Maternity Bras - Style Guide



I do hope that my last post has helped you to understand what size maternity bra to buy and when to buy it but the next decision is what bra to buy.

If it is at all possible to get into a maternity store or specialist bra store (preferably not the major chain stores) to be fitted, then it is so much simpler that trying to order online and fit yourself but this blog is intended to help those that have no other option but to do it themselves.

Maternity bras have come a long way and you now have a lot more choice and the bras actually look sexy, not frumpy. The main styles are:

1. Wire Free Soft 3/4 Cup
2. Wire Free Soft Full Cup
3. Wire Free Moulded Cup
4. Flexi Wire Soft 3/4 cup
5. Flexi Wire Moulded Cup
6. Sleep bras and garments with built in bras

Let's first discuss the wire.

Traditionally, in Australia, a maternity bra has been a wire free bra. It has long been believed that an underwire could cause damage to the milk ducts and breast tissue which could cause mastitis. Strangely enough, in Europe it is quite normal to wear underwire bras during pregnancy, however they are bras that are specially designed for a pregnant or feeding lady and this is where the confusion occurs. A bra with a wire that is specifically designed for maternity will have a more flexible wire than a normal underwire bra. It is also a wider wire so that it doesn't put pressure on the breast in places that might cause problems. The Cake range of flexi wire maternity bras has proven to be the most popular new bra to hit the market in many years and it is even sold by the Australian Breastfeeding Association's Retail Division so it must be good.

A flexi wire maternity bra is particularly good for a larger busted lady and because you are getting so much support from under the bust, the cup does not have to be so full. Many full cup maternity bras sit very high and make it hard to wear low cut or v-neck tops.

The only time it is not recommended to wear a flexi wire maternity bra is in the first trimester and the early weeks after your milk has just come in and you are sore and engorged. The bust is going through some fairly rapid and dramatic changes at this time so wire free is a better idea.

3/4 cup vs full cup

Usually a 3/4 cup maternity bra is only made to an F cup and this is because the support is not good enough to cope with a bust any bigger than this. (Flexi wire is the exception because the wire gives support)

The advantage of a 3/4 cup maternity bra is that is sits lower than a full cup and allows you to wear low cut tops and v necks without the bra poking out the top.

The disadvantage of a 3/4 cup maternity bra is that because it cuts across the middle of your bust, which is fairly fleshy, you can get the muffin top happening as your bust grows, or simply as your bust goes from full to empty. This isn't a problem with a full cup because it sits so much higher.

A full cup maternity bra will usually go up to an H cup. It get its support from encompassing the whole breast. This is great for the larger busted ladies but smaller busted ladies can find it hard to fill the whole cup.

Moulded vs Soft Cup

Most soft cup maternity bras are heavily laced with lots of seams in the cup. There are some really gorgeous soft cup maternity bras around these days, particularly the Hot Milk Lingerie Range. These bras are designed to make you feel sexy but the downside can be that they are not smooth enough to wear under tight fitting clothes. This is where the moulded cup comes into its own. It is a nice smooth cup that gives a nice line under clothes and hides the fact that you might be wearing a breast pad.

In my opinion, none of the bra companies have perfected the moulded maternity bra yet. Some are close and some are just plain horrible. Any moulded cup maternity bra will only go to an F cup and this alone tells you that the bigger the bust, the less support the bra gives. The moment someone creates a moulded maternity bra that goes up to an H cup and gives good support without sitting to high, sitting to low or digging in is the moment a top selling bra will be born. Cake are getting close. I do like their Toffee range and now that they are being re-cut with flexi wire from DD up I will be interested to see if this fixes the problem of support for the larger busted ladies.

Sleep Bras etc,

Some first time Mums might be wondering why they need a sleep bra. Once your milk comes in you will most likely leak. When you wake in the middle of the night to a crying baby, your let down may already have happened and your will have a very cold, wet bed without breastpads and of course you need something to hold the breast pads in place. Many ladies wear their day bras to bed but this isn't a very comfy option. Cake have a great new sleep bra called Cotton Candy and a vest version is soon due for release. It is soft and comfy and while it doesn't give fantastic shape or support, it is great for sleeping in or wearing around the house.

There are also many breastfeeding nighties, camis and pj tops that have built in bras. Hot Milk, Cake, Top Secret and Goosebumps are some of the great companies that produce such garments.


Summary

While maternity bras have come such a long way, the journey continues. The reality is that you may need several different bras to handle different situations.

