THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD MATERNITY LINGERIE
I have to admit, one of my favourite parts of being pregnant was a dramatically increased bra size. They grew big quickly and I found myself in an alien place buying a bra that wasn’t padded or indeed push up. The experience of pregnancy is different for everyone and whether you experience a large or small increase in breast size one thing is for sure, regular fashion bras are not designed to provide the support and comfort that you will need as your breasts grow heavier and become more sensitive.
A lot of women find wearing underwired bras uncomfortable. A lot of health professionals advise against wearing underwired bras as they feel they interfere with the natural changes in the size and shape of your breasts and may obstruct the increased blood flow to your breasts during pregnancy.
Your breasts may also become lumpy early on, as the milk duct system begins to develop and if not fitted correctly underwired bras can press against your developing milk duct system causing discomfort.
Though there’s no hard evidence that wearing them will cause any harm I always err on the side of caution and if you do prefer a bra with wires just make sure it is a specifically designed maternity bra with a wire support for use during pregnancy.
Once you’ve outgrown your usual bras you’ll want a comfortable, non-wired maternity bra with soft but supportive cups. You can wear maternity bras in bed if your breasts need extra support while you sleep. Some stores sell bras that have been specially designed to wear at night.
Maternity and nursing bras are designed to accommodate your enlarging breasts and expanding rib cage and are seamless and made from soft flexible material making them really comfy to wear. They will also give you that extra support you need and when worn regularly can also help eliminate stretch marks and I’m a huge fan of anything that might even have a chance of preventing stretch marks!
You should buy your first maternity / nursing bras about 4 – 5 months into your pregnancy and you will need a minimum of 3 bras, one to wash, one to wear and one to have ready in case you have leaks during your time nursing. It’s also important that they have one-handed access with lots of support and extendible clips like cherishme.ie’s Boob fast food nursing bras. I love that title “fast food” as we all know when a baby’s hungry fast food is essential.
When measuring for your bra during your last trimester you will want to keep the band size and just go up one or two cup sizes to allow for enlarging breasts and room for nursing pads.
At Cherish Me’s boutique in South Dublin they offer a free bra fitting service and stock
Cache Coeur, Cake Lingerie, Belabumbum & Boob design. On their website (http://www.cherishme.ie/
To measure your Bust & Band size using a measuring tape you must measure the bust measurement which is the measurement taken around the body at the widest part of the bust and the band measurement is the measurement is taken around the body just below the bust line.
Measuring can be done without a bra or when wearing a very light bra (with no padding). When taking the measurements breath out and try keep the measuring tape level & horizontal with the floor.
Most Maternity bras have an adjustable back strap that allows you to adjust the bra size as your breast size changes throughout your pregnancy.
Do not be afraid to go up a cup size if needed. If you are measuring for your bra in your early pregnancy it is good to keep in mind that your breasts will change throughout your pregnancy in both shape and size, you may also need to leave space for breast pads if nursing.