Your breasts are – or soon will be – at their fullest ever. Selecting a well-fitting nursing bra can mean the difference between feeling great while you experience the bonding experience of breastfeeding and feeling chronic pain or discomfort.
Rebecca Aughton, professional bra fitter and owner of Bra-vo Intimates in Royal Oak, shares quick tips to help southeast Michigan moms select a nursing bra that will provide a comfortable, supportive fit.
- Two weeks prior to your due date, get fitted for a nursing bra by a professional. The bra should be snug around the band and generous in the cup for when your milk comes in.
- Select a bra with straps that fall closer to the center of your body versus those in a balcony bra when straps are set further apart.
- Look for a nursing bra with underwire support. The underwire should sit back under the middle of your armpit, and the entire breast should be inside of it.
- Look for a fit that ensures the bra’s underband is low, firm and horizontal to your body and has a minimum of three or four closure hooks.
- Purchase at least one sleeping bra, something you can labor and deliver in and then sleep in when you’re home. It should be less constructed and move with you for comfort at night.
- Purchase at least three well-fitting nursing bras, so that any given time you have one on your body, one in the drawer and one in the wash.
- Build a plentiful stash of nursing pads. Aughton recommends the Medela brand as the pleats of its pads fit and contour to your body. The sticky tab on each pad holds the pad in place.
- Consider the opinion of an expert. As both a mom and bra fitter, Aughton favors the Elomi Lingerie, Medela, Anita and Bravado! brands, each best suited to particular figures and cup sizes.
This post is updated regularly.