There is still an extreme shortage of choice for large ladies or ladies needing a cup bigger than an H but there are still some speciality stores around that cater to this market. Likewise, there is very little around for the very small ladies with most cups starting at 10B.

As a general rule, the cheaper the bra, the quicker it will wear out. So many ladies have bought cheap chain store bras and found that after a very short time they looked like a rag and gave no support.

Visit our website www.maternityrevolution.com.au for more info or feel free to email me lisa@maternityrevolution.com.au or phone me on 07 32051818 for any advice. Our showroom is at 1/124 South Pine Rd, Brendale, QLD, 4500

Maternity Bras - Size Guide



After 12 years in the Maternity Industry you would think I would have a straightforward answer to this qusetion, given that is is one of the most asked questions after "How big will I get?" Oh what I wouldn't give for a crystal ball!

Firstly, forget about getting measured with a tape. This would be fine if all the brands and styles of bras followed the same rule book when it came to sizing, but they don't. You really do need to try the bras on so if possible, go into the store and don't buy online but if you must buy online, make sure the store will refund you if the size is not right. At Maternity Revolution we will post you out a selection of maternity bras at no cost for you to try and you only pay for what you keep.

As a general rule, woman will experience a growth spurt in the bust are around the 3-4 month mark of their pregnancy. From then on, the growth in the cup size is fairly gradual until the milk comes in. This is usually in the first few days after giving birth and for the next week or 2 you will be huge, engorged and sore but after this the breasts settle down and the size is usually about where you were at the end of your pregnancy.

The girth measurement is where there is often a lot of change during pregnancy, particularly if you are carrying high. For this reason, maternity bras have 6 adjustments. If you were being fitted for a bra at 3 months, you would want the bra to be comfortable on the tightest notch. This allows one notch per month for you to expand the bra as your girth gets wider. Once you have had your baby, the area under your bust will move back into place fairly quickly and you will need to be able to tighten the bra again.

If you are trying to buy a maternity bra right at the end of your pregnancy it can be hard because you are feeling a lot of pressure under your bust from your baby and everything will feel tight and uncomfortable. You therefore tend to want to buy a bra bigger than you actually need it. You will get a few weeks wear out of it and then once you've had your baby the bra will be too big. Better to use a bra extender in this case so that you know the bra will fit afterwards.

The exception to the rule is often seen in the smaller busted ladies. Sometimes these ladies spend their whole pregnancy waiting to experience a larger bust only to be disappointed. For some of these ladies all the growth happens when their milk comes in and for others, nothing much ever happens.

So to summarise all of this information you should look at buying a new maternity bra whenever your current bra becomes uncomfortable, remembering that a wire free maternity bra is best for the first trimester when growth is sudden and everything is tender. Some ladies make it through to 6 months before their bra becomes uncomfortable and although this is not recommended, I suppose it is personal choice.

Here are some good guidelines to follow:

1. Choose a wire free maternity bra for the first 3 months or for the first few weeks after giving birth. Flexi wire is fine for all other times but avoid proper underwire.
2. Allow yourself one notch of adjustment for each month you have left of pregnancy.
3. Buy a bra extender if your bra gets too tight towards teh end of your pregnancy rather than going up a size.
4. The cup should fit well but there should be a little bit of room for growth. You will normally fill up from the top of your bust.
5. Don't buy a maternity bra too big and hope to grow into it. Better to have a bra you can wear for now and deal with the problem down the track if you grow out of it. You will probably get to wear the bra again next pregnancy or once your baby starts to drop feeds and your bust starts to decrease again.
6. Make sure there is room to adjust the straps.
7. Make sure that the bust is not spilling out the sides and that the bra is not too high up under your armpits.
8. If this is your first baby, remember that although you may want to breastfeed, it doesn't work for everyone, so go easy with the number of maternity bras you buy. Start with one and make sure it is comfy, then buy a second so you have one on and one off. For hospital, buy a sleep bra or feeding cami and that should be heaps until you are sure that feeding is working well for you and then you can buy more if you need them.
9. Another general rule, you will probably go up one size around your middle and about 2 cup sizes but because the cup in a 12D is bigger than the cup in a 10D you will have to take this into consideration. If you were a 10D to start with, you will probably end up a 12DD. Again, this is just a very general rule.

Well I hope this has helped and in my next post I will cover some of the different styles of maternity bras available. Please visit our website for a full range of maternity bras up to an H cup and feel free to contact us on 07 3205 1818 for any advice, or email lisa@maternityrevolution.com.au.

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