It’s been a while. I’m sorry for neglecting you all. I’m going to blame it entirely on being pregnant. First it was painful swelling on my hands do due to hormone changes and fluid retention. I’m still having problems with that, but today is a good day. So typing isn’t painful. Along with those hormonal changes comes other swelling. (A bit gross here) All of your mucus membranes can swell too, which means a clogged nose, irritated sinuses, and pain in the ears. Then you get into sleeping. I’m lucky in the fact that I can sleep comfortably on my back still, don’t worry my OB knows I do it and I wake up and roll over a lot when my body tells me to. And of course with every roll over there is a get up to go pee. I swear I pee more at night then I do during the day. When you live with a pregnant woman your toilet paper costs double.

So on to the updates. Guess what!?! No more boob growth! They have finally stopped gaining size! My ribcage has stabilized and so has my fullest bust measurement. The size I’m wearing depends on the brand. In Curvy Kate I need a 28JJ, but they are way too high under my arm. Cleo I also need a 28JJ. So I’ve been making due with a 28J Freya Faye, which has to be the most awkward fitting bra I have ever met. I’ll try and post a review to show you what I’m talking about. By my measurements the 28J I have fits more like a 30J or 32HH, so 1-2 bandsizes large and a cupsize large. The fit on me is completely horrible, just looking at a picture of me in it as you can immediately identify 3 ways that it just does not fit. But I can feel comfortable in it for most of the day. Desperate boobs call for desperate measures.

The photo above was taken at 34.5 weeks. You can see the previously reviewed Ahh Bra, which is my sleep savior. You can also see how high up the baby is sitting. You can see the thick lower band of the Ahh Bra rolling up into the small area under my bust line. This is why I have had so many issues with wearing a bra. There just isn’t the space for the band and wires to sit properly. Even a wireless maternity bra will roll up or big into the top of my belly.

Sorry for the bad lighting of this photo. This was taken a few days ago, right around 35 weeks. I just want to show shape & size while clothed. In this picture I’m wearing a 28J Curvy Kate Tease Me that is too small. The band on this is more like a 30, which should be fine considering my underbust is measuring 29 inches. But the cups are small, which pulls the band making it tight feeling. In order to get it to sit under the breast where it should be I’d have to hike it up and use the tightest hooks. But then the band is still loose enough to put my fist in the back and pull out a good 3-4 inches. So yeah, bras are not my friend right now.

The most common question I have gotten so far is how my actual breast has changed, and not just size wise. It’s really impossible to show in clothing, so you’ll have to try and imagine what I’m explaining. In regards to my natural size and shape, you can imagine almost nonexistent breasts with no natural crease or hang. My ribcage is small, but oval shaped to my breasts were actually wider placed then what my ideal bra size would be. That resulted in wearing a larger bandsize and the wrong cupsize to get the wire to not sit on my very limited breast tissue.
For where I’m at now, is completely different. Part is surgical changes. My current implants are my second set. My first surgery resulted in a complication called bottoming out. During the repair my surgeon used strong permanently placed sutures to support the implant and create more of a nature hang at the breast crease. Pregnancy has encouraged the formation of that crease, which makes them look a bit more natural. Now looking completely natural isn’t really possible based on my natural anatomy. I was perfectly happy going with a fake/natural look. In addition to the more natural hang I have gained a lot of fullness in the lower portion of my breast. I’ve gained a little bit of sideboob as well. The style implants I have are known for having a lot of projection and fullness in the upper pole. I have not lost that upper pole and I have gained projection. I think that the projection gain is more from the implant releasing during the healing process, not pregnancy. I was about three months out from my revision surgery, so there was plenty of healing to go.

As for pregnancy itself, things are going as best as you can expect. I measure about 2 weeks behind, but that is OK because I am a pretty small person. As long as I gain weight like I should then there is nothing to worry about. Because I am a smaller person I have experienced alien belly quite often. I often have a random baby appendage sticking out the right side of my body. I also end up with what is probably a baby butt that pushes up over my ribcage. It is actually quite uncomfortable, especially in an underwire bra. She also gets the hiccups a lot. For about an hour to two hours when I go to bed it is baby aerobics time, which means creepy crawly movements under my skin, bladder punches, and feet pushing out the sides of my body. I hardly ever have a round belly, usually there is a lump of baby sticking out somewhere.

