Hi, so as Little Cup likes to call me, I’m the ‘big, fat, pregnant sister’ and here is my first attempt at a proper blog post…
People told me you didn’t need to get measured for maternity or nursing bras until 34 weeks. I couldn’t wait that long. By eight weeks my only fashionable wired bra (a really lovely Marie-Jo in a 32 C) was an absolute no-go as it was so uncomfortable and gave me an unnecessary cleavage. By 11 weeks my two old reliable, comfy non-wired bras (which I had let out to maximum band size) were also horribly uncomfortable, itchy, digging in, and again giving an offensive cleavage. I decided enough was enough and a New Bra must be purchased. Now, this is easier said than done when you live in the rural area of Cumbria and it is a good hour and a half to the nearest shop that provides a bra measuring service. So I used the opportunity of a trip down South to see the in-laws and popped into a JoJo Maman Bebe shop as I’d been informed that they sell Lorna Drew nursing bras and they are meant to be excellent.
So at 12 weeks I walked into the shop, desperate for some comfort. My breasts had exploded in size, the nipples become significantly more tender, the areola (dark bit around the nipple) become much darker and I needed something doing about it! The wonderful shop assistant came to my aid as I was wandering around the bra section looking for the elusive Lorna Drew bras. She offered to fit me and asked what I was looking for. By this point I just wanted something comfortable, I didn’t want style or sexy or anything else, just comfort, that would preferably last through the pregnancy and grow with me and also could be used as a nursing bra at the end (as I’m used to my bras lasting more than 6 months, I couldn’t see the point of having a bra for the pregnancy and not use it for afterwards).
I tried on a few, I can’t remember their names, but they were all non-wired, neutral in colour and didn’t fit quite right until… the amazing Bravado Design The Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra was taken from its box. This bra is not a sexy bra. It is strictly utilitarian. It is my favourite bra in the whole wide world and, when I put it for the first time, it was the first time I’d felt truly comfortable in about five weeks.
Sizing & Fit
It was so easy to fit, it comes in four sizes; small, medium, large and extra-large, and it has a basic conversion on the box. A ‘small’ covers all sizes from a 32B/C/D through to a 36B, which is really useful for pregnancy when things are changing constantly and you don’t know how much your band size will change compared to your cup size. There are four adjustable hook settings on the band in order to increase as you grow, the cup material is lovely and stretchy for expanding breasts and you can also remove the foam cup in order to increase the cup by a size further.
Fabric & Design
I think it’s the material that makes this bra. Their description states that it ‘melts to your body…and moulds to your unique shape’. They are absolutely right. It is so comfy, smooth and silky, doesn’t rub, non-itchy, completely seamless and lovely to wear in both hot and cold weather. Also having the removable foam cups is really useful if you are conscious about the increasing visibility of growing nipples! (And for a bit later in pregnancy this can be removed and a breast pad inserted, that doesn’t move around, for when you reach the leaky nipple stage – more about that in the coming months, I’m sure…)
Top Tip! This bra features a small amount of stitching in the centre of the cup, which is intended to hold breast pads in place – and it works a treat! So simple, yet so effective …
Fixtures & Fittings
Again thinking ahead it has easy to open nursing clasps, that don’t come apart when you don’t want them to. The only downside to this bra is that the strap adjustment is at the back so you either need a friendly partner to adjust for you to get ultimate comfort, or take it off and adjust it yourself. And the only other thing that might annoy some is that the straps are quite chunky and the cups rise quite high and so under some lower cut tops it can be seen. I got around this by not wearing low cut tops, it wasn’t a problem.
Overall
It isn’t the most beautiful bra pictured on this blog but I really don’t feel that is what it is aiming to be. For a ‘big, fat, pregnant sister’ it ticked all of the boxes and was just what I needed. In fact, I gave the box to my husband to pay for at the till whilst I put the bra back on in the changing room, I was not going to go back to my old one after finding comfort!
The Bravado Seamless Nursing Bra is also available to buy in various colours at John Lewis and Figleaves, as per the handy widget below:
Love,
Thank you for sharing. Good point on measurements, it is so important to get them right, especially when buying something online.
Bless you for this post — I am on week 9 and my bras are miserable, but there are no good maternity stores near me. I’ve been hunting online all evening for good reviews that would give me a sense of sizing and what I should be looking for in a maternity/nursing bra. I’m going to give the Bravado a shot!