Nursing Bras

Photo Credit: HotMilk

For the vast majority of women, wearing a bra is a part of everyday life. Though they might sometimes be a little uncomfortable and buying a perfectly fitting bra can often resemble a hunt for the Holy Grail, wearing a bra is important to give our bust support and keep it in the right place – particularly important if you regularly find yourself running for the bus! Wearing a comfortable and well fitting bra is, however, particularly important for women who have recently given birth and there are a number of specially designed nursing bras designed especially for the job. It is important for new mothers to wear nursing bras for a number of reasons. First of all, they are specially constructed to give extra support to breasts that have naturally increased in size – many women find having suddenly bigger breasts to be heavy and uncomfortable and so a supportive bra is really important to ensure new mothers are comfortable and supported. Nursing bras are also useful in keeping breast pads in place and most importantly allow easy access when your baby needs feeding.

There are a number of important factors to keep in mind when choosing a nursing bra that’s right for you. Firstly, it’s important to make sure that the edge of the bra cups cover your breasts right up to your upper ribs, as this will ensure the greatest possible level of comfort and support. Around the bottom of the cups, the seam should fit snugly around your ribs under your breasts, which will again ensure the maximum possible level of comfort and support. If you’re buying your nursing bra before you begin breast feeding (which understandably most women will), it is very important to make sure that you can lay your hand flat against your breast inside the bra – this makes sure you have room for further swelling, which you are more than likely to need! As with any normal bra, it is crucial to make sure you buy a nursing bra with straps that are both comfortable and adjustable. It is probably a good idea to buy a nursing bra with wide straps, as they will need to support more weight than you are used to. Lastly, a crucial factor to check when buying a nursing bra is whether or not you will be able to easily manage to do up and undo the fastenings; remember, you’ll often need to do this with one hand! An extra point to think about is the number of nursing bras you invest in. Nursing bras take a lot of wear and tear and so it is definitely worth buying more than one!

When it comes to the style of nursing bra you choose, there are two basic styles out there to pick between – the drop down cup and the zip cup. Neither is particularly better than the other and which one you choose is really down to personal preference (if opting for a drop down cup though, make sure the inner cup is not too tight fitting). Unsurprisingly, the styles and fashions available in nursing bras are rather limited when compared to normal bras, but that’s not to say you’ll be stuck with a boring grandma-looking brassiere! Nursing bras are now available in a variety of different sizes, some more plain, whilst others incorporate lace detailing or translucent panels. You’d also be wrong in thinking that all maternity bras are white. Though many women do opt for at least one white nursing bra, maternity bras are available in a variety of different colors to suit every wardrobe, including pink, black, blue and even leopard print for the funkiest of mummies!