I’ll leave you with a picture of a cute baby present. It will hang on her door or above the crib, and goes with the theme of her room.

There have been several posts lately that have really brought some different subjects to my attention.  When you think of lingerie or bra bloggers you have to think about boobs. But many of these ladies have other body insecurities, and they have taken a step out of their comfort zone to break into the positive and share their thoughts with their readers. Chloe from Muscular Hourglass shared some thoughts about her calves. Eternal*Voyageur shares her thoughts on How to be a Woman. Windie from Undiegamer shared her thoughts on sexuality and growth. And finally, Erica from A Sophisticated Pair shared a mind-blowing post on body acceptance.

So starting tomorrow there will be a little mini feature on positivity.  And anyone is welcome to share.  I am going to start by sharing something that I used to dislike about myself that I have grown to appreciate. Some other lingerie bloggers will share some of their thoughts on something they love about themselves.  And of course there is plenty of room for reader comments!  If you’d like to share just send me an email (bybabysrules@gmail.com) or message me on Facebook. You can have your own post, you can remain anonymous, and you can say how you feel about any part of you.

And if you want a hint about what I’ll be talking about I’ll give you one. It has nothing to do with boobs, can be seen as sexy or off-putting, & can be pampered or neglected.

Now because this post is all words and doesn’t look like anything special, I’ll leave you with a cute picture of one of my furbabies. This is Nikki snuggling in a basket of clean socks.  She was bit by another pup today and is needing some extra love and good thoughts.

Feet!

Not something you’d expect someone to love.  And it is weird. It’s weird because the only feet I like are my own. All other feet are just gross. And people cannot touch my feet, with the rare exception of my husband. I don’t get pedicures, I really don’t want people touching my feet.

I used to hate them. I hated them because they are small (a US women’s 5) and hard to find cute shoes for. I can’t go just anywhere and buy a cute pair of heels. And athletic shoes? I just skip over women’s and go to the kids department. I have a foot deformity as well.  In addition to your normal high arch, the ball of my foot protrudes more than what it should. It causes pain in some shoes and I have to be careful picking out running shoes. But over time I’ve grown to appreciate buying athletic shoes in the kid’s section. Have you ever seen the price difference? So much cheaper! The small size is still a pain, but I always get compliments on how cute my feet look in heels. Small feet in cute heels just seem to attract attention.

These shoes I spent an entire day desperately searching for. They were supposed to be worn in Las Vegas when my husband and I went to renew our vows. It took me hours to find them, and I never got to wear them out. I wore them around the house, I even had to run across my house in them because a furchild was misbehaving. That is when I figured out that these would not be practical for wear in Las Vegas with a long wedding dress (how practical are 5 inch heels, even if you are 5′ 1.5″). So they were stuffed in the back of my closet for a time when I could wear them. Even though the size isn’t quite right, I love these shoes! They are the kind of shoes that make me think of how cute my feet can be.

These shoes are another pair that just don’t quite fit right. But they are in honor of a friend that passed away in a car accident. She loved shoes, of any kind. The more unusual the better. I never actually met her in person, but with each set of unique shoes she bought you could see part of her personality. And it wasn’t just heels that she bought. All shoes were loved. And new shoes made her feel beautiful. Shoes and how her feet looked in her shoes were a form of expression, a way to tell the world about her and her feelings. Something I try to keep in mind now when I purchase new shoes.

For just over four years of my life I wore boots every day. My boots had to be special ordered in. The boots I wore to deploy had to be ordered in, and were the smallest boots they had ever ordered.  I’m not active duty any more, I actually started blogging when I was on terminal leave. But I miss these boots at times. They are not cute, they stand for a purpose. I felt honored to be part of the small portion of Americans that wore them.

From my days of early walking (I walked at 9 months) to track to marching band, these feet have been through a lot. They took me through 8 hour days in heels working at a bank. They walked miles every day while deployed to Iraq. Now they suffer through soreness and swelling in flipflops while I’m pregnant. I hated my feet when they were just a difficult size to deal with. But now I appreciate where they have taken me. I appreciate the work that they do. I love them for how cute they can look in heels. I love that I can paint my nails crazy colors, put flowers on them, or just leave them naked. They have had broken toes, bruised bones, bruised connective tissue. They have needed crutches or special shoes to repair injury. But just like any other part of my body I have learned to love them for exactly what they are, even with my scraggly pinky toe.

