How to choose a maternity bra?

For a future mom, the moment of changing the bra type occurs at around 16th week of pregnancy. At this point of time women’s breasts start to grow for you to produce milk for your future child. Many women think that’s unimportant and just go buy a bigger sized bra, but that’s a completely wrong approach. Not only it will cause you discomfort during the pregnancy period, but it may damage your healthy breasts.

So you need to carefully choose your bra, so that there are no disorders during the breast growth period. Also you may need the second maternity bra if your breasts grow more than you expected. Be prepared to spend additional money on an extra item. But still you need the best maternity bra in terms of comfort and minimum expenditures possible.

Main points of choosing the first bra:

• Go to the specialized store for maternity clothes and ask for the shop assistant’s help. Buying the first  bra on your own may result in the second trip to the shop and additional money spent  on clothing

• But, don’t give in to the thought that the time you buy your first maternity bra will be the first and the last time. That means that you should never buy a maternity bra with room to expand as your breast grows, as it won't sit on your breasts properly enough

• To save money for future you can try a nursing bra, which is the same as maternity bra, but has drop cups openings to feed your future baby

• The best option is to ask  a doctor in recommendation for choosing the bra, but you may have to pay for the visit

• You don't need the wired bras

• Measure the band and cup size and round it up a big higher. So you won’t have any discomfort with tightness. You can use an ordinary tape

• If the maternity bra firs perfectly then the cup has to cover your breast, so that no part of breast is falling out

• Always try breast on before buying the item. It’s the only way to be exactly sure that you've will have a comfortable bra with a good fit. Don't be afraid to spend much time on this procedure

Following these points can ensure that you bought your first and undoubtedly the best maternity bra.

Later on just follow the same rules to ensure you have the most comfortable piece of maternity clothing you need. Also follow the tips on fitting the bra for your body.

Here the additional video to get more insight:

What will clothes will you need? Part I

The overall 9 months of pregnancy can cost you about 2500 $ or more and it doesn’t include the expenses on clothes! So you need to be careful in optimizing your budget that you are going to spend on your everyday attire. Just remember about the 3 factors when buying clothes.

There’s quite a list of things you will need, but here are the most useful items that will be covered today.

Special Bras for maternity period

Maternity Bra

These bras are essential part you our everyday clothes and well-being, so you need to choose the best maternity bras to suit yourself with. 

The average price of good quality maternity bras is around 15-20 $, so don’t try to save money here. But remember that buying maternity bras over 30 $ is not a good sign of you being a good money saver.

Stretch trousers, blouses

Stretch trousers 

Another vital everyday piece of clothes. The trousers are designed in such a way that they can adapt to your changing body shape from start of your pregnancy period to long after birth. So you again need a good quality pair of trousers for a long-term wearing period. 

Average price for those is 17-20 $.

Skirts/Dresses of any kind, but with elastic waistbands

Skirts with elastic waistabands

The same thing applies for skirts, but they need to have a special waistband that can expand as your body grows.

The average price for those is around 15-17 $. Though you if you can afford a really beautiful dress over 30$, you can do it to please your relatives’ eyes. But you can do this only once.

Maternity support band

Maternity support band

Maternity support band provides your growing tummy with comfort and helps to preserve body temperature. 

The average price for those is around 15 $, so don’t bother with purchasing expensive bands over 30 $ with any pictures etc. as nobody will really look at them.

The rest of the essentials for the pregnancy period will be covered in the next post.

Main tips

When it comes to maternity clothes, there are 3 main factors to look at

The first factor depends on how much can you spend on the clothes, so the first factor is affordability. Today, there are many clothes companies that like to profit on women during their vulnerable stage, so you need to be careful in spending your budget on the best clothes for your pregnancy period. Especially, you don’t want to spend a lot of money on clothes you are going to need only for a couple of months. You don’t need luxury clothes for pregnant women as for 1 expensive item you can easily buy 3 or more items of equal quality.

The second factor is comfort. For ordinary maternity clothes to become best maternity clothes for you, it must be extremely comfortable. It needs to stretch when you sit, bend or do something that requires flexibility. For example, you always need a couple of stretchy trousers or jeans, especially when your tummy starts to grow as pregnancy progresses. 

And lastly, the clothes for pregnancy period must be practical. You must be able to wear it daily without any difficulties. If you still wish to continue to work, but in lesser extent, buy some classic (black/white/brown) clothes and vary it. The fabric of the apparel should be of high quality to ensure that you don’t get cold or sweat too much while wearing it.

And of course the clothes should appeal to your own eye. Sometimes it’s hard to choose, but sometimes you just see the item and think “ That’s exactly what I need to be happy!”

Together those 3 main factors and the beauty factor are the key to ensuring that you wear the best clothes for you pregnancy period. 

Here are some other tips and tricks that should be considered: 

• You can borrow used clothes from your family/friends if you can’t afford that much clothes or like to vary it frequently

• Don’t invest too much money in expensive designer clothes, 

• But don’t be a cheapskate - some clothes that you will wear must be of high quality, so it won’t become rags after a few washing machine sessions

• Don't buy attire, that isn’t suitable for pregnancy period, like skinny jeans and other tight apparel

• Don't buy apparel that is uncomfortable (cuts into skin), such as tight bras or tops, as they can affect your future ability to breastfeed