When should I get maternity bras? 

From talking with hundreds of my 41,863 amazing customers along with my own experience and advice from doctors, I’d say the day your ‘normal’ bras start feeling uncomfy is when you should look for (& grab) a maternity bra.

This is usually in the first 8-12 weeks of pregnancy for most mommas. But..

Every momma is different, so this isn’t a “one time fits all” kind of situation. Most of us will start noticing our boobs growing around the 8-10 week mark, but some will start as early as 3 weeks in or as late as a couple weeks before birth. 

Something that’s pretty uniform across all mommas is that our breasts will grow and they’ll grow about 1-3 (most commonly 1-2) cup sizes during pregnancy (yay bigger boobs).

Do I really need a maternity bra?

During my first pregnancy, I thought maternity bras were a complete waste of money. On top of that I got horrible advice from a “professional” bra fitter not to wear maternity bras at all and to only wear a nursing bra once I gave birth.

Even though all my friends, multiple forums and blogs told me how bad of an idea this was, stubborn ol’ me wore a sports bra my ENTIRE pregnancy.

And the funny thing is, I didn’t even realize how horrible it was until I had my second child and felt soo much better than the first pregnancy. 

All because of one little change: a maternity bra. 

I’m talking a night and day difference here! To my surprise I

• Looked wayyy better than I did during my first pregnancy

• Felt a million times better - I felt free, I felt supported and best of all I was comfy

• Saved over 100 dollars and a bunch of time and stress not having to shop for multiple bras

• Launched my first ever company after seeing what pregnancy should be like

It’s safe to say getting a maternity bra is hands-down the best long-term self-investment you’ll ever make, especially if you buy a maternity bra that’ll stick with you through your pregnancy and long into postpartum.

What’s the difference between a maternity bra and a nursing bra?

Every company makes their bras differently and while from company to company maternity bras can be wildly different, a maternity bra and nursing bra should only have one difference.

An over-the-top good maternity bra will: 

• Support your growing girls, without an underwire

• ‘Grow’ with your boobs and ribcage, without being restrictive

• Have very soft and smooth cups to keep you comfy

• Not dig in and have wider and softer straps

• Be breathable, yet still leak proof 

• Have built in pads 

• Be made mostly of cotton

• Have a wide, soft and stretchy band with 4 eye & hooks

• Let you “sleep like a baby” without any irritation at night

A good nursing bra on the other hand will do all this, but also have detachable cups that are easy to clip and unclip making feeding a whole lot easier.

“So you’re telling me I need to buy multiple bras?” Not quite. Some companies make 2-in-1 maternity and nursing bras that have detachable cups and the good news is they don’t normally cost anymore than a ‘regular’ maternity bra!

How do I order the right size for a maternity bra?

A majority of bloggers will tell you to head over to your local mall and get “professionally” fitted for a nursing bra.

Now I think that’s a horrible idea for two reasons: 1. being that’s exactly what I did and I got the worst advice possible and 2. being nobody (and I mean n o b o d y) can tell you the exact proper size maternity bra to buy. 

Every pregnancy is different and every woman ‘grows’ at a different rate and in a different way, so your best bet is to find an understanding company that offers free returns and buy the size you think will fit best.

How many do I need?

It depends how much you like doing laundry hehe. If you’re like me, you like having one bra to wear, one ready for the next day and one extra just incase (this is especially important once you’re a mom - babies are known to be little mess ninjas!).

So as a good general rule, I’d say to buy 3 maternity bras at minimum. If you want to buy more,  there’s nothing wrong with that either!

Just keep in mind you’ll want to bring an extra maternity bra along for the big day in your hospital bag.

What is the best maternity bra?

Oh boy I’ve been waiting for this part! Of course with me owning a maternity brand, I’m going to be a bit bias here, but 41,863 mommas and I think that momma’s comfy maternity bras are the best maternity bras on the market by far.

Months of development, prototyping and testing went into making our bras so comfy that if it weren’t for the underwire-free support they give you, you wouldn’t know you’re even wearing them.

Anyway, I could talk about our bras a lot (and I did on the page below) so I’m going to end my guide here. If you’d like to grab 3 of our bras for $39.95 and read all 1400+ 5 star reviews we have, click here.

I really hope this helped you and that you have an awesome pregnancy. Just remember, you’re gonna do just fine :)

With love <3

Maria, Co-Founder of Momma’s Shop