Guest Post in partnership with Mama Style

Your most comfortable and stylish maternity and nursing bra journey ever

Pregnancy is an incredible, exciting and emotional time. As well as looking after your health, your baby’s health and a million other things, you’ll also find yourself challenged with dressing your new and beautifully adapting body.

Your body is, indeed, magic. It goes through a whole lot of changes during your pregnancy to grow, nurture and carry a baby human. While there are a myriad of changes, we’ll focus today on the changes in your breasts and how you can adapt to these in the easiest way possible.

From early pregnancy to the heavy third trimester to postpartum and breastfeeding, your breasts will go on a journey that requires extra and different support than what they are used to. Getting professionally fitted and finding the right bras for you to suit each stage of this journey will not only help you feel more comfortable, but will mean one less thing to worry about during this busy time.

The measuring process used by Preggi Central takes into account not only your current bra size but also your expected size changes during pregnancy and breastfeeding. This ensures that you get the best possible fit for maximum comfort and support throughout your pregnancy as well as for postpartum and breastfeeding. Let’s go through the different ways your body changes and the types of bras you might need on your pregnancy journey.

First trimester

Towards the end of the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, your breasts will start to feel sensitive and begin to grow. Everyone is different, but this is a good time to start considering a maternity bra that will grow with you during this stage. The difference between "Maternity" bras and "nursing" bras is simply the way they are designed. The best maternity bras are specifically designed to tick the boxes you need during pregnancy, like comfort, wide straps, and breathable material. Nursing bras are similar, but have easy breastfeeding access in the form of drop down cups. If you're looking to save money or only buy a couple of bras, you could get nursing bras as almost all nursing bras are designed to support your pregnancy journey too. However make sure to get professionally measured so you have peace of mind your new bras will grow with you and not be too tight at the 8 month mark.

If you’re feeling unwell or not ready to leave the house just yet, you can try Preggi Central’s online measuring tool from the comfort of your home.

Second trimester

This is where your magical body starts making milk. While your size may or may not change a huge amount from the first trimester you might notice your ribs beginning to expand. This usually happens around week 23. But there is good news! Second trimester isn’t called the honeymoon period for nothing: if you’re lucky enough you’ll feel more energetic and less nauseous, so you might want to grab a comfortable sports bra or crop to make the most of your energy levels and stay active while you feel like it.

Third trimester

Your breast size at around eight months is what it should be once your milk settles. This is the time to get measured for a more fitted nursing bra to see you through your postpartum period. Look for comfort, breathable fabrics and style that makes you feel great about yourself.

Postpartum

After your baby arrives, your breasts will become fuller and heavier. This is due to increased blood supply and your milk coming in. This usually happens between the third to fifth day. A handy hint is to stick to soft bras until your milk supply stabilises. This is because your breast size will fluctuate.

When will my boobs go back to normal?

About a week or two after giving birth to bubs, your breasts should shrink to a size similar to what they were during your pregnancy. They’ll stay this size until you've been nursing for approximately 15 months or until you stop breastfeeding - whatever comes first. Also, once you've returned to your pre-pregnancy weight, your breasts will likely follow suit and return to their pre-pregnancy size. Many women comment that their breasts change shape or are no longer the same as before pregnancy. This is completely normal and depends on not just pregnancy factors, but age and hormones too. There are plenty of bra options for every size out there so use this time to find something that suits you and makes you feel great. 

Your bra checklist from pregnancy to postpartum with our top recommended bras

-   Maternity bra soft

-   Maternity bra lace

-   Soft crop top

-   Sports bra

-   Nursing sports bra

-   Nursing bra wireless

-   Nursing bra flexi-wire

Guest Post in partnership with Mama Style

About Mama Style

Mama Style brings you the best clothing, outfits and style advice to keep you looking and feeling great from bump to baby. Discover how to dress for every stage of your pregnancy, and read in-depth reviews of the most stylish maternity and regular clothes, all in one place.