A Guide to Bras after Breastfeeding

We had an absolutely lovely customer write to us recently who remarked that all of the information regarding maternity and nursing bras was missing one amazing part of a woman’s life – when she stops breastfeeding – and she was absolutely right!

No matter how long a woman decides to breastfeed, there will be changes to her bust when she stops. The human body is remarkably diverse in how it responds, even with the same woman with a different pregnancy. I’d like to add the caveat that this won’t necessarily be true for every woman, but that being said, here’s a short guide to looking for bras after breastfeeding.

What to do and what to look for

BAND SIZE TOO BIG

After your baby is born and perhaps even after weaning, the first change is likely your rib cage shrinking resulting in your band size decreasing. For me, I went from a 14 during pregnancy, a 12 during nursing, and then a 10 after breastfeeding finished. Actually the first time I came in for a refitting I got a little too excited and bought a lime green in a size 8 because I was just so thrilled to be wearing underwires again! For now, keep adjusting the hooks and eyes on the band to increase the firmness of the bra (that’s what they’re there for). When you can no longer tighten the bra, and it begins to ride up your back like this...

...it's time to come in to be fitted for the next back size down. This may happen just once, or a few times as your body changes.

CUPS TOO LOOSE

Here is where there is probably the most variation in women, and one of the biggest struggles with finding bras after breastfeeding – how the cup size (your bust size) changes. Some women’s busts shrink to much smaller than pre-pregnancy, some shrink just a little, and some stay at their new size. Pre-pregnancy I started as a 10F, and after breastfeeding stopped after being a HH, I went down to a 10GG. If you ever see your bra looking like this:

...then the cup is no longer fitting. The cup is now too big (and maybe old and stretched). As a quick fix, tighten the straps on your bra to adjust the fit as much as possible, and when you can, come in to be fitted for your new cup size.

STYLE CHANGE

After all the amazing work your body has achieved, your breasts can be a little softer, and sometimes your favourite styles from pre-pregnancy don’t quite look or feel the same. You can continue to wear nursing bras, or wirefree, particularly if they are still fitting you well, however we find that a month or so after completely stopping breastfeeding is the time most women prefer to return to an underwire. If you don’t feel great in your bra, aren’t comfortable, or just don’t like the look, come in store or book a ZoomFit and let the team at Brava help. Honestly, mums returning to underwires are some of the most joyous customers we get, and we adore helping them.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, the following styles are great and work well on post-breastfeeding shapes:

We have a wide selection so if you want to go a bit more ‘out there’ after wearing nursing bras we can certainly accommodate that too.

The time you are breastfeeding is certainly some of the busiest and craziest, weaning can be the start of a wonderful new stage of life no matter when you stop breastfeeding, its certainly different to being the Mum of a newborn! At Brava, we love being a small part of making this time easier for you! Please don’t hesitate to contact us either in store or on our Helpline if you have any queries.

Rachel is the Procurement and Supply Manager at Brava Lingerie, and is passionate about the challenge of hunting down beautiful lingerie in D+ cups from around the world. When she isn't researching bras, she is wrangling her two delightful daughters, engaging in healthy debate with her husband, and accidentally cooking for 12. Also Netflix, a lot of Netflix.