https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 02 Jul 2026 09:46:20 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-297244 Sun, 16 Sep 2012 11:18:00 +0000 shopaholic 297244@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks for posting this question @Jesslc! So much useful info!</p> <p>@CVBee - ooh! That Hot Milk brand is pretty! Makes the idea of "nursing bras" a little more attractive!</p> <p>FWIW - I bought one structured, non-underwire nursing bra at Target when I saw it on clearance. I also bought one Lamaze sleeping/nursing bra that is soft and unstructured after reading good reviews on it. Beyond that I think I will wait until after I get out of the hospital b/c even now, my BBs have changed size up &amp; down in the last month! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-297199 Sun, 16 Sep 2012 10:09:12 +0000 pastemoo 297199@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1. 1 have 3 real ones and one stretchy one<br /> 2. Eh... the stretchy one is not that great--no support, might as well have gotten a much cheaper yoga bra<br /> **I sleep on a towel folded in quarters because I tend to leak a lot and I sleep on my tummy (probably part of why I leak). Also I hate sleeping in a bra.<br /> 3. ZERO! Gained 6 inches in first 20 weeks (dd to g and 1 band size). Gained 1 inch when my milk came in but it went away. almost 4 months pp and down 3 inches again (but the ones I bought still look fine for some reason). BUT some people have a very different experience. I only bought one nursing bra before LO arrived.<br /> 4. My most comfy AND pretty is from le mystere. My hot milk one is ok but the clasp is nice. I actually cut off the full sling (uncomfy!). My other one is a non-nursing bra from a fancy lingerie store--they added clasps (no sling at all) to that bra that I bought when I was 8 months pregnant. I LOVE that bra. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-297150 Sun, 16 Sep 2012 09:14:15 +0000 SleepyMonkey 297150@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You ladies have all been so helpful, thank you!! I think i'll wait to buy the structured ones, and maybe now i'll buy a soft one and a few nursing tanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296833 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 20:07:35 +0000 littlecasita1122 296833@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1. How many nursing bras do you think is ideal?<br /> Let me preface this by saying I HATE doing laundry, so you probably don't need as many as I have! I have 3 nursing underwire/well supported bras and 3 comfy nursing sleep bras. In addition I use 2 sport bras I found at JC Penney with a zipper down the front for night. I also use 3 other non-nursing bras that have underwire and just pull the cups down - I don't care if they get messed up by doing this since they were inexpensive.</p> <p>2. Does it make sense to have one that is more structured (i.e. with wire, shaping, etc) for the day and going to work, and one that is soft to sleep or lounge around in?<br /> Yes - I would recommend buying a few of both. For night, I wear a nursing tank from Target and a sleep bra as I need the extra support. The sleep bras are typically very thin and after you nurse, your nipples will definitely show through so you'll want a more padded, structured bra if you plan on leaving the house. </p> <p>3. How many cup sizes did you go up from third trimester to after your baby was born? I'd ideally like to buy one that I can maybe wear now (33 weeks and I'm growing out of my current band size) and then be able to fit into after baby gets here.<br /> I went from a D/DD depending on the brand to an E (I bought all my nursing bras at Motherhood Maternity). However, I probably should have gone with an F as one of my boobs tends to spill out when I'm full (hate how it's just one!) I refuse to buy any new bras until I'm done nursing, though, so I just deal with it.</p> <p>4. Any recs?<br /> I would recommend buying your sleep bras now, as those are pretty flexible in sizing. I would recommend also buying a nursing tank with a shelf bra built in. This way you could wear the sleep bra and nursing tank on the way home from the hospital and then also if you need to go out and about the first couple weeks. I would say wait until 2 weeks postpartum to buy your underwire bras, as you may grow a lot once your milk comes in. I wish I waited - I bought my bras at 38 weeks pregnant and had to go back and exchange them a week postpartum. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296643 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 14:41:54 +0000 Mrs. Superhero 296643@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have two bravado tanks that I wear around the house and an elomi underwire that I wear when I'm out (fantastic t-shirt bra). That's it, I'll wear them till they die. I also have a hot milk bra, very pretty but doesn't fit perfectly. I went up a lot but by 6 months the first time and two months the second time I was back to about normal, but I'm quite busty. