Breastfeeding - Provo,UT

Do you have Motherhood Maternity Stores around your area? They are great! Target also carries some nursing bras, but they dont size you. I didnt buy a size up, and have been fine. Just make sure theres enough "give" around your back, maybe go up in inches, not cup size.

In my experience they do tend to run small. They also go on US sizing, whereas most non-nursing bras tend to use UK sizing. That really doesn't come into play until size DD+. You also can't get nursing bras as big as regular bras.

I do recommend waiting until month 8 or 9 of pregnancy to buy nursing bras. I went up a full cup size right at the end. You'll probably also go up a band size or two, but bra extenders are fantastic to help with that.

If you're anything larger than a C or D, it will be tricky to find good nursing bras (or really, good any kind of bras) in a store. I recommend Bare Necesseties - you can shop online, returns are easy.

I've found that unless I'll be nursing in front of other people - ie, we're going out or having guests - it's easier for me just to take off my shirt and bra to nurse. Having large breasts, it's a two-hand affair to get a boob out, and they're just not as supportive or well-fitting as my regular bras.

One great thing for nighttime is the type of bra that is like a halter top. It's one triangular panel over each boob, and you just pull it to the side. Mine is too small for me, but doesn't cut in. It provides enough support to get up and change diapers, etc. in the middle of the night, but doesn't get in the way while I'm sleeping.

Overall I'd recommend getting just a couple nursing bras to have, then once you figure out what's working for you and what your size will ultimately be (I went back down a band size a few weeks after delivery), you can buy more if needed.

Personally, I didn't mess with nursing bras. They seemed so complicated and the one time I tried one it was way too much to deal with. I have always nursed in sports bras. They are more forgiving and are plenty supportive. I am very large chested even and I still prefer sports bras. I've also spent over 5 1/2 years of my life nursing and can't imagine fiddling around with snaps and hooks and all of that malarky. All I have to do with a sports bra is to pull it up on the side I want to nurse from. Easy, peasy. I also usually wear a stretchy tank top under a t-shirt. This way I can pull the t-shirt up a little ways, the tank down and my sports bra up and there is nothing exposed except what baby needs. Very convenient.

Another reason I always wear sports bras for nursing is that the underwires of the nursing bra I tried gave me blocked ducts and eventually mastitis.

I got sized in a maternity store even though they did not carry my size (38G) and I ended up ordering from someplace else. I found the size they found to be pretty accurate. You can always muddle through for the first week with a few nursing tanks and one bra, but you can buy a few now in what you guess will be your size, leave the tags on, and just try them on when you come home (you would try them on in a store anyway).

However, that said, I was recently sized for bras as I am spilling out the top of my old ones (3 months pregnant right now) and the woman who fitted me suggested I try a 36 or 38 B and then C if that was too small. I think my kneecap might fit a B, but I am spilling out of 34 D bras now, so ended up just trying a few on myself and my correct size now is 36DD, so fitted or not, you need to try some on. Also, practice the hooks and see if they work for you. I hated the ones that were a lingerie hook, I loved the bras I got at J C Penney (I think either Duo or Playtex) in soft-cup bras, and I liked the Medela bras I had (pricey, but very comfy and supportive). I have heard great things about Bravado but never spent the money on them. I tried using a regular bra a few times, but nursing bras are just built to care for your breasts at that time and I found them so much better. Oh, and nursing bras don't really run "small" in the sense that if you are fitted for a nursing bra, you should have a correct size. The sizing itself is different--your normal bra might be a 36B, but your nursing bra would be a 36C, etc. I also lost my baby weight fast and had to buy all new nursing bras because they got too big, so don't buy too many at once. Good luck! Sorry for the long post! :)

I liked the sports bra style ones, because my size would change up to a cup and a half depending on when I last fed, and the sports bra style ones give you room for that growth. I got mine at the BX, but you should be able to find them on line.

I love Motherhood Maternity. I bought bras from BRU and Target, and none of them fit as comfortably as the ones I bought at MM. You can try the bras on in advance, and they have a bunch of different styles (I too prefer the sports-bra style - no underwire while nursing!!!). They'll do a fitting or you can just try on different sizes until you find what you want. Depending on how far along in your pregnancy, they will be able to help you decide whether to buy a size up or just buy what feels comfortable. Engorgement is not something you size for - it will be painful no matter what size you buy! But of course you don't want anything too tight, so make sure there is give to the bra. Once again the salesladies at MM are very helpful. Good luck.

Here are a few nursing product suggestions that you should check out and possibly consider using...

http://www.theskinnyscoop.com/search/nursing?utm_campaign...