So there you have it, my transition from something I disliked about my body and why I love them now.  Like I said before, please feel free to share something yourself. If you’d like to share a guest post please email me (bybabysrules@gmail.com) or send me a message through the Facebook page.

To go along with my post about my new appreciation of my feet I asked some fellow bra bloggers what they love.  We may blog about all things breast related, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love other parts of our bodies.

Erica, A Sophisticated Pair- I love my eyes because they are a deep brown, almost black, that brightens when I am happy or excited. Framed perfectly by glasses and a swipe of eyeliner, they let me see all the beauty life has to offer.

Sweet Nothings- I love my hair, because it is dark and shiny and long for the first time in a decade. I can play with it and put it up and braid it and curl it and feel it brush my back and shoulders and hide behind it and toss it when I dance around my room.

Les Gros Bonnets- I love my back, because it’s strong and flexible. It gets in a perfect bridge when I want to stretch my abs. And it carries my heavy boobs without any pain or complaint.

Chloe from Muscules and Curves- I love my shoulders. I think they are beautiful, and they are strong enough to support my breasts.

Nichole from Fussy Busty- I love my calves! No matter how much weight I gain or lose, my calves have always looked damn sexy (if I do say so myself haha). They have helped me to run, walk, and do all the things I need to do every day.

Faustine- I used to dislike the way my arms looked in photos- they tended to smush and look “disproportional” if kept too close to my sides. I kept wearing tank tops anyway. I saw a photo recently of myself bracing against a table. There was visible bicep definition there, and I exulted. Strong is powerful, sexy, competent me. But regardless, my arms work! They articulate, let me do my job, let me hug people, balance me on the stairs…my arms do many things for me every day! I’ll love them while I have them.
As Erica said, it’s not just our bodies that can use positivity! Our characters can, too. I am a solid and loyal sort who keeps my promises, and that’s valuable and good.

Windie, Undiegamer- I love my freckles! I grew up hating them because they made me stand out, the same goes for my red hair. I was a painfully shy girl and wanted desperately to blend in. While I’m still shy, I’ve grown to love my freckles. They’re a part of me and I really identify with them, I don’t think I could feel completely like myself without them. Plus, I think they’re pretty darned cute now.

I did not get as much response from my readers for things they love, but they are definitely worth sharing. They will just be shared by a random letter to keep things private.
C- I love my freckles. I hated them as a child, but as I grow older they have grown on me. I love seeing women who really own their freckles instead of covering them up.

(On a side note, as a freckled redhead I totally get this one.)

P- I would have to say my booty. I have been working hard at getting it more lifted and firm. It has been an investment in time, but I am happy with how I have been able to change it.

H- I have a lot of tattoos. Some people judge me because of it, but I love them. I say a lot of things with my tattoos and some people just don’t understand it. I don’t care if they understand, they are my tattoos.

M- I used to hate my hands. They’re little (I wear a size 4 ring), fragile, and pale. I always thought they put me at a disadvantage, especially regarding sports and color guard. In reality, small hands are a good thing. I can reach things no one else can, and they’re actually very dexterous. They do everything I need them to, and who could ask for more than that?

J- I have always found my freckles amusing… But I am going to say my eyes. I used to hate them. I thought they were huge and that nothing could be more boring than brown eyes. But since growing up, I have realized that they aren’t that big. And big eyes are good. And that they aren’t a common color of brown. They are closer to black, except under direct sunlight when they look like dark chocolate. And you can’t get that from contacts.

A big thanks to the readers that shared. I know that sharing something about yourself on the internet is strange. But I hope you find this a little bit liberating. Anyone who may want to share please feel free to in the comments below.

I have set this up to auto post on Friday November 9, which will be the baby’s birthday.  She is incredibly stubborn and won’t move out of the frank breech position. Basically that means her head is up in my left ribs, her but is down, and her feet and hands are by her head. In the second picture you’ll see how crazy high up she is, and we’ll chat more about breech babies in a bit.  In the US (especially the area I am living in now) a natural breech delivery is not taught, all breech babies are born by cesarean. Of course she could turn before then, but today will be her birthday.

