I’m due any day now, and, well, my brain officially left the building about a week and a half ago! I likely won’t be posting for a couple of months while I get acclimated to Baby and sleep deprivation and feeding and diaper changing, unless I have a free moment to share something booby-related with you all. BUT! I don’t want to leave you hanging. There are TONS of great large breast blogs out there now which I’ve tried to keep up with in my blog roll (on the right side of my blog; just scroll down!)–highly recommended reading, all of them. Keep up with all the goings-on of the DD+ community with any one of these!
And, if you happen to have an idea for a DD+ guest post, whether it’s fashion or bra related or about topics that come up with having a large chest in general, please email me at info at stackdd.com. I’d love to consider it!
See you all on the other side….!!! Xx
In the last few posts, I’ve talked about how my breasts have changed over the course of my pregnancy, bra fitting and bra recommendations, and pregnancy bra fitting advice that REALLY didn’t work for me and why. But undergoing all this change hasn’t been cheap! No one’s ever going to have the same type of breast change in pregnancy, but I thought it might be helpful to see exactly how I got by with bras during my pregnancy and share some tips for saving money while your chest is in flux. So, without further ado…
WHAT I WORE IN BRAS, beginning of pregnancy through 36 weeks:
Yesterday I showed you what happened with a pregnancy bra fitting that went awry. The results were not pretty! So I picked Linda’s brain (from Linda’s Bra Salon) to see why the advice used to fit me–be able to fit a whole handful in the top of each cup–didn’t work.
Q: Ack!! Help! What happened with these bras?
All right, as promised, today I’m going to dive in with some of the pregnancy bra fitting advice that *didn’t* work for me!
One very reputable store I went to tried their very best to fit me, but here’s what happened when I wore the new bras I purchased from them. Sorry for the gruesome photo, but this is simply a case where the picture explains it much better:
So what happened here?
I love when other bloggers round up their favorite inspirations, news, and reads so I can catch up on everything I’ve missed. But I have been so inconsistent about doing it here! I’m hoping to do this more often if you find it helpful. And coming shortly, a post with the rest of my pregnancy/nursing bra fittings, mishaps, and recs.
XO, Sarah
- First, the exciting news that we in the US have our first Curvy Kate Star in a Bra, the lovely Krista Cousins! I love her positivity and energy for transforming the bra landscape here in America: “The time for a beautiful, busty, body revolution is now and I am very prepared to lead us all to victory.” Krista went into the contest thinking she was a 34 or 36 F and discovered she’s a 30GG. Here’s to more women finding bras that fit well and signing up for a good fitting at their local specialty lingerie shop or via Skype!
- The Lingerie Addict interviews new nursing bra brand Lorna Drew’s managing director Lorna Drew on how she came up with her adjustable cup concept and her passion to help support nursing moms. I’ve been following this company as one of the only ones I’ve seen who makes 30 bands up to a J cup (UK) with something resembling a normal shape and am interested to see how it stacks up to other nursing brands out there.
- Christine at Boosaurus reviews the first two of a handful of finds from brand-new boob-friendly Polish clothing company Urkye. (Between Ewa Michalak, Comexim, Biu Biu, and Urkye, my Google Polish-to-English translator has been getting a workout!
- Braless in Brasil continues her series on Victoria’s Secret terrible fit advice with a guest post from Boosaurus giving their in-store fitting services a (forehead-smacking) go.
- H cup and up? Holly rounds up 10 great H-L cup bra picks over at the Full Figured Chest.
- Know you’re in the wrong bra size but still feel shy, funny, weird, or intimidated to get a fitting with a real pro (*not* Victoria’s Secret)? Butterfly Collection’s guest post this week shares the story of her sister-in-law who found being in a well-fitted bra helped her stopped being ashamed of her chest.
- I’m loving this bright coral or soft lilac Lululemon running top! It has a super cute back cut-out with a girly lace trim that looks like it would still accommodate our extra-wide DD+ sports bra straps. Plus, like many Lulu tops, it seems long enough that it wouldn’t ride up in the front from the extra fabric the boobs take up. Has anyone tried this??
Let’s talk some more about pregnant boobs!
Last week I showed you how my breasts had changed from the first trimester to week 33 of my third trimester and gave the actual measurements of how they changed. But keeping up with all that in bras? Now that’s been a learning experience, so I wanted to share some of the tips and hints I’ve gotten from professional bra fitters for pregnancy along the way and how they worked for me, as well as a few things I discovered, too.
(PS: I know I promised to post this last week, but my brain died last Thursday–thank you, Baby StackDD+! It seems it has finally returned to functional today. Thank you, God!)
