Nursing bras & tops? (BR)

marissa01

Where did you get your nursing bras and tops?  How many of each did you buy? 

If you didn't buy nursing bras and tops, what kind of bras and tops did you use? 

I don't really like the thought of spending $20 on a bra, plus another $15 on a nursing top.  So any suggestions on something less expensive would be great!  TIA.

MangoMama2

I have roughly 6-8 bras that I bought over the course of my time nursing DD (almost 14 months) and 3 nursing tank tops. I think I got most of them from Target or Motherhood Maternity. I have two in each color-black, nude, and white. They get washed way more often than my regular bras do so I wanted to make sure I had enough. I will add that they do vary in size. My boobs were HUGE for the first few months, but then went back to their regular size so I ended up getting some in different sizes.

I opted more for comfort than style, they're very boring  

I got great advice to buy the bra in your regular (pre-pregnancy) size around (34,36,38,etc) and just buy the extender (I think they're like $1.50) until your ribcage returns to its normal size (It took me a couple of months).

As far as shirts go...I just wore v-necks a lot. No special nursing shirts, they're lumpy and expensive. 

A couple of good sleeping bras are crucial though!

meltoine

I'd say get a few nursing tanks and a couple of sleep bras to start off with. For those it doesn't really matter what size you are. You will change sizes wildly in the beginning. I went from a 34B pre-PG to 36D while engorged the first few weeks, and now I've settled on 36C. When you feel your size even out (mine did around 6-8 weeks) invest in a few real nursing bras with some shaping to them. 

I know it seems expensive, but proper support is worth it while you're nursing. Bras that don't fit correctly can cause plugged ducts and mastisis, and ones that don't work right can make nursing a huge PITA, especially when you're outside the comfort and privacy of your own home.

I got all of my nursing gear at Target. It's the only brick-and-mortar option that I have and I wanted to try everything on to make sure it fits properly.  

meltoine

Oh, and nursing tops are not worth it. I just make sure to wear things that I can either pull down or up comfortably. The first few weeks I pretty much wore nursing tanks under t-shirts or cardigans and I'd pull the t-shirt up or unbutton the cardigan to feed DS. Now I wear nursing tanks to sleep and nursing bras with regular shirts during the day. 

StarJay

I agree with most of what Meltoine said. Especially to start off with, I'd just get a couple of sleep bras and a few nursing tanks (I lived in a tank and yoga pants for the first 4-6 weeks.) Nursing tops, are not worth it in my opinion. I simply wear a nursing tank under everything when we leave the house. I've found nusring in public is pretty discreet that way. If we're bumming at home I'll just wear a sleep bra, since who cares if DH sees my tummy.

I never did buy fitted/supported nursing bras.

 For tanks I've shopped around, and my favorite, by far, is the Glamour Mom tanks. They are expensive, so I only have a few of them, but I LOVE them and hope to pick up a few more so that I have several for my next child. They offer the most support and discretion, IMO, and I love that they have a built in "pocket" for nursing pads, since my reusable pads don't always stay in place in other tanks. If those are too pricey for you I'd say my second favorite are the ones from Motherhood. Also my BX had a limited selection of Lamaze tanks and bras, so if you're near a base you might check there.

NSL

Bravado, Bravado, Beavado.  They're expensive, but worth every penny if you're going to e nursing for an extended length of time.

Kendraish

 I only bought two nursing bras, but had a handful of nursing tanks because I wore them daily and thought they were worth the money.  I bought my bras at  Motherhood Maternity and my tanks at Target.  But Walmart carries nursing tanks now so I am sure they are cheaper that way!