You’re wearing the wrong bra!

At the risk of oversharing, I must report that I am wearing a gorgeous new bra today! It’s a size I never would have tried on - and frankly, didn’t know existed. But a professional fitting by a bra expert confirmed what I’d suspected: I was wearing the wrong size bra. That’s why my straps were always falling down and I just wasn’t comfortable; my band was too big around and my cups - yes, they runneth over. Turns out, most women have the same fit issue. The day the bra fitter came to our offices, we held an open call for staffers to come and get measured. Forty-five women showed up and not one was wearing the correct size! Bet your bra is the wrong size too!

We chose six lucky volunteers to participate in a bra makeover. They let us photograph them “before,” in their old bra, and “after,” in a new bra our expert chose for them in their actual correct size. We chose these women because we knew our readers would be able to relate to at least one of them, whether you’re big busted or small, two different sizes, or maybe losing weight and changing sizes. Check out our makeovers in the April issue, where you’ll also learn how to measure yourself, how to determine if a bra fits properly, where to buy new bras, and even how to put on your bra (chances are, you’re doing it wrong!).

This story was more eye-opening for me than maybe any other I’ve worked on at ShopSmart. It’s incredible that something we rely on every day is really not working for us! When our makeover volunteers put on their new bras, every one of them told us that they felt transformed. They only looked better (thinner!), they stood up straighter, and one woman even said that she stopped having shoulder pain once she was properly fitted!

So why are we getting so wrong? I think there are a few main reasons: Women just keep buying the same size they’ve always bought. They may not bother to try on new bras. But the biggest problem, in my opinion, is that most mainstream stores carry a very limited size range. If you’re very small or very big, you’re probably out of luck. So women do the best they can with what they can find. And most stores that sell bras don’t offer measuring, so we’re really on our own.

No more! Read “The perfect bra for you” in the April issue of ShopSmart. Get yourself measured, either by yourself or by a professional. Then buy yourself some new bras. And let us know the results!

By Jody Rohlena on March 12, 2012 06:02:00 pm

Medela Nursing Camisole Covers With Natural Fibers

Medela, the company who makes breastfeeding more comfortable for new moms, has introduced a new nursing tank. This camisole comes in black and white and allows you to pump hands free with their Freestyle pump. It is made from all natural bamboo fiber which is breathable, aborbs moisture and has natural anti-bacterial properties.

The drop cup openings make it easy to nurse anytime and anywhere. As a mommy still trying to get back into shape 9 months after giving birth, I know it’s not my breast I’m worried about exposing while nursing in public; it’s my belly. This is why I love nursing camisoles.

Granted, as a woman with rather large breasts, the nursing camisole isn’t the most flattering undergarment. It leaves me a little droopy. Let’s be honest. It gives me a big droopy uniboob. However, it is comfortable. I have support, just not the same kind of support I was used to before I became more focused on breastfeeding than I was on cleavage. This isn’t a complaint. It is just a fact.

I do wish that the sizing information available associated the Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large sizing, with the appropriate cup size. I was given a Large to try and I think that an Extra Large would have been more comforatable for me. Still, I use it and enjoy it.

The fabric is just divine. I wish all my clothes were made from this fabric. The camisole is also extra long. My biggest complaint about camisoles, and I wear a lot of camisoles, is that they are too short. I want for my camisole to be a little longer than the shirt I am wearing (remember hiding the belly), and the Medela camisole is just that. It is the perfect length.

It’s no surprise that Medela would get a prop for their new nursing tank. They are the experts, after all.

Nov 13, 2008
Written by Marty, who also blogs at Triangle Mamas. She wrote this post one handed while nursing her son Christopher.
Medela Nursing Camisole Covers With Natural Fibers Props and Pans

Undercover Mama Nursing Bra Tank Top Camisole - NEW!

New Undercover Mama Nursing Bra Tank Top Camisole

Make ANY shirt a nursing shirt with Undercover Mama!

Description

Undercover Mama is a strapless undershirt that hooks onto the drop cup of your nursing bra, thereby creating a camisole out of your nursing bra. Discreet, stylish, and practical, Undercover Mama makes nursing your baby easy and convenient, at home or away!



