Nursing mothers have some of the toughest jobs on the planet and they need to be taken care of. Nursing can be good things, but it is also extremely painful and many mothers cannot or don’t know how to effectively deal with it. We have decided to help you out as a nursing mom and with the best nursing bras, you will have much more comfortable and enjoy life to the max while breastfeeding.
In this article, you will find the top things that you should know when selecting one of these bras. We have also included our selection of the best 7 nursing bras that will ensure you have much more comfort and reduced pain when going about your everyday life.
The difference between a maternity bra and a nursing bra:
Many women get confused when looking for a nursing bra and they forget that maternity bras are quite similar. The maternity bra and nursing bra can be used for the same purposes and many women choose to go over to the nursing bra in the last trimester of their pregnancy. We decided to look at the differences between the maternity and nursing bra:
- Maternity bra: Since every pregnancy is different and women do not know how much their cup sizes will increase, the maternity bra is a great choice and it offers great stability and support. The maternity bra is not as elastic and the more rigid design will offer pregnant women the added support.
- Nursing bra: The nursing bra is a little more flexible and it is designed specifically for breastfeeding. One of the key traits of these bras is the ability to drop down and expose the breast for easy breastfeeding. The bras still offer great support, but with more spandex, they are also a little more flexible.
Key features to consider when choosing the best nursing bra:
Since many women know the basics of how these bras look and what they should do, they often times neglect to look at a few other features that could make the process that much better. Here are a few features that should be considered when looking for the best nursing bra:
- Fit: The fit is one of the most important aspects that you will need to look out for when selecting a nursing bra. Since you will be wearing the bra for prolonged periods of time, you should be looking at how it feels and whether or not it is capable of stretching over the shoulders.
- Support: It is fundamentally important that you do look at support. The support that the bra offers will be how it alleviates pain and helps you to get through the day. Under cup, support is the most important and this will ensure that you maintain your posture, while the side support will keep you from feeling like dragging along the world.
- Closures: the closure of the bra will be the way that you take it off and put it back on again. The front flap closures are the most common and these are really comfortable, while it can be fastened at the strap to ensure that you have a more secure and comfortable fit to carry you throughout the day.
- Adjustability: If you are wearing the nursing bras during the final trimester of your pregnancy, you will notice that the breast might become even more enlarged by the end of your pregnancy. The adjustability will allow you to get some versatility and will allow you to get the bra into position and even the right size for when you find that your breasts are beginning to swell even more.
- Color and style: Whether you are pregnant or not, you as a woman will still feel the need to feel into fashion and comfortable with the style of bra that you are wearing. When selecting the bra, you should look at the right style that will be more comfortable as well as the color that matches your clothing.
- Padding: The additional padding found in nursing bras is included to help alleviate the sensitivity from carrying the milk. The better the pads, the more comfortable they will be when you are wearing them and we highly recommend that you look for reinforced padding to ensure that you have the utmost of comfort.
Bras, in general, are not that intricate, but these are the most important features that you should consider focusing on when purchasing a nursing bra. If you have all of these features in your bra, you will have a great time when breastfeeding and nursing. We have not included the price, as having the best quality bras can be quite expensive.
Top 7 nursing bras of 2017:
Now that you should be an expert in choosing the right nursing bra, we have decided to choose our top 7 nursing bras that should make the choice that much easier for you. These bras perfectly match our criterion in the above-mentioned section and will definitely be affordable to the average mother on her way to nursing a baby:
3PACK Women’s Seamless Nursing Bra Bralette S-XL
The 3Pack women’s Seamless Nursing bras from HOFISH are some of the most comfortable that you could find on the market today. These bras are designed from nylon and spandex and since they are seamless, they should not leave any opportunity for you to get abrasions.
The bras feature molded foam cups and this will perfect from the first day that you wear them. The shoulder straps are also very easy to adjust and should present you with a ton of comfort. We also love the breathability of the material and how much ventilation they will let through.
