it really does vary. I went from a B to a D during pregnancy, and am now a DD-DDD, and I swear I got bigger at around six months (or else my bras all shrunk in the wash ) I have Bravado nursing bras and I really like them. I bought one or two and wore them at the end of my pg when i was growing out of the D cup and didn't want to spend any more money on regular bras, and then got more once my milk came in and I knew I had the right size. I like the Bravado bras because they have a size range (I have the D-DDD one) so they accommodate a lot of change in your breast size.

[andi2284]

I brought tanktops with built-in bras to the hospital, since I knew it would be a few days before my milk came in. I discovered this bra after DD was a little older, but it quickly became my favorite bra and I will be using it for the next child. It sounds like exactly what you're talking about. I always reccomend it to any new nursing mother, because it was perfect, from engorgment and even now, when I'm far from that. I stretches as you grow (when your milk comes in) but will still fit perfectly after your supply establishes and is extremely comfortable, but not too tight.
http://www.motherhood.com/Product.asp?Prod...Category_Id=997
Also, very affordable at under $12. I will continue to recommend this bra to any new nursing mother, and have 2 myself to wear with the next child.

[*~LuckyCharms~*]

I never even used a nursing bra, but then again I don't do any nursing in public, either! I just went up a cup size, from a C to a D and I just lift it up and let him go to town!

[k1210]

i bought a DD... I was a D during pregnancy. I guess I could still fit into a D though

[~Trinity~]

As you can see, it really does vary. I went from a B to a D during pregnancy, and am now a DD-DDD, and I swear I got bigger at around six months (or else my bras all shrunk in the wash ) I have Bravado nursing bras and I really like them. I bought one or two and wore them at the end of my pg when i was growing out of the D cup and didn't want to spend any more money on regular bras, and then got more once my milk came in and I knew I had the right size. I like the Bravado bras because they have a size range (I have the D-DDD one) so they accommodate a lot of change in your breast size.[/b]

I've just started using Bravado myself. I bought three of the nursing tank tops (although still pregnant) because I know what size nursing bra I used last time.

Plus having a size range, as you mentioned, is great. I know my breasts will increase in size with engorgement at first then be fuller for awhile and then a few weeks into nursing adjust to a more normal size for the duration I nurse. Even then your cup size can vary a lot during the day depending how long since you last nursed, so I like a bra that can fluncuate in size as I do.