Breastfeeding Made Easier with Nursing Bras
Changes in a woman’s breast take place during the first trimester of her
pregnancy. This is the body’s preparation for the eventual breastfeeding of the
infant. As fat builds up and the breast becomes engorged with milk, ordinary
bras should be replaced with nursing bras to make nursing easier or convenient
for both mother and child.
Why Use Nursing Bras?
If before pregnancy, you had a bra size of 34B, this will increase during
pregnancy and will likely hit 36D; after giving birth, the breast will increase
to 36E but will stabilize at a smaller size later. Fuller and heavier breasts
will need extra support and you will want a discreet way to breastfeed your
infant. Nursing bras provide both solutions.
If you don't wear nursing bras with good support and fit, your breasts will lose
its shape and firmness. This will happen especially if you are going to
breastfeed your baby for a longer period and if you have much milk. In addition,
as your breast size increase and becomes heavy it has to get good support to
prevent straining your butt, back, neck, and shoulders.
While these are the primary reasons for using nursing bras for the nursing
mothers, fit is just as significant. On the third day after you give birth, your
breast size will dramatically increase. A good fitting bra e.g. nursing bra will
not compress the breast and suppress the milk. If you continue to wear tight
fitting bras, you risk mastitis, a painful infection of the mammary glands.
Your Choices for Convenience
Nursing bras come in varied sizes, fabrics, and colors. But, the ideal nursing
bra cup should be 100% cotton to allow your breasts to "breathe.” Synthetic
fabrics for the nursing cup encourage sweating and the moisture on the warm
nipple becomes a breeding ground for the bacteria on the nipple area.
Another factor for choosing your nursing bra is ease of opening. Babies cannot
wait when they are hungry and they don’t understand why it will take you too
long to feed them. A nursing bra has fabric flaps over the cup. These can be
unclasped and pulled down to give baby access to the breast.
You have other options drop down cups or zip cups. A no-flap version is
available and this type of nursing bra is made of stretchable material, which
you just pull to the side during breastfeeding time without uncovering the other
breast. Experienced moms prefer bras with handy fasteners that can be opened and
closed easily with one hand while they cradle their babies comfortably and
carefully in the other arm.
When to Buy Your Nursing Bras
The best time to buy your nursing bra is during the terminal weeks before
childbirth. By this time, your breast size has doubled. It is expected that your
breast size will reduce when it stabilizes. Buy larger nursing bras one cup size
larger and a larger size than you normally wear. When your breasts have reached
its stabilized size, go and get the right size nursing bras. During the
different periods, have enough nursing bras. You must never run out of nursing
bras to keep yourself well supported at all times.
More Nursing Bras:
