A rite of passage for most pregnant mamas is when you buy your first maternity bra! One of the early symptoms of pregnancy is sore, sensitive breasts, and maternity bras are designed to be comfortable, support your breasts as they grow, and not restrict your breast tissue as your milk ducts are doing their job.
Buying a maternity bra, breastfeeding bra, nursing bra, or whatever you want to call it, can be a unique challenge, especially as some research says 8 out of 10 women are wearing the wrong size bra! So it’s important to find a maternity bra that’s the right size and feels good on.
Here’s some good advice on how to buy a maternity bra you’ll love to wear.
First, what size to buy?
Here’s a tip: You will probably need more than one size! Measure your breast size at around 14 weeks of pregnancy, and then again at around 36-38 weeks of pregnancy.
It’s okay if you end up with a couple of different bras in different sizes because after pregnancy, as your body shape changes, you’ll need different sizes to get you through. You can find bra size measuring guides on the Breastmates site (breastmates.co.nz). It’s not uncommon to go up two to four band sizes and two to four cup sizes during pregnancy.
Second, what style will suit?
Maternity bras come in a few different styles – side sling (the inner support sits on the outer sides of your breasts, underneath and around the sides) and A-frame (the inner support goes around the sides, underneath, and across the top of the bra) are most common. Nursing clips are usually on the top of the cup, next to the strap.
Third, how to make sure it’s a good fit? There are a few things to look for here – the straps should rest comfortably on your shoulders and not leave red marks, and the back band should run parallel to the ground and not be too small/tight or too big/gaping. The cup of your bra should sit comfortably over your breast and provide good coverage without any wrinkling or bulging.
Fourth, how many maternity bras do you actually need? Well, how many bras do you wear on a weekly basis? Most women will want at least three or four maternity bras in rotation, as hormonal changes mean you might find yourself perspiring more often when you’re breastfeeding, and they can become soiled with milk from leaking or your dribbly baby more often than your regular bras would.
Breastmates has a beautiful range of maternity bras to take you through pregnancy and help you to feel comfortable and supported while you’re breastfeeding your baby.
We have multi-buy discounts as you will need more than one.
Tip: If you’re pregnant and buying a maternity bra, make sure you can slip one flat hand into the top cup, which gives you enough space to expand when your milk comes in!
Check out our extensive selection and if you need help choosing the right bra, flick us an email and we will help you super quick and ship it to you just as fast!
