You may skip the maternity clothes (especially if you've got this) but you can never skip the maternity bras! Your girls will be growing as your pregnancy progress, soon, you can feel your pre-pregnancy bras digging into your skin and the underwires feeling uncomfortable (or even painful) against your breasts. Girls, it's time to shop for maternity bras!
1. What To Look For In Maternity Bras
As with our nursing bras reviews, the criteria to look for when choosing the best maternity bra are very similar. In fact, many refer to maternity bras and nursing bras interchangeably and yes, they are pretty much the same, except some maternity bras do not necessarily transcend to nursing functionality (those that do not open up easily) despite being designed to accommodate fluctuating breasts sizes.
1. Comfort
As mentioned, your girls will be growing in size when you are pregnant. It starts around the 6th to 8th week mark when you start to feel your bra getting tighter and they will continue growing throughout your pregnancy.
Comfortable bras for pregnancy should have no underwire, better, if they are seamless so that they do not dig into your skin. They should also have allowance to accommodate your growing breasts so that you do not need to buy a new bra for each cup increase.
2. Support
It goes without saying that when your breasts grow in size, they increase in weight too. A good maternity bra should give adequate support so that your breasts do not sag after pregnancy and nursing. You should look for those that have thick side and bottom bands as well as thick shoulder straps because your breasts will rely on these giving them the best support.
In our best maternity bra reviews below, we look at maternity bras that you can use during and after pregnancy so that you don't have to get two sets of bras separately. Savings for the pocket!
2. Top 4 Best Maternity Bras
The HOFISH Seamless Maternity Bra is the best bras to wear while pregnant.
Made from buttery soft fabric, this is the best pregnancy bra that is comfortable to wear for your everyday activities. The removable molded foam cups are 100% breathable and offer full coverage. The seamless and wide sides and bottom band fit our brief of providing maximum support to your growing breasts.
You can ease to nursing seamlessly (pun intended) with these maternity bras as they are designed with one-hand access and easy drop cups for convenient feeding.
Comes in pack of 3, they are very affordable and you will not regret getting the HOFISH Seamless Maternity Bra because really, it is the best bra during pregnancy. If you need just one bra to take you through pregnancy and breastfeeding, this is the one.
A good sleep bra should have no clasps or hooks and certainly no underwire so that you can sleep in comfort. These ultra-soft organic cotton sleep bras from Kindred Bravely fit just the brief of the best maternity sleep bra!
An Eco Excellence Award Winner, these are the best cotton bras that offer gentle wire-free support and keep your breast pads in place as you sleep. The simple crossover with thick banding underneath the bust give adequate support. You can also wear it during the day when a structured bra simply feels too much.
Likewise, it caters to your nursing needs after you give birth by featuring an easy one-handed, pull-aside nursing access. It is designed to accommodate multiple cup sizes and it goes up to size 40G, making it one of the best maternity bras for large breasts! Keep the following size guide in mind, and if unsure order for your band size first.
The Kindred Bravely Organic Cotton Sleep Bra is not just the best sleep bra to have while you're pregnant, moms continue to use it even after they finish breastfeeding for yoga or travel as it is just so comfortable. And for those that cannot find maternity bras for large breasts, this is a perfect solution for you!
Many moms love to continue exercising when they are pregnant (and even after when they are breastfeeding) and that is a good thing because keeping yourself active means keeping your body healthy!
Cake Lingerie High-Impact Maternity & Nursing Sports Bra will let you continue your active lifestyle in comfort and style, and keep your breasts in place when they grow with your pregnancy thanks to its supportive construction that minimises bounce.
The back is convertible in that you can wear it the normal shoulder way or you can utilise the o-ring to put the straps across in a racer-back position. Either way, they provide adequate support. You can continue using it postpartum and if you're breastfeeding, you'll be glad to know that the cup drops down for maximum skin-to-skin contact.
The cup is double-layered so it provides good modesty and is very accommodating for cup-size changes that you will experience throughout pregnancy and postpartum. It does have a flexi-wire but if your get a cup size that fits appropriately, you shouldn't experience any pressure or pain in any way as the wire will be well past any breast tissue. It is therefore important that you take measurements following the brand's sizing guide to get the right size.
The Cake Lingerie High-Impact Maternity & Nursing Sports Bra is truly one of the best sports bra for pregnancy that we'd highly recommend, though we'd also advise that you stick to workouts that are lower in terms of intensity (such as yoga) because you are, after all, pregnant.
Motherhood Seamless Strapless Maternity Bra is the best strapless nursing bra for those that are looking for one.
This feels as soft and comfortable as a sleep bra. The rucking effect at the bust gives your breasts shape as we all know, a lot of strapless bras tend to flatten your breasts and gives you the uniboob effect.
They do not have hooks or clasps that will dig into your skin, and the thick banding gives you medium support. It makes for a good nursing bra too as you can either pull it up or down to breastfeed and the band will keep it in place without sliding down.
We do note that strapless maternity bras are not as popular as other maternity bras, mainly because it lacks the support given by shoulder straps, but if you do not want to forego your strapless dresses/tops for 9 months (there's no reason you should), then the Motherhood Seamless Strapless Maternity Bra will be your great solution.
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Now that you know what are the best bras while pregnant, why not check out other maternity essentials that you will need throughout your pregnancy journey, and beyond?
