A question of Boobs…

I have never been very good with the whole getting measured for a bra malarky, I have been measured approximately three times in the past. Each time I have not been wholly convinced of the verdict. Just because the tape measure suggests you are a certain size, doesn’t mean that you are going to be comfortable or happy with the way your boobs look in that size. Many people I have spoken to have had differing experiences when being fitted and unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any consistency between fitting shops. The last time I was fitted I was advised that it was the band size that I needed to go by and not the cup size, due to varying styles available, it could affect the overall fit.

This seemed fair enough, I mean no one wants to be measured up a cup size smaller, well I don’t anyway. This made much more sense to me. According to recent figures 85% of women are wearing the wrong size bra, this article made me laugh though when apparently someone was measured for a bra at 32E and they were wearing a 36A. I am not so sure how someone can get it that wrong! However, it makes me wonder how many people are walking around in bras that are not comfortable because they have been fitted a certain size? I know I would be now if I had listened to the advice I was given on a couple of occasions.

Now does anyone enjoy trying on bras? I could make a whole day of it, not because I enjoy it, but simply because I feel like I need to take half of the lingerie department in the changing room with me (bras that is!). There are only certain styles that I like and after years of wearing them you get to know what will look right and what will not. I know that as long as the bra doesn’t ride up my back and supports me properly, then it is doing the job it needs to.

Now I am pregnant again it has brought up the whole fitting issue again. I switched to non wired as soon as I felt I needed to and am now pondering the prospect of being measured. Why now? I am not so sure but I feel that maybe I didn’t look after my assets as well as I should have done with my first pregnancy. I remember a friend commenting when I was breastfeeding about the enormous size of my boobs, I obviously knew they were bigger but I didn’t think ‘that’ much bigger. I was still wearing the same size as normal and not a very well made bra at that. What is bothering me this time is the toll another pregnancy will take on my figure and maybe now is the time to take stock and try and preserve some gravity for as long as possible. They have done well so far, it would be a shame to let them head south before they really need to. I know that day will come but not yet.

I was recently pointed in the direction of a an online tool which is available on the Marks and Spencers website. They have recently launched a Maternity Bra Advice Tool, which allows you to select your week of pregnancy and give your tailored advice from their technical head of Lingerie, Julia Mercer.

Julia says: “Women should get their breasts measured every six months in order to ensure that they’re wearing the correct size bra, but during pregnancy regular visits to a bra fitter are more essential than ever. With all the changes occurring in your body there won’t ever be a time when it’s more important to be comfortable”.

The idea is that it can serve as a reminder for women as to when throughout their pregnancy they need to get fitted and re-fitted for a maternity bra. I was intrigued by this seeing as I tend to do my own thing when it comes to buying bras and do not conform to set styles and ranges. My ‘maternity’ bras at the moment are from M & S but not from the maternity range, simply because I didn’t find a style that I liked in the rather small range. Sadly the bras on the opening page are not available when you view the range, I am not sure why the model would be wearing a bra that is not actually for sale, this is very misleading and disappointing.

I opted for a non wired pack of two bras, that are extremely comfortable and do the job. They have various colours and here is my favourite, the purple one, I think I need about 4 more…Unfortunately I can’t find them in my local store so I shall keep hunting.

With regards to the information on the site, it is very useful. It advises you about what is happening to your breasts during pregnancy, the significance of proper support, what to do at your particular stage and then in the future. It states that you will more than likely be 4 cup sizes bigger and 2 underbands bigger. Maybe then I do need to seek some guidance this time as it’s clearly quite possible for people to cram their boobs into a space that shouldn’t really accommodate them!