April 2007
Nursing bras
If you decide to breast-feed, you won't necessarily need baby bottles, a bottle sterilizer, or formula. But you will need a nursing bra. It will be your key piece of equipment to get the job done quickly and easily.
Nursing bras look like regular bras, but the cups open or lower from the front when you unsnap, unzip, or unhook the closure. You should be able to open the cup for nursing quickly and simply with one hand. (You'll be holding your hungry baby with the other.) If you can close it one-handed, too, even better. Most manufacturers have several nursing-bra lines, including models that are comfortable for sleeping or lounging; traditional, seamless "soft cup" and underwire styles; and super-supportive sports nursing bras that can take a pounding on the tennis court. The latest generation is nursing bras that are built into nylon/Lycra tank tops and T-shirts; discreet zippers offer quick breast-feeding access.
Whatever style you choose, proper fit is the key to breast-feeding success, says Lynne Andrako, R.N., clinical education specialist for Medela, a breast pump and nursing-bra manufacturer. Andrako is also a certified bra fitter and lactation consultant. A poorly fitting bra not only will be uncomfortable but also may increase the risk of plugged ducts and/or mastitis, a breast infection. An ill-fitting bra can put pressure on milk ducts, which may cause them to become plugged, and a magnet for infection-causing bacteria. Andrako estimates that 80 percent of women buy the wrong size nursing bra. Where do they go wrong? To accommodate their changing breasts (even early on, breasts enlarge and become heavier), women often increase their bras' band size but go up only one cup size.
Andrako says the rib cage can enlarge a bit during pregnancy, but generally not enough to warrant increasing the band size you normally wear. You can easily accommodate any increase by adjusting the hooks in the back. So if you're a 34 before pregnancy, chances are you'll be a 34 during and after, she says. But if you wore a C cup pre-pregnancy, you may go up to an F--or higher. Cup sizes usually go from A through D, then DD, DDD, F, G, H, and I.
SHOPPING SECRETS
Get fitted by a certified bra fitter. Yes, there's a certification program for bra fitting. When you're a nursing mother, getting a properly fitting bra is more important than ever. You'll want comfortable nursing bras that provide the right support--ones that don't bind, pinch, hike up in the back or front, or irritate breast tissue. Breasts change dramatically during pregnancy and lactation, when they enlarge even more. For optimum size and fit, go bra shopping no sooner than four weeks before your delivery date--your breasts will be nursing size by then. Your size may change again after you give birth, if only temporarily; that's why it's important to buy a bra with plenty of give. Shop at a maternity store and ask the saleswoman if there's a certified bra fitter on staff. This service is usually free of charge. If a certified bra fitter isn't available, a lactation consultant, perhaps one affiliated with the hospital where you'll deliver, can usually help. Many lactation consultants are also certified bra fitters.
When you're being fitted, you'll be measured under your arms. The tape will also be wrapped around your torso at the fullest point of the bust. The difference between the two measurements is your cup size. Once you get your official, post-measurement size, you can find a style you like and feel comfortable in. Don't be put off by the size the fitter recommends, which could be much different from what you normally wear. Keep an open mind and try it on before you decide whether it's right for you. Once you realize the difference in not only support and comfort but appearance (a properly fitting bra will make you look much better!), you won't be hung up on letters of the alphabet. You may not end up with the bra size you thought you'd wear, but the bra probably will fit well.
Once you're confident you've got the right size, buy online from that manufacturer or from a catalog, if you want to. If you're buying a bra you haven't tried on, double-check the retailer's instructions for measuring since brands may be sized differently, and make sure you can return it just in case. Or play it safe by buying all your nursing bras at the maternity store where you were measured.
Buy three to five bras. That should be enough to meet your needs, allowing you to have a couple of bras on deck and one or two in the wash. Plan to buy a sleep/loungewear bra for the early days of nursing when you'll want to wear your nursing bra and pads 24/7 for leakage control.
Shop as early as four weeks pre-delivery, as we mentioned, but no earlier. By then, your breasts will be nursing size, so you can be sure you'll get the correct size bra. Your breasts may enlarge even more after your milk comes in, so look for bras with cups that stretch. If you're still not comfortable, you may need to be fitted again.
If you're especially large-breasted, you may need to shop around. If the bras available in your local maternity store aren't large enough, try a specialty lingerie or "foundation" store instead. These shops usually can meet your needs and even custom-make bras in your size, if necessary.
Think twice before buying an underwire nursing bra. The pressure from the underwire support may contribute to breast maladies, such as clogged milk ducts. If you want to go this route, the same rules apply: Don't go by looks alone. Make sure the underwire bra you select is flexible and fits properly.