Features and Benefits

- Fit where you need them to while keeping you covered in style.

- Made from quality material that is soft and stretchy for coverage, support and built to last.

- Available in a variety of colors so they can be worn under any top.

- Can be machine washed in cold water

How does it work? (also see videos below)

Step One: Hook Undercover Mama to the drop-cup of your nursing bra.

Step Two: Nurse with ease and Undercover modesty

New Medela Nursing Bras Introduced in October - Seamless Jacquard and Seamless Microfiber

Medela has just launched two new Seamless Nursing Bras:

- Seamless Jacquard
- Seamless Microfiber

Seamless Jacquard Nursing Bra

The Seamless Jacquard Nursing Bra provides optimal everyday support.  It is available in underwire and wire-free (softcup) styles and is made with a breathable Coolmax inner frame to keep you cool and confident.

The underwire style features a pretty floral jacquard fabric which is completely smooth under clothing.  Both wire-free (softcup) and underwire styles feature an extra-wide scoop back with 3 or 4 hook closures and gently supporting non-stretch straps.  The Jacquard Nursing Bra features a breastfeeding reminder that slides from side to side to help moms remember which side they last breastfed from.

- Easy one-hand release clasp

- Unique inner cups surround each breast, giving much needed support whether outer cups are open or closed

- Tapered-in straps won't fall off shoulders

Lined drop cup gives support and full coverage

- Breastfeeding reminder clip slides from side to side so mom remembers which side the baby last fed from

- Comfortable no-tag design

- Compatible with hands free pumping

- Other sizes, colors and styles available

Seamless Microfiber Nursing Bra

The Seamless Microfiber Nursing Bra provides optimal everyday support and is designed for larger cup sizes.  Available in underwire and wire-free (softcup) styles, this nursing bra is also made with a breathable Coolmax inner frame to keep you cool and confident.

The soft microfiber underwire style features a perfectly smooth look under clothing.

- Easy one-hand release clasp

- Unique inner cups surround each breast, giving much needed support whether outer cups are open or closed

- Cushioned wider straps relieve shoulder pressure and help prevent strap dig-in

- Lined drop cup gives support and full coverage

- Comfortable no-tag design

- Compatible with hands free pumping.

Both these new nursing bras are now available at Mom and Baby Shop

Breastfeeding Does Not Make Breasts Sag, Study Suggests

Breastfeeding won’t make a new mom’s breasts sag, but having more babies might, a new study indicates.

"A lot of times, if a woman comes in for a breast lift or a breast augmentation, she'll say 'I want to fix what breastfeeding did to my breasts,'" said University of Kentucky plastic surgeon Brian Rinker. So he decided to study any possible connection.

Rinker and his colleagues interviewed 132 women who came in for breast lifts or augmentation between 1998 and 2006. On average, the women were 39 years old, and 93 percent had experienced at least one pregnancy. Among the mothers, 58 percent had breastfed at least one of their children. The average duration of breastfeeding was nine months.

The results of the study, presented this week at a conference of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, showed no difference in the degree of breast ptosis (or sagging) between women who breastfed and those who didn't.

The main factors that did affect sagging were age, smoking status and the number of pregnancies a woman has had.

Rinker noted that the smoking connection made sense because "smoking breaks down a protein in the skin called elastin, which gives youthful skin its elastic appearance and supports the breast."

Pregnancy also "has a very strong contribution to breast ptosis (sagging)," Rinker said in an email interview. "In fact, our study showed that those negative effects increase with each pregnancy."

Rinker says this finding should alleviate the fears of new mothers over what nursing their child might do to their breasts in the long run and will encourage them to breastfeed because of the health benefits to their infant.

"Women may be reluctant to breastfeed because of this unfounded myth that doing so means the end of youthful breasts," Rinker said. "Now, expectant mothers can relax knowing breastfeeding does not sacrifice the appearance of their breasts."


By Andrea Thompson, LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 02 November 2007 02:25 pm ET
Breastfeeding Does Not Make Breasts Sag, Study Suggests LiveScience