Nursing Bras

Written by Charlotte Wood (last updated December 27, 2019)

As a new mother you are faced with a million choices. Apart from deciding on the colors you want to paint the nursery, you have to make decisions about doctors, car seats, nurturing, diapers, sleep patterns, and breastfeeding, just to name a few. Your decisions about breastfeeding are especially important. If you decide to breastfeed, you'll have to worry about breast pumps and bottles (maybe), but you definitely need to be concerned with getting a nursing bra or two. A good-quality nursing bra will be one of your best and most trusted tools when it comes to breastfeeding.

Like pretty much anything today, nursing bras don't come in a one-type-fits all. To simplify things a little, however, you basically have to category choices, underwire and soft cup (pretty much like regular bras). If you opt for the extra support an underwire bra offers, make sure that the bra you purchase fits all of your breast. Especially because you'll have milk, you need to make sure that your bra doesn't pinch or squeeze the breast unnecessarily. Many women feel more comfortable in soft cup nursing bras, but those don't provide as much support.

To start with the basics, I'll just briefly explain the difference between a nursing bra and a regular bra. They look like regular bras and have the same functions as a regular with one added component: nursing bras have a flap that opens, allowing you to nurse your child without having to completely strip down. Convenient, no? The key to a good nursing bra is to find a bra that will fit. You should be professionally fitted for a nursing bra, because chances are that your cup size nursing won't be the same as when you're not pregnant or nursing. Having a bra that fits is even more important when you're nursing, because you don't want to compromise your milk in anyway. A bra that is too small could cut off milk ducts or lead to mastitis.

When you go shopping for a nursing bra, buy three to five bras if you can, and don't go shopping any earlier than four weeks before you deliver. All throughout your pregnancy, your breasts will grow larger, and by the time you're eight months along, they should be up to nursing size. Make sure that the bras you get are easy to use and adaptable to your lifestyle. Some nursing bras are hand-wash only, or something ridiculous like that. Life with a newborn is stressful enough—don't add something else to your plate by having to hand wash your bras.

So as you enter (or continue) in the scary world of parenting, remember the importance of nursing bras, and take the time to find the right bra for you!

Author Bio

Charlotte Wood

MORE FROM CHARLOTTE

Stop Static Electricity on Clothes

Static electricity is annoying and so hard to get rid of on your clothes. Lucky for you there are ways in which you can ...

Discover More

Cleaning Lace and Delicates

Washing lace and other delicate items can be an extremely tricky matter. That is, it can be tricky if you don't know how ...

Discover More

Strengthening Fingernails

Fingernails are one of those things that are easy to take care of, so you should take advantage of that. No one wants ...

Discover More
More Beauty Tips

Mastectomy Bras

Adjusting after a mastectomy is difficult and may take a long time. To help with your adjustment, you need to know what's ...

Discover More

Measuring for the Perfect Bra

Measuring for a bra is surprisingly easy. You only need to measure two places and do some simple arithmetic and you're ...

Discover More

How Do I Know If an Underwire Bra is Right for Me?

There are so many different types of bras out there so how do you know what's right for you? You might want to check out ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 9 + 0?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)