Bra Fitting Tips from Cake Lingerie

Have you heard the statistics about how the vast majority of women are wearing the wrong bra size? If you add pregnancy and breastfeeding into the mix, it’s even harder to get the right fit. Never fear! If none of your bras seem to be doing justice to your physique, we have the answer. We connected with the folks at Cake Maternity to get some bra fitting tips to see you through pregnancy and beyond.

Cake’s Creative Director Tracey Montford says, “An expectant mother should have at least four new maternity bras – two that are basic and two that are fashion, that you can rotate with depending on the occasion (as well to last longer), to wash, and suit different periods of your pregnancy.” But how do you choose them?

Bra Fitting for a Changing Body

Cake offers two online bra fitting resources for new and expectant moms: The Maternity Bra Book and their Interactive Fitting Guide. They also offer an online size calculator, so that you can make sure you’re wearing the correct size. And remember that if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, your size is going to change.

So, how do you account for this change when you’re doing a bra fitting? After all, if you’re investing in four bras, you don’t want to outgrow them a few weeks later. Tracey says, “Ideally, you should be fitted into your bra in the first trimester on the tightest hook to allow for growth in the following months. Alternatively, if you are on the search around 28 weeks for a bra, make sure the band is on the last hook, so you can easily tighten the band post birth as your body changes again.”

What to Look For

Once you’ve got a bra on, what should you look for in terms of fit? According to Cake’s Bra Book, here are some points to keep in mind:

You should be able to comfortably run your finger underneath and along the band

Make sure the straps don’t dig into your shoulders
Don’t let the back band cut into your back
Your bra shouldn’t ride up in the back

Your breasts shouldn’t bulge out the top or sides
Your bra cups shouldn’t be baggy or loose

Look Good, Feel Good

It also helps to choose a bra that makes you feel good. When you’re pregnant and breastfeeding, it’s easy to feel kind of frumpy. A great-looking, well-fitting bra can make a huge difference. Nobody else will ever see it – but you know it’s there.

Tracey has a few more tips. She says, “As an expectant or nursing mother, it’s important to look for cotton based or lined lingerie. This allows the skin to breath as well gives you the most comfortable wear since you will be dependent on this and want to make sure you feel the best at all times.” She adds, “Understanding your bust line is imperative to comfort and fit, as a smaller bust (B-D cup) is best suited to plunge styles, which provides lift, shape and support. Whereas, a larger bust (DD+ cup) suits balconette styles that offer more coverage and support to the sides and top of the breasts.” There really is more to bra fitting than most of us learned while we were shopping for our first bras.

For more information on bra fitting, or to check out some fabulous maternity lingerie, visit Cake Lingerie online.