Maternity/Nursing Bra

One of the purchases I have been fretting over is a nursing bra.

I plan on breastfeeding so a comfortable, flexible nursing bra is essential.  Ensuring you wear a good fitting bra is always important but even more so during and after pregnancy when there are so many changes going on to your body.   I was originally fitted for a maternity bra a few months ago and my back had gone up 1 size and my cup by 2 sizes!! I still went for underwired, pretty bras but I knew I would need to lose the underwire when it came to choosing a nursing bra.

I didn't want to buy a nursing bra too soon as I realise my rack could stack up a few extra notches even between now and birth.  However, at week 34 I thought it was at least a good idea to start getting used to non underwire bras as it would probably be more beneficial and comfortable for me in the latter stages of my pregnancy.

I was offered to go along to Debenhams for a bra fitting.  Until 26th April, Debenhams are offering £5 off when you spend £30 or more on lingerie when you have a bra fit in store.  Lingerie is expensive as it is so I thought this was a good deal to take advantage of, especially when you know you can trust the fitting service.

I was fitted by Shaunice at the Glasgow Debenhams and I couldn't have asked for a friendlier more helpful member of staff.  She measured mostly by eye but she backed up her findings with a measuring tape for good measure (literally).  She had me try on a number of bras and styles to ensure the sizing was just right and I was making the right choice for me - after all, I have never had to wear a nursing bra before!

Of course, the sizing may alter slightly once the baby is here and Shaunice made allowance for that when helping me choose a bra.  The style I chose can be be moved up a few notches as my back size decreases after birth so this will hopefully mean longer life out of them.

Miriam Stoppard Nurture nursing/maternity bras

The main brand that Debenhams stock is Miriam Stoppard nursing bras - remember Miriam? She used to do an agony aunt stint on TV but I can't for the life of me remember what programme. Answers on a postcard ... !  I went for 2 double pack bras of the Miriam Stoppard Nurture range, one in cotton and the other a silkier, nylon material.  They are so comfortable, even if they aren't the fanciest bras I have ever worn. They have a clasp at the top of each cup for nursing which is easy to function one handed.  Although, they aren't super fancy, to be honest they do just look like pretty t-shirt bras.

My underwire bras are starting to dig a little and hurt my back so I am looking forward to wearing these now and getting used to the fit and feel of them before baby's arrival.

Until 26th April, Debenhams are offering £5 off when you spend £30 or more on lingerie when you have a bra fit in store.

Bump Update - Week 33/34

How far along?  34 weeks and 4 days (It's been a full month since my last update) 

Total weight gain:  So a month ago my weight gain sat at 14lbs, this has now increased to 18lbs.  I honestly expected to have put so much more weight on by this stage so I am quite pleased the gain has been steady and balanced. 

Dress: Christoper Kane for Topshop
Watch: Swatch 

Maternity clothes?  I have given up on maternity clothes. Seriously. Hate them.  I obviously still need to wear maternity trousers and leggings but when it comes to tops, I am now trying to stick with bigger sizes as most maternity items make me look frumpy or just aren't that comfortable.  Maternity jeans are still my nemesis with the 3 pairs I own being an absolute nightmare to wear.  They are Topshop and ASOS brands, 2 have low waistbands and one with a high waistband.  All 3 pairs fall down constantly and just leave me looking rather undignified as i try and sort myself every 5 minutes! 

Stretch marks? One! My first stretch mark appeared about 3 weeks ago.  It's very low down so I think it may have gone unnoticed for a while but I am oiling and creaming it up whenever I can in the hope it fades.  Regardless of whether it does or not, I secretly take pride in my stretch mark, it is a reminder of this wonderful time, growing my baby. 

Sleep:  My sleep has been fine with the occasional middle of the night loo trip.  Getting back to sleep after this can take a while but for the most part it's fine.  I do get some very strange dreams however, and I have started snoring and making the strangest noises in my sleep, sometimes even waking myself up and my husband! 

Best moment this week:  My best moment was last week when I went for my hospital scan and they confirmed the baby's weight and size was absolutely fine so previous worries of the baby being too small have disappeared.  Another great moment was finishing up work for maternity leave on Friday! :)  

Worst Moment This Week:  My worst moment coincides with a great moment.  Finishing up work.  It all felt very surreal and on one hand i felt delighted to leave but most of the weekend since, I have felt really down in the dumps.  Maybe it's reality all hitting at once but other mums have told me this is pretty normal.  I am definitely feeling much better now so hopefully my miserable mood will not reappear. 

Food cravings:  Chocolate still seems to be top of my list at the moment despite the fact I don't feel like I enjoy it as I eat it! 

Miss anything? In the last few weeks, I have started to really miss alcohol.  I think this weekend's better weather really pushed me over the edge.  Where I would normally enjoy a glass of wine on a sunny evening, I am now sitting nursing an orange juice or glass of water and it just doesn't feel the same! 

Movement:  I am still getting lots of movement from baby ... my favourite is when I can see my whole tummy move.  I like to give him/her a wee pat and have a chat when this happens :) 

Anything making you queasy or sick:  I have randomly started feeling very queasy at bed time.  When I am about to fall asleep i think i am about to be sick but it soon wears off and i fall asleep. 

Belly button in or out?  In. 

Happy or moody most of the time?  Still pretty happy and relaxed with a touch of the blues over the weekend. 

Looking forward to:  We have pretty much finished our nursery and have moved on to decorating our spare bedroom which we will be moving into.  The work is in progress at the moment so I am looking forward to it being finished so I can feel properly organised!