Don't bother with a high-maintenance nursing bra. There are nursing bras available that require hand-washing, so check the maintenance tag before you buy. Who has time for that? You won't. Because your baby will be high-maintenance enough, you don't want to spend any downtime you have on this laundry detail.
WHAT'S AVAILABLE
Some of the major brands, in alphabetical order, are Bravado (www.bravadodesigns.com), Elle Macpherson Intimates (available at retailers such as Nordstrom, www.nordstrom.com), Fancee Free (www.fanceefreemfg.com), Leading Lady (www.leadinglady.com), Medela (www.medela.com), Motherhood (www.motherhoodnursing.com), Playtex (www.playtexbras.com), and Second Nature (www.regallager.com). Major maternity retailers, such as A Pea in the Pod (www.apeainthepod.com) and Mimi Maternity (www.mimimaternity.com), have their own brand of nursing bras. Nursing bras range from about $4.99 (just the basics) to about $62 (designer bras with decorative lace).
ACCESSORIES
In addition to nursing bras, you'll need disposable or washable cotton pads that you can tuck inside to absorb any leakage. The disposable types are usually made of super-absorbent material that wicks moisture away from the skin. They're higher-tech than cotton nursing pads, but also more expensive. Both kinds prevent clothing stains and skin irritation and are invisible to the outside world.
You may also need adjustable bra strap pads that attach to any bra to relieve strap pressure and special bra shells that can protect sore nipples from irritation or help draw out inverted nipples.
You can find nursing pads, bra strap pads, and bra shells at drugstores; specialty maternity shops, such as Mimi Maternity, and baby product stores; and on Web sites such as www.medela.com.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The best nursing bras are stretchy, absorbent, and don't bind the breasts in any way that could interfere with milk flow. Look for bras that are 100 percent cotton or a cotton-Lycra blend or other stretchy synthetic. Since the right size bra is so important to getting breast-feeding off to a good start and reducing the risk of complications, such as clogged milk ducts, shop at a maternity store or visit a lactation consultant/certified bra fitter for at least your first bra. To find a lactation consultant in your area, contact the hospital or birth center where you'll deliver, or log onto the International Lactation Consultant Association at www.ilca.org. A professional fitting will ensure a comfortable fit and the correct size. Try on bras for size and feel, and practice with nursing pads in place. After you've bought one properly fitting bra, order more online or from a catalog. Many Web sites offer competitive deals. But stick with the manufacturer and style you were fitted with, or be fitted again, if you'd like to try a different style or brand.
Nursing bras look like regular bras, but the cups open or lower from the front when you unsnap, unzip, or unhook the closure. You should be able to open the cup for nursing quickly and simply with one hand. (You'll be holding your hungry baby with the other.) If you can close it one-handed, too, even better. Most manufacturers have several nursing-bra lines, including models that are comfortable for sleeping or lounging; traditional, seamless "soft cup" and underwire styles; and super-supportive sports nursing bras that can take a pounding on the tennis court. The latest generation is nursing bras that are built into nylon/Lycra tank tops and T-shirts; discreet zippers offer quick breast-feeding access.
Whatever style you choose, proper fit is the key to breast-feeding success, says Lynne Andrako, R.N., clinical education specialist for Medela, a breast pump and nursing-bra manufacturer. Andrako is also a certified bra fitter and lactation consultant. A poorly fitting bra not only will be uncomfortable but also may increase the risk of plugged ducts and/or mastitis, a breast infection. An ill-fitting bra can put pressure on milk ducts, which may cause them to become plugged, and a magnet for infection-causing bacteria. Andrako estimates that 80 percent of women buy the wrong size nursing bra. Where do they go wrong? To accommodate their changing breasts (even early on, breasts enlarge and become heavier), women often increase their bras' band size but go up only one cup size.
Andrako says the rib cage can enlarge a bit during pregnancy, but generally not enough to warrant increasing the band size you normally wear. You can easily accommodate any increase by adjusting the hooks in the back. So if you're a 34 before pregnancy, chances are you'll be a 34 during and after, she says. But if you wore a C cup pre-pregnancy, you may go up to an F--or higher. Cup sizes usually go from A through D, then DD, DDD, F, G, H, and I.
SHOPPING SECRETS
Get fitted by a certified bra fitter. Yes, there's a certification program for bra fitting. When you're a nursing mother, getting a properly fitting bra is more important than ever. You'll want comfortable nursing bras that provide the right support--ones that don't bind, pinch, hike up in the back or front, or irritate breast tissue. Breasts change dramatically during pregnancy and lactation, when they enlarge even more. For optimum size and fit, go bra shopping no sooner than four weeks before your delivery date--your breasts will be nursing size by then. Your size may change again after you give birth, if only temporarily; that's why it's important to buy a bra with plenty of give. Shop at a maternity store and ask the saleswoman if there's a certified bra fitter on staff. This service is usually free of charge. If a certified bra fitter isn't available, a lactation consultant, perhaps one affiliated with the hospital where you'll deliver, can usually help. Many lactation consultants are also certified bra fitters.
