The Quest for the Perfect Nursing Bra!

Guest post by Bert

The quest…it took a long time but I think I have finally found a nursing bra to support my rather well endowed chest. That’s right. Well endowed. I have never struggled in that department and it’s a family trait. From an early age and after Oprah aired her bra show featuring bra fittings at Nordstrom’s my mother has been insistent that my sister and I have good supportive bras to lift the girls up!

With my daughter, Lady Bug, I produce more milk than I ever did with my son, and as a result my larger than life breasts now need extra support. Back in May, before Lady Bug was born my mom and I took a trip to our beloved Nordstrom’s lingerie department so that I could get fitted before I started nursing. Now the only reason we did this was because the bras I was wearing were over a year old and stretched out. The woman fitting me did know what she was doing; she gave me a cup size bigger than what I currently was. I, however, didn’t think it was correct so I returned the bra and got a smaller cup size. How was I to know that I’d be a mass milking machine this time around?

I broke Rule #1 – Wait until at least three months before really settling into a nursing bra size. By three months your milk supply is well established so the likelihood that your size will go up is pretty slim.

Rule #2 – Always get professionally fitted. This is essential if you are a larger chest size like I am. I don’t even mess with trying to figure it out on my own.

Rule #3 – Don’t be afraid to buy the expensive bra; it’ll be worth the support in the end. I’m basing this on my own personal experience but when I have a good fitting bra I feel slimmer and my back doesn’t ache as much. I have two bras that I own and yes they are well over $50 but it’s worth the money.

Some Helpful Hints:

• If the band rides up in the back you need a stronger support band to compensate for a heavy load. You may also need to reassess your cup size
• If your straps are falling down your arm and they are on the tightest setting then your cup size is likely too big.
• If your shoulder straps are digging into your shoulders then your cup size is too small and the straps are being forced to do all of the work. You should be able to slide your straps off of your shoulders and your bra should stay in place. Your poor little straps should only support 10% of your breasts’ weight.

On my FB page, FTM, I threw the question out there and asked if any of my fans had a favorite maternity bra that they used. Some of the suggestions were Bestform found at Wal-Mart, Bravados, and nursing sports bras found at Motherhood Maternity. Now you can always get fitted at a specialty store and then look for the bra at a different retailer who has a cheaper price. My favorites? I like Elomi and Anita nursing bras. Elomi is made for larger size breasts and you can definitely tell that they know what they are doing!

Support the girls, get fitted and spend a little extra cash for a good fitting bra. You’ll look better and feel better, I promise!

Luvaboos carries a great selection of Bravado nursing bras.  Stop by and check out the bras in person if you're in Rochester or shop online at Luvaboos.com!

Elizabeth (aka Bert) Anderson married her college sweetheart in 2005, and started her journey into motherhood in 2008 with the birth of her son.  She started blogging in 2009 as a way to keep track of her thoughts on being a first time mom, especially her struggle with postpartum depression, and as a way of reaching out to other moms who are struggling with the same things.  This July, Bert had another first in her motherhood travels - a little girl!  Even though she's newly a mother of two, Bert maintains that no matter how many children you have you will always be a "first time mom" because there's a first time for everything!  Visit her blog, at FTM. Bert is a contributor for She Thinks Media.