Breastfeeding And Maternity Lingerie

Over the years there have been lots of exciting developments in
the fabrics and design of maternity and breastfeeding bras and
the bras are now wonderfully supportive and comfortable.

It's essential that your maternity and breastfeeding bras fit
really well and support you properly because all the way through
your pregnancy the milk ducts in your boobs are growing and
developing.

This season there are lots of fab maternity bras – wonderful
vibrant colours and pretty chic lace trimmed bras – so there
really is no excuse for anyone to be wearing those boring black
or white bras. This year's favourite styles are fun silver
prints embellished with silver trims, bright cherry flower
prints and pale pink roses trimmed with lacy frills and a silky
bow. The matching boy leg knickers and bikini briefs have the
same simple lines and are specifically designed to be
comfortable – they are gathered at the back to sculpt and
enhance your changing shape.

The best breastfeeding bras have an easy to use one handed
nursing clasp which allows the cups to drop down for feeding.
They also contain a comfy soft cotton lining, powerful and
strong mesh side panels for that added strength, wider than
usual bra straps and several back adjusters as well as extra
lined cups to give superb support.

As your boobs start to grow, your usual bra will probably start
to feel rather uncomfortable. This usually happens when you are
about eight to twelve weeks into your pregnancy. Now is the time
to start looking for maternity bras.

It is best not to wear your usual under-wired bra as they may
damage the milk ducts that also grow at the side of your
breasts. The special maternity under-wire bras are designed
specifically for pregnancy and they have soft, specially shaped
wire, which doesn't interfere with the development of the milk
ducts but still offer great support.

When buying a bra try to fasten the bra on the smallest fitting
so that the bra has plenty of room to grow with you. The bra cup
should cover and support your boobs and have no overflow above,
below or at the side of the cup. If there is overflow you will
need to select a larger cup size. The strap that goes round your
back should fit snugly and be straight across your back and not
ride up.

It's not the easiest of things to bend over and lower your
boobs into the bra cup when you are pregnant, so it is best to
put the bra on first and then lift your boobs gently into each
cup. If the bra is correctly fitted then it will lasts for the
whole of your pregnancy. If by eight or nine months your bra is
getting rather tight across your back then a bra extender is
probably the best thing to buy for the last few weeks.

Ideally around thirty-seven or thirty-eight weeks, you should
be thinking about buying breastfeeding bras. By now your baby
will have gently moved down into your pelvis allowing your rib
cage to have slowly reduced in width. When trying on a
breastfeeding bra use the loosest fitting clasp as the bra will
need to be tightened after the birth. Try to fit your hand in
between your boobs and the cup – it should fit easily and
comfortably - this allows for growth. Your boobs will get bigger
when you start breastfeeding, but will shrink down when you
start feeding your baby regularly.

The best specialist maternity shops will be able to offer
personal bra fitting in their shops with experienced and trained
staff. If you are ordering mail order or on the web from home,
to find out what your bra size is in inches, simply measure
across and under your boobs. Bra brands come in slightly
different shapes so try on a few different styles to find the
correct fit.

Until you have actually tried on a bra on it often rather hard
to tell if it fits correctly, so the best specialist maternity
lingerie companies tend to exchange a bra for a different size
or style or give you a full refund within 14 days. For more
advice on bra fitting most of the specialist shop staff or
customer advisers of mail order or online companies will
willingly be able to offer advice to you by phone to help you
find your perfect bra.


About The Author: Sharon writes for Blooming Marvellous -
suppliers of http://www.bloomingmarvellous.co.uk/ nursing bras
and other maternity wear.