Small band size nursing bras « Hellobee Boards

Small band size nursing bras

By LCTBQE Jul 29, 2016

Hi ladies, need recommendations from anyone with a similar figure!

I'm 36 weeks, pre-pregnancy bra size was a 30C, right now I'm a 32DD. I got the Bravado silk seamless nursing bra in size S and hate it--it's riding up on the smallest band setting, I dislike the cup inserts, and feel like I'm wearing a sports bra and badly miss my underwire. Everyone seems to love this bra; should I just get used to it, or is there something better out there? My problem with bras always is that my band size is really small, but my boobs are medium sized and wide-set.

Money is no object here, I would be happy to deplete my IRA for a bra that doesn't drive me crazy for the next year.

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22 comments

Mrs. Pickle
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts

Jul 29, 2016

I got my nursing bras at Soma. I'm a 32DD while nursing. They have underwire and are nice and supportive. They aren't the sexiest bras I've ever owned though.

https://m.soma.com/store/product/embraceable-full-coverage-contour-nursing-bra/570077514?color=&catId=&fromSearch=true

You may want to wait to buy a ton of nursing bras until your milk comes in. I went back down to my original band size after I delivered and went up another cup size when my milk came in.
hilsy85
squash / 13764 posts

Jul 29, 2016

I had good luck with Elle Macpherson bras--I was also a 32 DD. @Mrs. Pickle: agree re: waiting to buy bras til you are like 6 weeks post partum. I would try to get thru til then, since your band size/cup size will likely change again.
avivoca
watermelon / 14467 posts

Jul 29, 2016

@LCTBQE: I love love love my nursing bra and regular bras from Soma. This is the one I wore:

https://www.soma.com/store/product/embraceable-full-coverage-contour-nursing-bra/570077514?color=719&catId=cat5579277&fromSearch=true&scPos=1-1-1142

I also love that they are Buy 2 for $59.
Ms.Badger
clementine / 918 posts

Jul 29, 2016

I wore Cake nursing bras for longer than I care to admit. This is/was my favorite: https://www.cakematernity.com/creme-brulee-bra

I wore the wireless in the beginning because i was getting a lot of plugged ducts, but they have underwire too (which i am still wearing even though I weaned 2 months ago, no shame). They appear to go down to 32 band size but not smaller
ETA: https://www.cakematernity.com/rose-mousse-bra this one comes in 30 band size
jape14
pear / 1586 posts

Jul 29, 2016

I'm a similar size (32c pre-preg, 32ddd(?) right before giving birth) and small band, medium size, wider-set. I really liked Cake nursing bras. I also liked a few from Motherhood Maternity; there was a Jessica Simpson one (random) that I really like - I think it was this one: http://www.motherhood.com/Product.asp?Product_Id=91949Z10361&MasterCategory_Id=MC29
pregnantbee
grapefruit / 4717 posts

Jul 29, 2016

I'd wait on getting really nice nursing bras until your size settles a bit. I ended up with Anita underwire and liked them.
IRunForFun
pomelo / 5509 posts

Jul 29, 2016

I saw a Belabumbum bra on Bare Necessities that had band sizes 30/32/34 and cup sizes up to F.
youboots
honeydew / 7622 posts

Jul 29, 2016

I also got Cake bras from Nordstrom.
sunny
coconut / 8430 posts

Jul 29, 2016

Cake bras come in 32 band size.
LCTBQE
nectarine / 2461 posts

Jul 29, 2016

@Mrs. Pickle: @avivoca: @Ms.Badger: @jape14: @pregnantbee: @IRunForFun: @youboots: @sunny: thank you ladies so much for these very specific and helpful recommendations. gives me hope that I won't have to be hating life with my boobs until 2018 (well, at least where bras are concerned). I'm new at this and hadn't heard of any of these brands, but excited to try them all. definitely noted on the fluctuating size issue--I have a few nursing tanks that I actually really like that I think could get me through mat leave, so maybe I'll just wear those until things settle down a bit.

