Oh My God They’re Huge!

This might be something you’re saying to yourself as you progress through your pregnancy and start breastfeeding. Most women will gain 1-2 cup sizes in their breasts from the time they get pregnant to the time to they begin breastfeeding. When the cup size gain comes is different for everyone. I personally went up 3 cup sizes while I was pregnant (from a DD to a G), but didn’t change at all when my milk came in. Other women don’t change much while they are pregnant, but may increase 1 or 2 cup sizes when their milk comes in.

If you are a B-DD/E cup, then you won’t have any difficulties finding a great nursing bra. There are even quite a few styles to choose from for F-cup gals. But once you get BEYOND the F-cup, the selection of bras goes WAY DOWN. I personally didn’t even know bras came in a G-cup until I needed to buy one. I had to wear the most uncomfortable bras throughout my pregnancy and nursing days because I couldn’t find on that actually fit me properly.

Well, have I got knews for you! Bravado! Designs has come out with a BRAND-NEW nursing bra (which I reviewed during my Blogiversary Celebration) called the Sublime Nursing Bra - and boy is it ever!!

There are THREE things that I love about this bra.
1) It is pretty
2) It gives great SUPPORT and SEPARATION
3) It comes in cup sizes from B to K – yes, that’s right – K!!

So now, all of you mamas who are in the “larger than an F-cup” category have some choice – a beautiful bra, with great support at a very reasonable price! What more can a well-endowed mama ask for??

**Disclaimer – I was not compensated in any way for this review – I wrote it to express my gratitude for a nursing bra that is beautiful, functional and comes in large cup sizes.

Mom’s Most Supportive Friend: 5 Things To Look For To Fit The Perfect Nursing Bra

By Alina Szober

The burps, the leaks, the sleepless nights – and then the baby arrives! And when that little one gets here, a well-fitted, comfortable and easy to use nursing bra can be a new mom’s new best friend.

The ideal time to be fitted for a nursing bra is a few weeks before your due date. Because your breasts have been preparing to nurse during your entire pregnancy, you’ve likely experienced some fullness or size increase. Every woman is different as to when and how much she experiences, but purchasing a nursing bra close to your due date will give you the most accurate prediction of your nursing size. During pregnancy, you’ll only need a new bra if you find your pre-pregnancy bras getting snug or uncomfortable. If that happens, most women just choose to buy a nursing bra instead of a regular bra, since nursing bras generally give you more room to grow, and you’ll be able to use them after the baby is born as well.

When you’re trying on nursing bras, the first thing you want to make sure of is that the bra is sitting just right on your body. To do that, once you have the bra on, bend over, and reach your right hand into your left cup, cup your breast, and lift it into place in the bra. Do the same for the other side. This ensures that all your breast tissue is correctly placed in the cups, and none is being constricted by the bottom band or sides of the bra – which is especially important if you’re nursing, because constant pressure in one spot could lead to soreness or infection. And frankly, the girls need all the TLC they can get at this point!

Once you have the bra on, there are several things you can look for to ensure it is just the right size and fits your body well:

1) Scope out the rib band
The band should be sitting evenly all around (level to the floor) in the front and back. If you find it’s riding up in the back, first make sure the straps are properly released to your comfort; and if it’s still riding up, then try a smaller band size. You should be able to run one or two fingers comfortably under the band. If you can’t, the band is too tight – go up a rib band. If you can run more than two fingers, the band is too loose – go down a rib band.

2) Check out the straps
Adjust the straps to your comfort, so that they’re not digging in or providing support. A good test is to let them drop over your shoulders – the cups and rib band should stay in place without them. If they don’t, the bra is likely too big.

3) Make sure your cups don’t runneth over…or under
When looking at the cups, see if there is any gaping, puckering, or extra fabric. If so, the cup is too big, and you should try a smaller cup size. The cups should cover the breast fully. Breasts should not be bulging out of the top or sides – do a finger test at the top to make sure you have a little room. Another thing to look for is where the seams lie in the cups (if the bra has seams), and to make sure they run to the sides of your nipples for your comfort.

4) A new meaning to easy access
Another important thing to try is the nursing closures on the bra. They should be easy to operate once you get used to them (most closures take a few tries to get the hang of). Bend over and wiggle around a bit to make sure they don’t open spontaneously. Better to find out now, instead of when you’re leaning over to grab some cereal from the bottom grocery store shelf! Needless to say – don’t buy it if it does that.

5) Overall look and feel
Last but definitely not least, think about whether the bra is comfortable and if you feel supported. Is anything bothering you? Do you find any of the seams irritating or any of the fabric scratchy? Make
sure to move around in the bra to ensure it stays put (that the rib band doesn’t ride up, the straps don’t fall off). As well, put your top on over your bra, and look at yourself in profile to see your shape. Are you getting
the silhouette that you want? Do the nursing closures lie flat under your clothing?

And remember, today; you don’t have to sacrifice a stylish bra for comfort and function.

Alina Szober is the Marketing Manager at Bravado Designs Inc. Mom owned and operated, Bravado Designs holds over 17 years of combined experience and knowledge in the nursing apparel industry from its thousands of wear testers, mommy designers, and its fearless owners – one of which is a certified lactation consultant. Alina has been with Bravado for 4 years, time she has spent understanding nursing mothers in their own words, through Bravado’s proprietary database of over 80,000 moms.