Here’s my big rounded out tummy at 39 weeks. Because she is breech she is pretty smashed in there. That results in a belly that measures smaller than what it should for this far along. Add that to the fact that I’m a small person and her daddy is not a huge man, and you get a small baby. She is on the small side for her age, but growing. Most baby bellies have “dropped” by now, meaning they settle downward as the baby settles into the pelvis to get ready for delivery. Not this child! She is staying right up with her head in my ribs and her feet poling out my right side (that lump on the left in the picture is her feet).

So now on to why a breech baby kind of sucks. As you can see in the photo above, she is pretty high up there. When I sit her head will actually come up over the bottom of my ribcage. This is actually quite painful and makes me pretty grumpy. Even normally with her head a bit lower her position has caused my ribcage to expand. This is great because my ribcage has jumped into an easier to fit range, I could wear a 28-30 band pretty easily right now. The picture above is the same 28J I was wearing before, the cups are just smaller and I have an extender for the band. The bra itself is too small (lifting center gore), a 30J would probably perfect. But this is the first time that I have not had a gap at the bottom of my bra cups because I can get the band tight enough. But you can also see how it digs into the top of my belly, which makes the extender necessary. If she wasn’t breech, who knows what size I’d be wearing right now.

So what comes next. Well obviously today is baby day.   From here is breastfeeding and body changes again. As my body has time to go back to normal my ribcage will probably shrink back down. My posts will hopefully change from pregnancy with implants to breastfeeding with implants (fingers crossed). I’ve finally gotten a little something to come out of these ballooning boobs, so my hope to breastfeed is still here. I’ll have a post about breast changes after delivery, engorgement and how it compares to early post op from breast implant placement surgery, and establishing breastfeeding. I’ll have a post about the bra I’ve chosen for a transition bra, the time between engorgement and established breastfeeding. And I should have a post about the Ewa Michalak nursing bra I ordered based on the recommendation to order one size up from your eight month breast measurement. And of course there may be some other random posts thrown in as I try to leave something written ahead for you guys.

It’s been a while! The last you heard from me I was 39 weeks pregnant and Gabrielle was still sitting stubbornly in a breech position. I’m going to apologize in advance, I sure this post will be a little all over the place. I have a ton of scattered thoughts, and things I’d like to share. So this will be a scatterbrained overview, with hopefully more detail later on.

Gabrielle Rose was born bright and early Friday November 9 by a preplanned gentle cesarean. An ultrasound that morning showed that she was still frank breech. In my part of the US OBs are not trained in breech delivery, so a vaginal breech birth can be more dangerous for baby and mom. A properly trained OB or midwife would normally have no problem doing a vaginal breech birth. I was able see her right away, touch her and talk to her. After a short trip to the nursery while my procedure was finished. Then she came to the recovery room with me. We were able to try to start breastfeeding right away. She seemed to take to it really well. But after that the problems started.

After we settled into our room one of the lactation nurses from the nursery came in to see us. Breastfeeding isn’t one of those things that happens easily, you and the baby have to learn. I knew to ask for help right away. The smallest thing early on can become a problem later, early correction is essential. The first problem we ran into was nipples. There are all types of nipples, unfortunately for me mine are slightly flat. This can make it much harder for the baby to latch properly. They have to work hard to pull the nipple hard enough to get milk to flow. Because of this many women with flat nipples end up using a nipple shield. Just like anything, there are pros and cons to using it, there are supporters and those that do not support their use. Gabrielle is a tiny baby and just couldn’t pull hard enough to get anything. And it took a few days to find this out, and the nipple shield wasn’t helping.

At her 2 day check up (5 days after birth, 2 days after going home) we find out that she has lost too much weight. She is also having problems keeping her body temperature up. We ended up back in the hospital. The lactation nurse immediately got started helping me pump, trying to see how much I was producing. I made sure to tell her about the previous breast surgeries that I had and what my breasts were like before surgery. Based on that and the low amount of milk I was pumping the nurse brought up IGT, insufficient glandular tissue. It is hard to diagnose in a woman who has gotten implants, but it is very likely that I have this and it is keeping me from producing enough milk. The nurse had me pumping to try to increase my supply while we supplemented with formula. I continued with just pumping for a few days before I started feeling it just wasn’t worth it. By the advice of a wonderful friend, I tried to breastfeed again. What they say about hormones releasing is so true, there is just something about it that makes the difference.

