The best nursing bras should be functional and stylish, offering support alongside comfort and ease of breastfeeding access. Guest post by Laura Casey
A fantastic, nourishing, as well as bonding experience for baby and mother, breastfeeding, lasts for the first six to ten months of your child’s life.
Your body, recovering from childbirth, changes in many ways, and your breasts may go through a metamorphosis in shape, size, and weight.
During this period, you need the best nursing and pumping bras to keep your breasts supported, comfortable, and nourish-ready.
In this piece, we shall be covering nursing bras in general and get to understand what you should consider when buying them.
What is the Difference between a Maternity Bra and a Nursing Bra?
Unknown to most, nursing bras are different from maternity bras. Just by looking at the names, maternity bras are worn by expectant mothers, while breastfeeding mothers put on the nursing bras.
The main difference, however, comes in with their functions.
During pregnancy, expectant women experience enlargement of breasts to create more room for milk production. Maternity bras are therefore important in supporting the enlarging breasts. They also have a stretching fabric to accommodate the changing cup size.
A nursing bra, on the other hand, ensures lactating mothers have an easy time when breastfeeding.
How Nursing Bras Work
For easier feeding, nursing bras have smaller cups to expose the breasts. You should also be able to open the cup quickly.
Types of Nursing Bras
Here is a list of the different types of nursing bras to consider;
Sleep Nursing Bras
Did you know you could find nursing bras to sleep in? These are designed to enhance comfort for breastfeeding mothers during their sleep.
Underwire Nursing Bras
The underwire nursing bras feature clips to help you open the cups quickly.
Soft-Cup Nursing Bras
You can easily lower the cups when feeding your newborn.
Sports Nursing Bras
Sports nursing bras are the most preferred nursing bras. They are not only comfortable but are also made of absorbent material.
A nursing bra is very convenient when breastfeeding as you can either pull it up or down.
Tank-Top Bras
You’ve probably seen a nursing mother feeding her child with a tank top and wondered why her breasts were still held in place without a bra.
Tank-top bras are actually bras sewed on to tank tops. They are comfortable and efficient as they feature nursing clips to allow easy feeding.
Breast Pumping Bras
The pumping bras are the best choice for mothers who use the breast pump. They hold the pump in place, especially the electric pumps, making them quite convenient.
How to Determine the Size of Nursing Bra to Wear
Nursing bras, like normal bras, come in different cup sizes. There are two main types;
- Nursing bras for plus size
- Nursing bras for small breasts
A proper fit is recommended to enhance comfort and prevent inflammation.
There’s actually no way to predict how big your breast will be, but here are some tips you could use when shopping for nursing bras.
1. One Size Bigger
Generally, bra cup sizes run from A to D, and back sizes in even numbers. It’s therefore advised to get a bigger cup and cup size than your ordinary bra.
For instance, if you wear bra size 34B, consider getting the next size, which in this case would be 36C.
2. Plus One Minus One
As mentioned earlier, an expectant mother’s breasts grow bigger during the period.
You can determine the best size of a nursing bra by adding one cup size to your maternity bra and reducing one from the back size.
If your maternity bra size was 36C, consider getting 34D.
Which are The Best Nursing Bras for 2021?
Breastfeeding, especially in the first few days, will cause discomfort if you don’t have the best nursing bra. Besides feeling supported and comfortable, the best nursing bra will make it easy for your baby to breastfeed.
Your collection of the best maternity bras will include pieces like;
Carriwell Women’s Seamless Nursing Bra
This nursing bra is made from breathable organic cotton, offering lift and shape support without the use of those uncomfortable underwires. The Carriwell Women’s Seamless Nursing Bra is created with soft microfiber material that molds to the body as time goes on, creating a better and more snug fit.
Bravado “Elegant Embrace” Nursing Soft Cup Bra
The Bravado nursing bras open and close with easy operation clips, dropping away from the entire cup when you unclip them. These nursing bras for plus size breasts allow your baby easy access, giving you skin to skin contact for superb bonding.
Kindred Bravely French Terry Racerback Nursing Sleep Bra
This is among the best nursing bras for small breasts, and it will maintain a wrap design for augmented shape and size support. The double-layered cups have spaces to insert padding, while the covered band gives bust support, and you have more freedom with the racerback design that alleviates shoulder pain.
Conclusion
Pick a nursing bra, either from this list or not, that fits your cup size and is comfortable before, during, and after your breastfeeding sessions. If you’ve taken time to read through our article, you probably have questions, proposals, or suggestions, and you can also share your nursing bra experiences by leaving comments.
Author’s bio: Laura Casey is a blogger, mother, and housewife who shares her vast experience in parenting, motherhood, and pregnancy. Her articles have already helped a lot of people who deal with parenting. She draws inspiration from raising kids and Motherhood itself. She believes that Parenthood can connect people all over the world.
