A good supporting maternity bra is essential. No other bra can offer the support, versatility and features of a maternity garment. With most changes (lactation begins quite early in pregnancy) having occurred to the breast by around the fourth month this is a good time to be fitted for your maternity bra.
As your pregnancy progresses, a woman's body changes rapidly. Your breasts will expand and become heavier putting a strain on the supporting non-elastic tissues which may cause discomfort. Furthermore, if some of this weight is not lifted from these ligaments, they will stretch and may cause your breasts to sag permanently.
It is also important not to wear a regular underwire bra as this can cause problems with blockages during breastfeeding.
During each pregnancy it is important that you are correctly fitted for the right bra. Purchasing a larger size simply will not provide the correct support and indeed a woman may be one size in her first pregnancy and another in her second and third.
A maternity bra can be adjusted to give extra room to cater for your growing baby as the lower ribs lift upwards and outwards to provide more space in the abdomen. However, you may need to buy a second bra later on as no one ever knows what size they will become and there are no secret formulas to forecasting maternity sizes. You may even wear the one maternity size throughout your pregnancy and expand when you commence breastfeeding.
It is recommended that you will need one maternity bra to wear now, one maternity bra in the wash and one maternity bra ready to wear. You will also need a minimum of three maternity bras when breastfeeding as you may need to wear your maternity bra to bed to hold your nursing pads in place. Wearing a maternity bra to bed may also prevent breast soreness and make it easier to feed.
A great alternative to a maternity bra is a breastfeeding top with built-in bra. This still gives you the maternity bra support you need in a crop bra style with the added benefit of acting as a PJ top.
Click here to view our maternity bra range.
Click here to view our maternity breastfeeding range.