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296599 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 13:43:52 +0000 brownie 296599@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1. How many nursing bras do you think is ideal?<br /> I have probably 10 nursing tanks. But we only do laundry once a week. So I needed more to keep up.</p> <p>2. Does it make sense to have one that is more structured (i.e. with wire, shaping, etc) for the day and going to work, and one that is soft to sleep or lounge around in?<br /> I just wore my nursing tanks to work. I didn't like my structured bras because they weren't as comfortable.</p> <p>3. How many cup sizes did you go up from third trimester to after your baby was born? I'd ideally like to buy one that I can maybe wear now (33 weeks and I'm growing out of my current band size) and then be able to fit into after baby gets here.<br /> With the tanks it didn't matter much. From my more structured I went up one size. So from a large to an xlarge. Mostly because I wanted to have less tightness.</p> <p>4. Any recs?<br /> I have had good luck with Target tanks but I have heard that isn't universal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296548 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 12:34:40 +0000 cvbee 296548@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1. I have 3 and do the laundry every 2 days and wish I had 4. You need to wash them more often then normal bras because of leaking and spit-up. </p> <p>2. Yes, a mix of structured and comfy sounds great.</p> <p>3. I got mine at 33 weeks too, and I bought size D when I was a size C (well, a bit tight in my Cs by that point) and the nursing bras do accommodate a range of sizes, so I started wearing them right away and they were a bit loose, and in the first month they were sometimes a bit tight, and now they fit perfect. (5 months PP). I got fitted at a bra store.</p> <p>4. Any recs? Highly recommend Hot Milk bras. They are damn expensive but I love them. They are cute. They work great. They stand up against the millions of washings (and I even put them in the dryer). I have one nursing bra that is not hot milk and it seems to be on its way out already. (It's from one of the maternity stores...I forget which one). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296540 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 12:27:39 +0000 matador84 296540@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@turtledoves<br /> i bought 2 before baby and went and got 2 more and 2 tanks the week after i had him...and score they were on sale! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296538 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 12:26:17 +0000 CupQuakeWalk 296538@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lydg: love targets bras<br /> I don't nurse yet but I've bought a bunch of nursing bras from target in preparation and they look and feel (structure-wise) like real bras...comparable to *some* VS styles. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296480 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 11:17:08 +0000 matador84 296480@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1. How many nursing bras do you think is ideal? I have 4 bras and 2 tanks and that is plenty for now while I am at home.<br /> 2. Does it make sense to have one that is more structured (i.e. with wire, shaping, etc) I wear a lot of layers so I am just sticking with what I have for now.<br /> 3. How many cup sizes did you go up from third trimester to after your baby was born? I was wearing only yoga bras from 20 weeks on...I was a size small, like 34B, but now I have to wear at least a medium and am probably a C cup.<br /> 4. Any recs? Love Target nursing bras and the Bravado tank at Target! By far my fav. </p> <p>Any advice would be much appreciated! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296432 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 10:19:21 +0000 prettylizy 296432@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1. How many nursing bras do you think is ideal?<br /> I would say 3 or 4. I leak so its nice to have a few in rotation.</p> <p>2. Does it make sense to have one that is more structured (i.e. with wire, shaping, etc) for the day and going to work, and one that is soft to sleep or lounge around in?</p> <p>For me- yes. I'm quite large chested 44HH and I need underwire. I have 2 UW bras, 2 soft structured and 1 sleep bra. I use the UW and soft structured under tshirts and when I want to go out and have the girls look perky. </p> <p>3. How many cup sizes did you go up from third trimester to after your baby was born? </p> <p>My cup size didn't change after she was born. I got a little bigger at the beginning of my pregnancy and haven't changed since then. I think this is different for everyone. In my case, I bought 1 soft and 1 sleep bra from motherhood before she was born so I had a nursing bra for the hospital. After she was born and I was through the recovery phase I went to a specialty bra store and was fitted for a nice underwire bra about 6 weeks PP and I lurrrrve that bra. I went back and got another one because it was so awesome.