The bras are also really affordable and since you will get three, they can be easily rotated to give each one some rest. The addition of extenders also makes them very versatile and should be ideal for when the baby is born.
Kindred Bravely French Terry Racerback Nursing Sleep Bra
The Kindred Bravely French Terry Racerback nursing sleep bra is a much softer bra that can be used for sleeping and for wearing in the comfort of your own home. The bra does not have any wires in and this means that they will be great for reducing the possibility of having abrasions.
These bras also sit quite loose and the front flap can easily be moved aside to allow you access for breastfeeding. The Rayon and Bamboo combination of materials is perfect for comfort, while the spandex offers you some flexibility.
This set of bras is quite affordable and they are highly recommended for using at night times. They offer decent support and should keep the nursing pads in place as well.
CAKYE Women’s Nursing Tank Sleep Bra
Designed from comfortable soft cotton, the CAKYE women’s nursing Tanks sleep bra is one of the most comfortable and softest that you can buy when your breasts start feeling sensitive. The bras also do not have any wires and while this might influence the support, it will make the bra much more comfortable at night.
These bras can also easily be opened up and they will be perfect for the breastfeeding mother. If you are not breastfeeding, this bra will also give you great ventilation for using as a yoga bra and provide you with maximum comfort.
The bras are available in multiple colors and even though it is quite expensive we would definitely still recommend it for nursing mothers.
Bravado! Designs Women’s Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra
The Bravado! Designs Women’s Body Silk Seamless nursing bra is predominantly designed from nylon. It also includes around 10% of Spandex just to ensure that you have flexibility, but the tighter design is made to ensure that you as a nursing mother have maximum support during the day.
No underwires have been integrated and this means that the bras can easily drop down, which makes them very good for breastfeeding on the go. The straps are fully adjustable and this will make the bra perfect for those looking to buy a bra early in the pregnancy.
Since you only get one bra, this bra is rather expensive and might not be affordable to every mother. We would still recommend it for the fit and the versatility, which should give you long-term use as well as excellent comfort.
Elomi Women’s Smoothing Underwire Molded Nursing Bra
Featuring a molded cup design and flexible underwires, the Elomi Women’s Smoothing bra is the perfect bra for the pregnant working mother. The bra offers some added support that can be seen as the same that you should find in a good maternity bra.
The bra also features wider straps that can be adjusted and this ensures that the bra never slips off your shoulders. The banded frame at the back will also ensure that you have maximum support when walking.
One of the key selling points of this bra is the drop down cup and it offers fast and easy access when breastfeeding. The bra might be expensive, but we would definitely recommend it for use as a maternity/slash nursing bra.
Kindred Bravely Simply Sublime Nursing Bra
The Kindred Bravely Simply Sublime bra is also a multifunctional bra that can be used for nursing and for maternity. The bra features soft materials that will mold to the shape of your breasts and with the added memory they have, you should always have the same fit.
This bra can also be stretched without adjustment when you feel that your breasts are swelling and the cups can also be adjusted to drop down for easy access when breastfeeding. This bra is also highly recommended by medical professionals and has won the PTPA award for its comfort.
The bra is also really affordable when compared to many other high-end brands and we would certainly recommend them for nursing and maternity.
The Marvella Maternity & Nursing Women’s Plunge Bra
Last but certainly not least, we have the Marvella Maternity and Nursing women’s Plunge Bra. The bra is a Crisbie Award winner and it features molded cups with no wires for maximum comfort and elasticity.
The bra is also low-cut and this means that it should perfectly fit almost any wardrobe style that you wear outside of the house and the drop down cups offer you the freedom of easy breastfeeding.
We would highly recommend this bra on its reputation and the price. It is still really affordable and should give you great comfort and support.
Enjoy the beauty of pregnancy in comfort and style:
We would like to thank you for reading this article and we certainly do hope that you have found the ideal bra for your pregnancy. We would like you to let us know in the comment section below if you have any experience with these bras and whether or not you think we might have missed any of your favorites.