Anybody out there love their current bra? I don’t know about you, but bra shopping, just like buying new jeans, seems to be a necessary evil. Sure, finding the perfect bra or pair of jeans can help you look and feel better, but sometimes I don’t have the patience to try on dozens of options. So when I find something that works well enough, I’ll wear it until it wears out.
Unfortunately, time was up on my current nursing bras. Scratch that. I’ve been wearing the same nursing bras for the past three years and they’re totally past their prime. Between the stretched out elastic and somewhat lumpy cups, I was due for nursing bra upgrade. Not to mention boobs and a body still in flux.
To put things in perspective, possibly the last and maybe only time I was measured or fit for a bra was at that pink and lacy lingerie chain with my mom in high school…gulp! At the time, I was a 36B and competitive swimmer. Flash forward through college and post-graduation life, I still maintained that I was 36B until the end of my first pregnancy. As my rib cage expanded and my cups runneth over, so I waddled to the nearest Target and picked up a few nursing bras in a 38D. No official measurements, just some solo trial and error in the dressing room. As my body morphed into its post-baby norm and then through a second pregnancy, I adjusted the straps and band of the 38D nursing bras as needed.
That is, until I started back at work. Once I started pumping at work, in addition to nursing at home, I noticed I dropped a bit more of the baby weight. I’m still a little squishy in my midsection, but my bras were feeling extra sad and saggy, even though the straps and band were tightened all the way. They definitely weren’t supporting the hardworking ladies like they should.
I knew the dreaded bra shopping was in order, but couldn’t drag myself to the store. I’ve heard great things about bra shopping at Nordstrom, but didn’t want to shell out the big bucks. But Target’s selection of nursing bras can be less than inspiring. Thank goodness for today’s sponsor, You! Lingerie!
You! Lingerie’s collection of sexy, stylish maternity and nursing bras, sleep and lounge wear is designed with the fashionista mommy in mind. Our nursing and maternity bras, sleep and lounge wear are designed to not only be sexy, colorful and luxurious, but they also have been crafted to provide great support & functionality to pregnant and nursing mothers. Our mission is to make breastfeeding and expecting moms feel confident & look beautiful everyday. We believe that pregnancy & breastfeeding are beautiful, your nursing and maternity lingerie should be too. Welcome to You! Lingerie. Find out more here
When they offered to send a nursing bra of my choice, I was more than happy to partake in some online bra shopping because who doesn’t want to feel more confident and beautiful?
But first, I knew I needed to get measured. Following the guidance of their online bra size calculator, I was a 34D…what?!?! Putting my trust in the system, I requested the versatile nude Flirty You! nursing bra in a 34D and a 3-pack of bra extenders for good measure. Ultimately, the cups were too small and I wound up requesting a 34DD/E…what the what!?! Never in my life would I expect to be a double D, except for when my milk came in at the hospital and I joked that I was Dolly Parton.
I love that the Flirty You! bra looks smooth under a T shirt, while still helping a nursing mama feel a little sexy with the lace, hot pink bows, and hot pink lining. The pink bows near the nursing clips also hold Alex’s attention while nursing, which is extremely helpful since he’s more aware of his surroundings and easily distracted by toddler antics. And the ladies feel quite supported during a long day of nursing and pumping.
You! Lingerie offers lots of other affordable beautiful, feminine, playful, and yes, sexy (!) nursing bras ranging from size 32B to 42E. Which is more than I can say about Nordstrom or Target, though I’d gladly purchase this pink lacy nursing bra from Rosie Pope…if only it came in my size (insert sad trombone).
Through this whole experience, I learned how important it is to be remeasured and refit as my weight and body shape fluctuates. Some bra experts recommend being refit after you have gained or lost 10-15 pounds. If you are a very petite person, you should do so for every 5-10 pounds! Oops! I blew that recommendation! They also recommend being refit every 6 or 9 months as styles and fits change. And depending on how many bras you have in your rotation and how you care for them, they may need to be replaced after 6 months or a year. I totally botched that one too! Finally, this article from Cosmo has some great bra fit tips and tricks.
Thanks again to You! Lingerie for providing me a lovely nursing bra for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. And now I’m tempted to pick up a few more nursing bras, perhaps the striped London or Paris bras.
You look so pretty, Cathy! <3 Where'd you get that lovely necklace?? And top?!
Ok, so VS totally sized me wrong too. They always told me 38C, but when I got fitted at a better shop, I was 32F aka 32DDD *shocked face*. Turns out you can play around with cup size and band size, so if you go up one band size, you can go down one cup size and those bras should be about the same. So really 38C and 32DDD are about equivalent. But still, I had nearly no support in the VS bras. I wonder why they size like that!
Thanks, Stephanie! The top and necklace are actually from Stitch Fix! I need to share a new post with my recent purchases and favorites.