Your best nursing bra

Scarlet

Which nursing bra did you like the best and why? I suspect this differs according to bust size. My gripe is that the nursing bras I have tried tend to give a saggy look under clothing. Has anyone tried a nursing bra with underwires? I know they are sold, but it seems like it might not be a good idea due to size fluctuations and duct blockage issues.

I have one from Medela, comfy and easy to un-do, but harder to close one handed. It looks like a soft athletic bra with the accomanying appearance issues under clothes. i have two from Elle MacPherson, cute design, but probably the least supportive ones and the most uncomfortable. Also the clip is placed so high it is really awkward to re-close. I also have one from Triumph, incredibly ugly, but probably the most supportive and easiest to close one-handed of the bunch.

12 years ago

Dressing

25 replies

Latest reply was from Niki Lea

Ginkgo

Veteran

Bumping!

12 years ago

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

I can't remember the brand of any of my bf bras, but I do remember that I had favorites based on how easy they were to be handled one-handed (height and type of the clip) and how supported I felt. I never had underwired bf bra, I wasn't even contemplating the idea, comfort was the main thing for me back then and just the sound of the word "wire" made me uncomfortable. But, that's just me.
To me sounds like Triumph one is a winner so far Scarlet... it does the job and makes your life now easy.

12 years ago

Thistle

Veteran

Do you have a lactation consultant in your area? They will frequently do bra fittings.

I was fine with the nursing bras, but they did NOTHING to support me. However, the girls were greater than DD before I got pregnant, so I needed a lot of support.

By the time I found a place that knew what they were doing to fit me, I was done needing them.

If properly fitted, underwire are amazing comfortable if you are full busted.

12 years ago

Kristin SF

Veteran

I used the Bravado nursing bras - no underwire because I was afraid that could hurt milk supply.
http://www.diapers.com/cat=Mom.....sing%20bra

I was an exclusive pumper, though, so I never had to undo a bra and hold a baby at the same time! That said, these were the highest rated bras I could find at the time and I thought they were comfy. Good luck!

12 years ago

Anonymous

I also liked the Bravado bras. They're pricey, but very comfy and easy to snap/unsnap with one hand.

12 years ago

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

I know you're looking for bra rec's, but I wanted to point you in the direction of something else I wore.

I got a bunch of these glamourmom nursing tanks. You can find them cheaper, but honestly you get what you pay for. The glamourmom ones are the best.

http://www.glamourmom.com/

You can wear them under your clothes or by themselves. That way when you are nursing you don't have to expose your belly when you pop your shirt up. It is great because it turns any normal shirt into a "nursing top."

If I had to buy them again, I would buy the "long" tank. Even though I am short (5' tall), I like the extra coverage, security and warmth of the longer line tank.

12 years ago

Sarah A

Veteran

I preferred (prefer... really I am still nursing! LOL ) tanks becuase then my back and belly werent and exposed in public or to the draft. I had 2 motherhood brand, 2 gillian omalley, and one liz lange i think. I also liked the soft stretchy bra's in the beginning, I just bought the gillian omally brand bras at target for around $12 or $15.

I had some motherhood underwire nursing bras gotten as hand downs i never liked. I did try cutting the underwire out of one to see if it was better (it wasnt). In general I would agree to stay away from underwire at the beginning.

After the first year (yes DD is still nursing about 6x a day at 27 months) I just starting wearing normal underwire bra's and folding them down becuase I got sick of the saggy uniboob look from the nursing bra's. I will wear a laering tank over still for the exposure issue. At the height of nursing I was wearing about a 38B or medium/lg in most sized like that. Now I wear a 36A (my prepregnancy size) I fill over the cup at certain times of the day though.

Best to you & hope this helps!

12 years ago

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

Ha! Sarah A, we both posted about nursing tanks at the same time!

12 years ago

Sarah A

Veteran

I know, tanks are the best!

12 years ago

sarah

Veteran

Yay for Glamour Mom tanks! I loved those. Wow - your tummy stays covered while you nurse. I just wish I'd had them for my first. I also used Bravado nursing bras, although I don't pretend that they were super separating or uplifting. It looks like there are a lot more nursing tanks to choose from now.

