NURSING
MOTHERS, INC.
Nursing Bras
Factsheet 24
General Information
· Most women find their bra size is one cup size larger (and possibly one number size larger) during late pregnancy and nursing.
· It can be difficult to determine a perfect fit for a nursing bra while you are pregnant. For this reason, don't buy too many bras early on. Wait until your milk production has stabilized to meet your baby's needs, usually within four to six weeks. By then your breasts should feel softer most of the time, and daily fluctuations in fullness will have diminished.
· A good nursing bra will give support and will allow extra room for the times your breasts are full. The extra room can also accommodate a nursing pad, if necessary, to help absorb the leaking that may occur in the first weeks.
· You may find it more comfortable to wear a bra to bed at night, especially if you need nursing pads for leaking. You may want to choose a stretch type bra with less support (not an under-wire) for your sleeping bra.
· Make sure you can release the flaps or pull the bra to one side with one hand. You will need the other hand to hold the baby.
· Remove any plastic liners that may come with the bra. Plastic tends to retain heat and moisture which can lead to sore nipples.
·
If you require a hard to find size, call local
stores to ask if they can order special sizes. Or check the following
websites from our resource guide:
Bravado Decent Exposures Motherwear
You
can also ask your Nursing Mothers counselor about borrowing from our bra bank.
How to Determine Your Correct Size
Take three measurements, as you would for a regular bra fitting:
1. Chest size -
above the breast and under the arms.
2. Point of bust - around the fullest point.
3. Rib cage - under the breasts.
Add 5 inches to the rib cage measurement (#3). This is your band size and chest measurement. Subtract the chest size measurement (#1) from the point of bust.
|
If the difference is: |
Cup size is: |
|
1 inch |
A |
|
2 inches |
B |
|
3 inches |
C |
|
4 inches |
D |
|
5 inches |
DD or EE |
|
5.5 inches |
F |
|
6 inches |
G |
If you have not experienced a noticeable change in your chest size, cup size or rib cage size, order your usual pre pregnancy size.
The Nursing Mothers Bra Bank
The bra bank is a collection of mostly used and a few new bras that mothers have donated to us. The bra bank has a wide variety of styles and sizes for you to experiment with. You may borrow these bras to determine how comfortable they are, what size you will need to purchase, and what style suits your needs.
You may wish to borrow a bra for other reasons: Your baby may have been delivered prematurely, sometimes you may go through a period where your breasts temporarily change size, or perhaps you have financial limitations. If you are unable to find a special size, the bra bank may have one.
To contact the bra bank coordinator, you can call 302-733-0973 or ask
your Nursing Mothers counselor for the name and telephone number of the
coordinator. You may then contact the coordinator to set up at time you
can meet with her. There is a 3-bra limit. You may keep the bras as
long as you need them. We ask that you wash the bras before you return them to
the bra bank. To return them, you may:
· Drop off the bra(s) at the bra bank coordinator's home.
· Bring the bras(s) to a mother's meeting, so the leader can pass it along to the bra bank coordinator.
· Mail the bra(s) to the bra bank coordinator's home.
Nursing Mothers provides this service to make bra selection a little easier for you. Please consider donating any nursing bras you have, once you are finished with them. All donations are tax-deductible, and you will receive a letter acknowledging the dollar value of your donation.
Original: 5/89, Linda Okner
Revised: 2/95. Lisa Davis; 1/03 Megan Allen
Copyright on the Internet 1999, NMInc
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Nursing Mothers, Inc. is a
non-profit organization. We never charge for our
services, we would gladly accept your tax-deductible donations.