Tip #1:
This was so hard! All the stories you guys shared were awesome and so positive–it’s amazing how much a bra that fits well can transform how we feel about ourselves!
I love reading about how you learned that things that were taken as a given with bras became signs of ill fit:
- “Though I noticed that the straps either dug in or slipped off, breasts fell out of cups etc I thought that was the norm so I sailed along in my youthful ignorance.” — The Baroness
- “I didn’t know how a good bra should fit, I didn’t know a good bra could make my breasts look amazing, I didn’t know a good bra would make clothes fit properly. Worst of all, I didn’t know that constant back pain and sore breasts are NOT a normal part of wearing a bra. … I set out to fix my bra problem. … [T]urns out I’m a 32G/30GG!” –Kaya
And how you reacted to learning your new size and wearing the right bra:
- “I wore too-small bras for years, where the band was too big and the cups too small. I didn’t really know any different, though, so I was incredibly surprised to find out my true size when I finally went to a small bra boutique–I’d been about 4 cup sizes off!” — Nora
- “[My first bra fitting] made me realize that my breasts are neither too large, nor too small, they are mine – and perfect exactly the way they are.” — Megan
- “[E]ven though I don’t look like a D cup, I found I was …. and all three of us–my two girls and me-feel and look great!!!” –Kim L
- “Getting my first accurately-sized bra in the first time in years was a revelation.” — Lena
And the best part? How your new bras are working for you:
- “Before, I tried my hardest to cover up (which can be hard, since even the smallest v-necks always seemed to show too much.) Now I’m a lot more comfortable wearing shirts that I would have never worn before. And I think they fit better, too. — Katie
- “[E]ven a relatively boring bra can really flatter my figure.” –Reesa
- “My boobs didn’t droop anymore. I no longer resembled someone’s grandmother. I had a waist, and it was tiny! Looking at my reflection in that mirror, for once truly supported, I felt beautiful—unreservedly, without exceptions or addendums, beautiful—for the first time in my life.” –Eileen
The winner gets this!!
While all of your stories moved me, and I found many parts of Eileen and Katie’s stories, especially, that I could identify with, the person I selected to win still hasn’t found a bra to fit her. She hasn’t yet experienced the rest of these a-ha moments but is on the verge, guessing that she’s a 34I (34G in Claudette). So CASSIDY, I’d like you to be able to know what a bra in your actual size can do for you! I’d love to help get you in your first well-fitting bra with Claudette’s help!!
CASSIDY’S STORY:
To be honest, I still have never had a properly fitting bra. I wear ones that will “work” but I just can’t bring myself to spend the money on a good fitting bra. (I think I wear a 34I but could be very off on that after reading all your tips) I would love, love, love to win this so that I can finally see how it is!
Thanks again to everyone who entered! This is the second giveaway I’ve been able to host, and I hope to have the opportunity to do so again! To keep up with contests and the rest of my posts, you may want to consider subscribing to my Feedburner on the sidebar to have my latest entries delivered to your inbox so you don’t miss a thing 
Xx
Just when you feel you’ve made peace with your big boobs…Pregnancy! Even before I became pregnant, I wondered how much bigger my boobs would get, how I’d feel about it, and what it would look like. And I also wondered how the growth would translate to bra size and finding a good fit.
There’s nothing better than just showing you all how they changed, so here’s a photo journal through my pregnancy. Originally DH and I just took these photos for us to look back on, so you get an uncensored look at how exactly I was feeling toward the end of my first trimester (who needs a nap in photo 4??) and how awesome I felt in my second (beaming smiles in every one of those photos…ha!).
Top row, L to R: Week 6, Week 7, Week 10, Week 12, Week 15
Bottom row, L to R: Week 18, Week 24, Week 26, Week 29, Week 32 [breech baby]
So how exactly did my bust grow?
I think one of you lovely readers needs some neon green in her life…some Claudette Dessous neon green that is! Together with the amazing team over at Claudette Lingerie I’m super thrilled to be part of their month-long Dessous launch and help give away one of these gorgeous green sets this week!
Buh-bye, boring grandma bras! Claudette just blows me away with their collections. Cool mesh in a range of bright colors, like turquoise, violet, and orange? How could you *not* feel amazing all day knowing you’re wearing this under your clothes? read more…
This Ewa Michalak review is long overdue, but there’s a reason for that. I’ve had these bras for 8 weeks now. I really wanted to wear each style several times before I added my opinion to the many rave reviews out there for these bras, because frankly I’m a bit torn on them. To start, here’s what I ordered:
