Why Maternity and Nursing Bras?

Why are maternity and nursing bras recommended during pregnancy and breastfeeding?

During pregnancy your breasts start to change shape and increase in size due to your changing hormones. The hormones cause extra fat to be stored and cause a growth in the milk producing tissue - ready for when your baby is born and starts to breastfeed.

Having a well fitting bra during this time can help with comfort and may help to prevent damage to the delicate breast tissue. As it is not uncommon to increase several cup sizes (I went from a DD to a H cup) during the space of the 9 months, if you continued to wear standard bras (particularly underwired bras), you may find you need to change them every couple of months.

In comparison, a well designed maternity bra can grow with you, saving you money in the long run. Whilst they may not have underwires (as these may dig in as your size changes) there are many supportive and feminine styles available.

Once your baby has arrived then nursing bras (many of which can also be worn through pregnancy) can help simplify feeding times as their easy opening clips means that you can open one cup at a time for baby to feed. They will also adjust size with you as your breast fullness changes both through the day and over the following weeks.