Bravado Designs is also proud to be a sponsor of the Mommy News & Views Blogiversary Celebration. Stop by and visit their Review/Giveaway in our Blogiversary section!

Blogiversary Celebration: Bravado Designs Nursing Bras – CLOSED

I just received two samples of the brand new designs from Bravado! Designs and all I can say is WOW!! These bras are fantastic!! Bravado has done it once again! They have taken their bra manufacturing expertise and have created EXACTLY what every nursing moms wants – a PRETTY bra that give great support and one that comes in larger cup sizes! Until now, moms have been restricted to ugly bras or super expensive bras if they wanted something in a larger cup size – but Bravado has changed all of that!

The Sublime Nursing Bra: Having a baby doesn’t mean sacrificing gorgeous lingerie. Bravado Designs is proud to introduce the Sublime Nursing Bra: the perfect solution for you to feel fabulously feminine and wonderfully comfortable while pregnant and nursing. How Sublime! It comes in French Vanilla or Black Cherry colors and sizes from 32-38 B-I. YUP you heard that right – this bra is available in UP TO an I-cup!! So having a large bust now means you can have beautiful undergarments beautiful too!! HOORAY! Bravado has also designed this bra using their unique fit which allows for two different cup sizes to wear the same bra. This means, that if you purchase this bra while you are pregnant and you go up a cup size when your milk comes in – IT WILL STILL FIT YOU! Now, I am a 36D, so Bravado sent me this bra is size 36D/E. I was a little skeptical as to how it would fit – since I was on the small end of the spectrum it was designed for. Well – as you can see for yourself – it fit me fabulously! And I can pull on the cup and “feel” the stretch that would allow someone who is a 36DD/E to fit into the same bra that I have on in this photo.

The Allure Underwire Nursing Bra: A revolution in underwire nursing bra design, the Allure Underwire Nursing Bra combines Bravado! Designs’ expertise in innovative bra development with our extensive knowledge of your need for good breast health and comfort, to create a bra that you will love and feel fabulous wearing. This is Bravado’s first ever underwire nursing bra. They recommend it for moms who have already been nursing for at least two months. It also uses their unique fit technology that allows one size to fit two different cup sizes. So again, I was sent a 36D/E and again I was skeptical. I can see a non-underwire bra fitting multiple cup sizes, but never before have I seen an underwire bra that does. Well – to my surprise – this bra fit me perfectly! It felt great – gave great separation and lift and while it has a molded cup design – it does not have a lot of padding. This is a SUPERB bra for the mom who is used to underwire and wants to add a little luxury to her lingerie without adding padding. This bra comes in black and ivory and and truly is delectable! This photo shows me wearing it and as you can see – it looks (and feels) fantastic! The Allure Bra comes in sizes 32-38 B-G.

I have always been a fan of Bravado Nursing Bras. When they introduced the Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra about 1.5 years ago, I was instantly a fan of that one (and so were a ton of moms who purchased it in my boutique) – and now with the introduction of these two bras – Bravado has definitely out-done themselves again! And each of these bras has matching panties that can be purchased along with them – so you can look great, feel great and nurse your baby with extreme comfort and ease!

As part of our Blogiversary Celebration, the great folks at Bravado! Designs have offered to give away a bra and panty set to one lucky Mommy News & Views Reader. The winner will have their choice of Allure or Sublime and will receive both a bra and panty in their choice of size/color.

To be entered into this contest please visit our Boutique Store and come back here and leave a comment telling us which item from Bravado! Designs is your favorite and why! This is MANDATORY in order to be considered for a prize.

But you don’t want just one chance to win do you? How about a few more! You can enter for extra chances to win by doing any of the activities below. Just be sure to come back here and leave us a comment for each one – letting us know which ones you completed.

1) Sign up to follow our blog using your favorite reader or sign up for email updates.
2) Grab one of our blogiversary buttons and add it to your blog, webpage or facebook page.
3) Spread the word! Tweet about this post and link back to it – be sure to include @MommyNews in your tweet and leave a comment here with a link to your tweet (you can do this once per day during the contest).
4) Spread the word some more! Post about this contest on facebook and tell all of your friends about it!(you can do this once per day during the contest)
5) Don’t have a blog, not on facebook or twitter? No problem, we want you to have extra chances to win too – so go ahead and send an email to any of your pregnant or nursing friends. Be sure to cc: us on your email (blogiversary@mommynewsblog.com) and leave a comment here too! We promise not to add anyone to any mailing lists unless they specifically request to be added.
6) Purchase any item from Bravado! Designs in our Boutique Store - and leave a comment here with the last 4-digits of your order number. You will get 2 extra chances to win for every purchase!

That’s it! Lots of ways to win a gorgeous nursing bra and panty set from Bravado! Designs!! This contest ends 10/28/09 at 5 PM. All entrants will be verified and must complete the mandatory entry before completing the ‘extra’ entries. Invalid entries will be disqualified. This contest is open to people with US or Canadian mailing addresses only. Winner must respond to email within 48 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner.

Disclaimer: We received two complementary bras to evaluate as part of this review. This gift enabled us to properly review this product and did not affect the objective nature of our review.