When you're being fitted, you'll be measured under your arms. The tape will also be wrapped around your torso at the fullest point of the bust. The difference between the two measurements is your cup size. Once you get your official, post-measurement size, you can find a style you like and feel comfortable in. Don't be put off by the size the fitter recommends, which could be much different from what you normally wear. Keep an open mind and try it on before you decide whether it's right for you. Once you realize the difference in not only support and comfort but appearance (a properly fitting bra will make you look much better!), you won't be hung up on letters of the alphabet. You may not end up with the bra size you thought you'd wear, but the bra probably will fit well.
Once you're confident you've got the right size, buy online from that manufacturer or from a catalog, if you want to. If you're buying a bra you haven't tried on, double-check the retailer's instructions for measuring since brands may be sized differently, and make sure you can return it just in case. Or play it safe by buying all your nursing bras at the maternity store where you were measured.
Buy three to five bras. That should be enough to meet your needs, allowing you to have a couple of bras on deck and one or two in the wash. Plan to buy a sleep/loungewear bra for the early days of nursing when you'll want to wear your nursing bra and pads 24/7 for leakage control.
Shop as early as four weeks pre-delivery, as we mentioned, but no earlier. By then, your breasts will be nursing size, so you can be sure you'll get the correct size bra. Your breasts may enlarge even more after your milk comes in, so look for bras with cups that stretch. If you're still not comfortable, you may need to be fitted again.
If you're especially large-breasted, you may need to shop around. If the bras available in your local maternity store aren't large enough, try a specialty lingerie or "foundation" store instead. These shops usually can meet your needs and even custom-make bras in your size, if necessary.
Think twice before buying an underwire nursing bra. The pressure from the underwire support may contribute to breast maladies, such as clogged milk ducts. If you want to go this route, the same rules apply: Don't go by looks alone. Make sure the underwire bra you select is flexible and fits properly.
Don't bother with a high-maintenance nursing bra. There are nursing bras available that require hand-washing, so check the maintenance tag before you buy. Who has time for that? You won't. Because your baby will be high-maintenance enough, you don't want to spend any downtime you have on this laundry detail.
WHAT'S AVAILABLE
Some of the major brands, in alphabetical order, are Bravado (www.bravadodesigns.com), Elle Macpherson Intimates (available at retailers such as Nordstrom, www.nordstrom.com), Fancee Free (www.fanceefreemfg.com), Leading Lady (www.leadinglady.com), Medela (www.medela.com), Motherhood (www.motherhoodnursing.com), Playtex (www.playtexbras.com), and Second Nature (www.regallager.com). Major maternity retailers, such as A Pea in the Pod (www.apeainthepod.com) and Mimi Maternity (www.mimimaternity.com), have their own brand of nursing bras. Nursing bras range from about $4.99 (just the basics) to about $62 (designer bras with decorative lace).
ACCESSORIES
In addition to nursing bras, you'll need disposable or washable cotton pads that you can tuck inside to absorb any leakage. The disposable types are usually made of super-absorbent material that wicks moisture away from the skin. They're higher-tech than cotton nursing pads, but also more expensive. Both kinds prevent clothing stains and skin irritation and are invisible to the outside world.
You may also need adjustable bra strap pads that attach to any bra to relieve strap pressure and special bra shells that can protect sore nipples from irritation or help draw out inverted nipples.
You can find nursing pads, bra strap pads, and bra shells at drugstores; specialty maternity shops, such as Mimi Maternity, and baby product stores; and on Web sites such as www.medela.com.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The best nursing bras are stretchy, absorbent, and don't bind the breasts in any way that could interfere with milk flow. Look for bras that are 100 percent cotton or a cotton-Lycra blend or other stretchy synthetic. Since the right size bra is so important to getting breast-feeding off to a good start and reducing the risk of complications, such as clogged milk ducts, shop at a maternity store or visit a lactation consultant/certified bra fitter for at least your first bra. To find a lactation consultant in your area, contact the hospital or birth center where you'll deliver, or log onto the International Lactation Consultant Association at www.ilca.org. A professional fitting will ensure a comfortable fit and the correct size. Try on bras for size and feel, and practice with nursing pads in place. After you've bought one properly fitting bra, order more online or from a catalog. Many Web sites offer competitive deals. But stick with the manufacturer and style you were fitted with, or be fitted again, if you'd like to try a different style or brand.
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BEST FOR BREASTS |