12 years ago

Raisin

Veteran

I had an Elomi one with underwire and really liked it! I forget the name of it but it was sleek and perfect under t's.

12 years ago

saramir

Active Member

Bravado bras were the best for me. I am still wearing one! The plain cotton ones were great but after a while they did stretch out and get saggy like you mentioned. However, I found a great one, the Bravado Bliss (see diapers.com link above), that has more structure - no underwire but structure, and in black it's actually nice and can be sexy. It's lightly lined (not padded - I was wearing a 32G for crying out loud, padding was the last thing I needed! but the lining was very helpful). The structure keeps everything as perky as can be and it still has the super-easy latch. Hope this helps!

12 years ago

elpgal

Veteran

I was fitted for a few Anita underwire bras but they were not comfortable when I was full and the wires in the next size up came up too tall under my armpits so I never tried others. It was this one:
http://www.breakoutbras.com/pr.....rsing-Bras

I currently wear the Bravado Body Silk; I like it because the cups fall off completely and I find that more convenient for nursing and pumping.

12 years ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Another Bravado fan. I was last nursing twins and needed easy access and comfort almost around the clock and these did it.

12 years ago

Scarlet

Veteran

Thanks so much for these recommendations! It sounds like Bravado is the crowd favorite, so I think I will try the Bliss style. Thanks for the tip about the tanks too. Up until now I always wore one of my few actual nursing shirts when I knew I would be in front of other people for the reason that I don't want to show my midriff, but I see how having the tank would really widen the options for me. Otherwise I wear either a blue or black shirt, hah! Even at home in winter it is sometimes rather cold to be so exposed, so I think I will try some of the Glamourmoms. I love that they come in longer lengths. Gosh this stuff costs a bundle though, doesn't it? You don't really think of it when you imagine the cost of having children. At least I didn't.

Saramir, thanks for explaining about the lining. I had the same train of thought--the last thing I need is more bulk, but at the same time my pads show through under white shirts, so it sounds like this is a good solution. Also I notice some women said if you don't have a lot of leakage then the lining can absorb it.

Well at least the good thing about no underwires is that I can brazenly through these into the regular wash without worrying about the wire getting bent.

SarahA, interesting about wearing normal bras. Most of mine have me really packed in, but I wonder if it could work with a Demi-cup style.

12 years ago

Sarah A

Veteran

You are right, I do have a small bust and wear demi styles mostly.

12 years ago

cobaltblue

Veteran

My absolute favorite is the Panache Sophie (I wear that style exclusively now), but As a nursing mama, I wear a 30F, so my options are limited. The Panache makes me look like I actually have on a supportive bra, and I love that it is seamed and has no underwire. In the early days, I wore a the tanks, but I found them not supportive enough, so I ended up wearing them in tandem with a bra - kind of a pain! Now my daughter nurses only before nap and first thing in the morning, so I don't have to worry about public exposure.

12 years ago

4babiesMe

Active Member

I see that this post is a couple weeks old, but thought I'd chime in. I HAVE to have underwire in my bras because of my size (34k in Goddess bras). I like the Elomi underwire bra. I've never had problems with clogged ducts from the underwire. If you are in the right size the underwire shouldn't be on the breast. That said, I don't think the Elomi is the "best" bra for me. It's just the only underwire nursing bra I've found close to my size (I wear the 34 H, but it's only an ok fit for me). Lately, though, I've been making my own underwire nursing bras out of my goddess underwire bras. If you have access to a sewing machine it's SO simple and only takes about 10 minutes.

12 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

Bravado. But really, I hated all nursing bras. They're fugly. Bravado at least were comfy, and I wore the darned things 24/7 because my breasts were JUST SO BIG and heavy when I was nursing...I was afraid they'd be down around my navel once the milk dried up. (They aren't. Nature can be marvelous sometimes). Nursing tanks are handy for preventing awkward exposure, and are marginally less fugly than nursing bras. You might be able to get away with a regular bra if your breasts are on the small side. That was certainly not an option for me.

