Keeping your chebs in place

When I found out I was expecting I knew that there would be a stage which meant I would struggle to find clothes to wear. .. never did I imagine my first issue would be my underwear! !

At only 11 weeks I was measured and found that I'd gone from more than a handful 36DD to a rather explosive 38GG! To my utmost horror the bra fitter of a well known high street chain told me I had to stop wearing my underwires and brought me two maternity bras to try on.

If this wasn't bad enough the bras were horrid.  I asked if they had any others and the answer was "Yes" but not in my rather large size.  As I was rather desperate I bought them but now I'm fed up and want something pretty but practical.  This is proving much harder than I realised without breaking the bank!

So I've been doing a little research.  My boobs are only going to grow more, and now I'm finding I need to wear something at night too.  So I need comfy bras during the day, something to sleep in, and ultimately I'll need something for nursing.

If I wasn't so well endowed I could just shop in M&S and buy some fairly pretty bras at a not back breaking price.  So I turned to look at Department Stores, and online retailers like figleaves and bravissimo etc... To say I'm a little unimpressed is an understatement.

Come on people.  It's obvious... pregnant women = big boobs (generally), so why not provide more bras, nice ones, in those larger sizes?

So first off - sleep bras.  A quick google brings up M&S, Mothercare and Mamas and Papas as well as some other online retailers I've not come across before.  Looking at the ones we know, the bras are.... functional, which let's face it for night time - who really cares?  But in terms of a GG cup, that's a big fat no to M&S.  

The other two have their heads a little more screwed on and use clothing sizes so go up to 18 at Mamas and Papas, and 20 in Mothercare.  Mothercare do a pretty good value two pack for £20 which isn't too ugly either (but not super pretty): 

Mamas and Papas look much more comfortable and more supportive and are only £4 more for a two pack! 

Day to day comfortable maternity/nursing bras next then.  A whole host of providers come up under this category including, M&S, Mothercare, Figleaves, Debenhams, John Lewis, and Bravissimo.  

• M&S one rather plain and unappealing style at £28 for a two pack; 
• Figleaves lots of choice and prices ranging from £24 - £34 per bra, and some even have an underwire; 
• Mothercare at £28 for a nursing bra, while they don't do double cups above the D, they do go in single cups up to a J; 
• Debenhams have a few styles to choose from across a wide range of sizes and have a good value double pack for £22.40 in their Blue Cross Sale at the moment; 
• John Lewis offer a FF in an Elle Macpherson bra which is gorgeous but is a rather frightening £40, but very little else available in those bigger sizes
• Bravissimo - they have four styles in my size, not too bad, prices from £28 - £34 per bra, with no double packs on offer - so not exactly great value.

So all in all it ain't cheap and it ain't particularly pretty.  For the sake of a matter of months of wear pretty isn't essential, but the price needs to reflect that!  No-one buys a single bra - they have at least 3 or 4 day wear ones, and a couple of sleep bras.  Retailers and manufacturers have got a long way to go to making mums to be and new mums comfortable on a budget.  I think I'll be scouring ebay for secondhand!