An ode to fluctuation:
Going from being pregnant to nursing to pregnant to nursing to pregnant and then to nursing again my bra size has gone up and down and up and down and up and down etc. to the point that my chest is having an identity crisis. None of my bras are fitting me properly anymore. I have such a hodge podge collection right now that contains bras from my way smaller days matched by bras from being pregnant with an almost 11 lb baby. I stare at the former wondering how pre-teen I must have looked in my 20's and the latter makes me think that my breasts carried the baby and not my womb.
This time around with nursing I have pretty much stuck to nursing tanks, which work out great and are super practical, but I am ready for a new look. I don't want something that boasts of being a bra and an undershirt all at once. The uni-boob by-product of the nursing tank can only get my post- third baby body self image so far. I am needing new bras that will make me feel like one hot momma.
So I started looking online for some cute nursing bras. I know it might sound like an oxy moron but I am determined to find something and find something I will... but first I needed to figure something out that I hadn't had a definite answer to in about 5 years...My bra size. Since my drawer is full of all different combinations of band and cup sizes I know that I fall into the huge and shocking group of 80% of women who wear the wrong bra size!
Many things can alter a woman's size: pregnancy, gaining weight and losing weight just to name a few. In my vast internet research...( I feel I should now hold a Ph.D in bra sizing) I discovered that cup size is proportional to band size. So a "B" cup in a 34 is a different size in a 36 band.
Essentially, you have to measure 2 things: (following is from this page)
Band Size: Keeping the measuring tape parallel with the ground, measure around your bra directly under your bust after expelling all air from your lungs - you want this measurement to be as small as possible. Round all fractional measurements to the nearest whole number.If the measurement is even, add 4"if the measurement is odd, add 5"
Cup Size: Standing straight, with your arms at your side, measure at the fullest part of your bust (while wearing a non-padded bra) making sure the measuring tape is parallel with the ground and not binding. Round all fractional measurements to the nearest whole number.
Calculate: Subtract your band measurement (step 1) from your cup measurement (step 2). Generally, for each inch in difference, the cup goes up by one size. Example: Step 1: 34" under measurement +4" = 38" band. Step 2: 40" over measurement. Step 3: 40" - 38" = 2" or Cup "B"Your size would be 38B
This bra size calculator is a great help. It does the math for you.
IT was great to review this... not because I had forgotten HOW to measure but that I had forgotten TO measure. Now that I am equipped with my size I am ready to restock...at least for right now in this stage of my fluctuating life!
Does anyone know of any cute nursing bras?
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3 comments:
You should check out figleaves.com and breakoutbras.com Their selections vary but you will probably have more luck there than the average department store.
Good Luck!
I like Medela nursing bras (you can find them at gap.com)...but there are probably cuter options out there!
Thanks, Celina. I did order a Medela one and like what it looks like, but its too big. They dont make my size so i tried to improvise and what i got was too big.
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