</p> <p>4. Any recs? Spend the time/money and go to a proper bra store and get fitted for a really nice bra. When you feel like a frumpy milky mommy mess, putting on a nice bra and seeing your girls up and happy really turns things around. Especially if you plan on nursing for any length of time, you don't want to feel icky in your own clothes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296414 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 09:57:32 +0000 bpcmarj 296414@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@JessLC: to be honest, none of my bras are the exact right size now. Both wireless ones are 40D- one bought ay 40 weeks, the other at 2 weeks pp. The wired one is a 38DD, but I have lost weight since I bought it, so the band size isn't quite right. Bought at probably 5 weeks pp. Not sure that answers your question, but there you have it :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296404 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 09:46:38 +0000 sorrycharlie 296404@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>ah following this thread! my boobs haven't grown at all during pregnancy so I have no idea what to expect. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296403 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 09:45:29 +0000 pelikila 296403@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1. How many nursing bras do you think is ideal? I had 3 and that was sufficient for me but I didn't have leaking issues.<br /> 2. Does it make sense to have one that is more structured (i.e. with wire, shaping, etc) for the day and going to work, and one that is soft to sleep or lounge around in? That depends on you. I went back to work at 8 weeks pp and nursed and pumped for 7 additional months and I didn't feel it was necessary to have a nursing bra with more structure than the ones I'm going to recommend in your 4th question. I did get a few new blouses for work that were a little higher in the neckline because my nursing bras were higher than my pre-pregnancy bras though.<br /> 3. How many cup sizes did you go up from third trimester to after your baby was born? About 2 but my breasts didn't change at all during pregnancy so only after my milk came in. I waited to buy bras until 6 days pp.<br /> 4. Any recs? Elomi or Anita are great brands for a high quality nursing bra. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296398 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 09:28:10 +0000 SleepyMonkey 296398@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bpcmarj: this is so helpful!!! thank you. did you end up buying your nursing bras after you had your baby so you'd know which size to get? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296395 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 09:22:24 +0000 bpcmarj 296395@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am not working, and it was summer when I had LO so keep that in mind with my advice. I got one sleep bra that still had a thick band on the bottom for some support. It was stretchy and although I get up to DD, it's a D and still fits comfortably. I also got one that is wireless with slight padding to wear out of the house. I didn't have too many leaking issues, but when I did, this worked well to hide that if I was out without a pad. I also got a pretty underwire one, mostly because I needed to wear a dress to a wedding and didn't want to look frumpy/needed more support. I have worn it maybe 3 times. Any other time, I just wore nursing tank tops. I found that these with a cardigan (open or otherwise) were the easiest. Even though I was DD, I still felt supported in them. The bras I have were all from target, and the tanks were from walmart. When I am at home (which is often) I usually just go braless. Keep in mind that you'll have to wash these OFTEN, so I bought ones that were cheap that I knew I could just throw in the washing machine and not worry about wrecking. And, I was a 40D at the end of my pregnancy, and now at 4mos PP I am a 36DD. Just to give you a little perspective. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/nursing-bras-help-please#post-296392 Sat, 15 Sep 2012 09:10:30 +0000 SleepyMonkey 296392@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Lots of questions! </p> <p>1. How many nursing bras do you think is ideal?<br /> 2. Does it make sense to have one that is more structured (i.e. with wire, shaping, etc) for the day and going to work, and one that is soft to sleep or lounge around in?<br /> 3. How many cup sizes did you go up from third trimester to after your baby was born? I'd ideally like to buy one that I can maybe wear now (33 weeks and I'm growing out of my current band size) and then be able to fit into after baby gets here.<br /> 4. Any recs?</p> <p>Any advice would be much appreciated! </p>