Keep in mind that my opinion might not count for much here, because I found nursing messy and tiresome and only did it for about five months each time. I don't think my breasts ever really adjusted properly and settled into that nice, normal pattern that everybody else's did. I was a freaking milk factory. I probably could have fed quintuplets. So my solution to swollen, leaking breasts and ugly bras was to stop nursing. Problem solved! (But probably not the solution you're after, lol).

12 years ago

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

Bookmarking this thread for reference! I have some old Bravado cotton bras from my first child that I'll be using for now. I'd like to get fitted for some new bras but I think I may want to wait until I actually have the baby so I know what size I'll be. I nursed DD till 3 and DS till 2 so I'll definitely be investing in some nice nursing bras because they have to last a long time. I'll check into the nursing tanks too. I have several Japanese Weekend nursing tops but I haven't been wearing them...they're kind of not my current style anymore! Thanks everyone for the tips!

12 years ago

Scarlet

Veteran

Well I thought I would report back in, but first let me say,

4babiesme, that is interesting that you make your own nursing bra. Do you add a clip to the strap somehow? I'd love it if I could get some more life out of the bigger underwire bras I bought during pregnancy.

Elisabeth, you are giving me hope that my boobs could survive the expansion No doubt genetics come into play though, and I just hate to wear a bra at night, so I don't do that.

I ended up ordering two Glamourmom tanks (black and white) and two Bravado bras. I'll start by saying I LOVE the Bravado Bliss bra. It is really the best for me in terms of shape, support, and ease of use. Makes SUCH a difference in how my clothes hang. I wish I had four of them. I also ordered a Bravado bodysilk seamless bra which is okay, but not nearly as good. I kept both because I wanted to try them but the Bliss is way better for a larger breast.

The Glamourmom tanks are okay. The big advantage is obviously the tummy coverage under normal clothing, and they are comfortable, but I wouldn't say they are super supportive. They are okay though. I can wear them to go for a walk and all. I am wearing a 32 DDD at the moment, so I ordered the "full bust long top" based on my size. The problem is they somehow still seem to be designed for a larger woman so that there is too much extra fabric under the arms. I kept them nevertheless since I won't be wearing them without something over it to hide that. I thought they would also be good under a deep V-neck since they hide my cleavage, but their appearance is pretty athletic, so it still doesn't look very nice. In summary, they are not that great for a large bust on a small lady, but probably fit nicer on a average to bigger woman with a full bust.

Finally I would say that another trick that is working well for me at least in the cold weather is to wear a button down shirt underneath a sweater or sweatshirt and to only do the buttons over my torso. This way the boobs are still easy-access, I can wear cute layers, and my torso is still covered. The disadvantage is that button downs should really be ironed and I have no time for that

12 years ago

4babiesMe

Active Member

I'm sorry. I just now noticed your question to me. I actually used the clips from some old nursing bras I had. But you can also buy them separately. Here is a good tutorial. http://quietudeblog.blogspot.c.....a.html?m=1

12 years ago

juliette

Active Member

New member here - thread is old but really helpful so I figured I would throw in my favorite:

http://www.target.com/p/women-.....=medium_1_

Target's Gilligan O Malley Nursing Sports Bra

Can't beat the $20.99 price (I got mine on sale for $14.99) and even though it's technically a sports bra, I don't think it looks like one under clothing (i.e. doesn't cause a "uni boob." It's extremely comfortable, has no underwire but is supportive. I'm not really sure what size I am now - probably a 36/38 c/d (36 c before pregnancy) and the large and x-large both work well for me.

I find that wearing this bra with a cheap spaghetti tank under any shirt works really well for nursing. I pull the shirt up, tank down (so my tummy is covered), unhook and nurse - gives me a lot more options over frumpy maternity shirts and is more supportive than a nursing tank.

10 years ago

Helena

Veteran

Hi it's been years since I was nursing, but I eventually discovered that, for me, one good nursing canopy was better than any nursing bra ... Once I had one, I just used regular bras underneath.

10 years ago

Niki Lea

Veteran

One more vote for Bravado! I found they were super, duper comfortable and really easy to use. Both of mine even survived two full years of nursing my two babies, nearly three years apart. They're very well made and stood up very well to all of the snapping and unsnapping. LOVED them.

ETA: For tummy coverage when nursing, I wore my Bella band under my tops if I was going out.

10 years ago

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