@hilsy85: someone IRL just told me about the store The Upper Breast Side. did you ever go there? sounds like an old-school women with measuring tapes fitting place. and they sell the Elle McPherson line there
LCTBQE
nectarine / 2461 posts

Jul 29, 2016

@avivoca: @Mrs. Pickle: OMG Soma sells full-coverage granny panties!! these are surprisingly impossible to find, def ordering some if I ever have this baby
hilsy85
squash / 13764 posts

Jul 29, 2016

@LCTBQE: I didn't go there but have heard terrible things about the service. I would check out yummy mummy, town shop, or bra smyth.
IRunForFun
pomelo / 5509 posts

Jul 29, 2016

@LCTBQE: Yeah, I feel you. I was at 30DD pre-pregnancy and at 14 weeks I'm a 32F. So I've been researching my options for when they inevitably grow even more later and then after birth. Wireless one-size or S/M/L bras do absolutely nothing in the way of support for me.
Iced Tea
persimmon / 1310 posts

Jul 29, 2016

I have a similar shape; it can be difficult. I like Cake, but you might like the Bravado Bliss. The cups are farther apart on it (too far for me, really; my girls are close together).

For Cake, you probably won't like the Banana Parfait because the cups are close together. There are several wider options though.

I would buy a 30 band. Most of the nursing/maternity bras have extra hooks (often 6 total) to allow for expansion (or you can add extenders). That way you can still wear it after your ribcage goes back down.

As for bra shops in the city, I was impressed with Orchard Street Corset, though I never shopped for nursing bras there. It's really old school and they carry some less expensive small band size bras.
MrsKoala
cantaloupe / 6869 posts

Jul 30, 2016

You can still wear underwire! I highly recommend Le Mystere, Cake or Hotmilk nursing bras and I believe two out of three are available at Nordstrom online. I bought The Hotmilk bra that I have on Gilt I believe.
LCTBQE
nectarine / 2461 posts

Aug 2, 2016

@hilsy85: I googled and that place got terrible yelp reviews--thanks, I will try another.

@IRunForFun: yes, exactly--S M L is so useless and ill-fitting. sizing drives me crazy. But look @MrsKoala: has underwire reco's, thank you! MrsKoala I think the last time we talked you were advising on being too tall for strollers--I should just go straight to your wall

@Iced Tea: awesome, thanks for speaking to the far apart/close together aspect--that's a big deal (and it's so funny how differently we're all built). I've actually gotten 34D bras and size M bikini tops altered before to bring the sides in just to get that wider-set cup, I just don't want to spend millions of dollars on nursing bras when they're fairly short-lived. I will try the ones you mentioned, though! I made a big list from this thread of everything to look at and didn't know you too were in the city. Orchard St Corset is weird/great, I love that they're still in business.
Iced Tea
persimmon / 1310 posts

Aug 2, 2016

@LCTBQE: I was in the city for five years, but we moved away 2 years ago when I was pregnant.
pwnstar
pear / 1718 posts

Aug 2, 2016

@LCTBQE: I am typically a 32D. Fwiw, after the initial few months of maternity leave, I didn't wear a nursing bra during the day (I wore a sleep bra or a Coobie bra at night). I just wore a regular underwire bra . . . I could easily move or fold down a cup for nursing (I used a different bra entirely for pumping). Just something to keep in mind!
snowjewelz
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts

Aug 2, 2016

I was a 32DD pre-preg... After I had DD, my band size went up to 34 for some reason!
tofuwad
apricot / 443 posts

Aug 2, 2016

Try Nordstroms (I believe they can also convert bras to nursing bras). I've also seen that Cake brand has a great selection for small band.

And I went from a 32/34 band up to a 38 during pregnancy (I gained 25lbs) and now I'm back below my pre-pregnancy weight and I'm back to a 32/34.
psw27
pomelo / 5220 posts

Aug 2, 2016

I'm the same sizes as you (30 band size - ballooned to a G during nursing period!) I got everything at Nordstrom - I went in and got measured but I ended up with Freyas and Natori, they were so comfortable! I think this was my favorite: http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/nursing-bras/freya~4375
MrsKoala
cantaloupe / 6869 posts

Aug 2, 2016

@LCTBQE: ha if the question is about big boobs or tall people, I'm your girl!