Gabrielle is now 4 weeks old. We’ve had some trials along the way. After going home from the hospital the first time we have ended up back twice. We had issues with formula, two road trips (and a third coming), packing a house to move, cleaning, hotel stays, etc. She is a little champ. She travels so well, sleeps where she can, and is eating much better. She still will not nurse at night, she wants to sleep through the night and won’t wake up enough to nurse. But when she is awake she nurses like an expert. She gets the most milk first thing in the morning and right before bed. She is growing and happy, what more can a new parent ask for?

I’m still in the limbo process. In a few weeks I’ll be finishing a move. Hopefully once things get settled and we get into a new baby routine I’ll be back to blogging more. I know this was a scattered post, I hope to address a few things individually in future posts. I’d like to talk about early nursing bras, flat nipples, IGT, nursing with implants, pumping with implants, and who knows what else. Like always, if there is anything you’d like to see feel free to email, message me on Facebook, or comment below.

It’s been a while!! I promise I haven’t forgotten about the blog. It’s just been a very busy time right now.

What’s been going on? Really what hasn’t? You all know that Gabrielle was born November 9, but sense then things have been busy. We spent some extra time in the hospital, made a run back to the ER, had our house packed to move, cleaned the house, stayed in a hotel for a weekend with our three dogs (which is insane!), dropped my car to be shipped to Alaska, drove half way across country to visit my parents, my husband drove the rest of the way across country to take the ferry to Alaska (again, insane with three dogs), dealt with buying a house long distance and closing issues, my older sister got married (and managed to pick cute bridesmaid dresses), and a flew half was across country with a 6 week old baby. Add in a good dose of moving, new house, and unpacking stress and you can say that life has been a bit more then what I can chew.

Hopefully things will be settling down a bit now. Yeah, I know, asking a lot with an almost 8 week old baby. But as we speak she is snuggled up next to me, fast asleep on her boob pillow. We are still working on breastfeeding, so more details to come on that. I’ve come to terms with the idea of having a limited supply of breast milk due to IGT (insufficient glandular tissue), but I am still working on trying ways to produce more. So when time (and sleep schedules) are a bit kinder I’ll be posting more about IGT and breastfeeding with implants.

With breastfeeding and the move to cold Alaska I’ve discovered why a padded bra is essential. And they are nearly impossible to come by in a 28J. Because of a wonderful clothing sell/swap page I have the chance to try Ewa Michalak and Comexim. Fingers crossed for a good fit, these poor boobs could use it.

My blog is officially over a year old. That happened shortly after Gabrielle was born so I missed it. WordPress released their yearly blog statistics. The post I published on Gabrielle’s birthday was my most popular post followed by my post about growing up with out breasts. A big thanks to Bratabase, Bras I Hate & Love, and Boosaurus for being my top three referring websites.

I’ve caught up on emails now, a big sorry to those that had to wait for a reply. Feel free to email any questions you may have or topics you’d like to see. I miss the blog world and I hope to back in it as a regular poster soon.

I haven’t posted in a while now, partially because my time has been filled with all things baby, but also partially because there is not much to share. Until recently! Now I’ve got some more great bra things to share, and hopefully some progress on breastfeeding, insufficient glandular tissue, and implants.

Most of my focus has been on breastfeeding. It’s normally a challenge, but add in low supply due to IGT and it becomes more of challenge, to the point of being a daily obsession. Before Gabrielle was born I was worried about what size I would need after milk came in. I didn’t want to buy too much, or really anything. In the same way we only bought 3 bottles, I didn’t want to buy tons of nursing bras when I wasn’t sure how it would work out.
A little searching and I found what is called a transition nursing bra. It’s a super stretchy material similar to that of the Ahh bra or Genie bra. The point of a transition bra is to stretch with your as your breasts change during the early stages of breastfeeding. Sounds pretty perfect? Well it’s, not. But it is useful and it could be useful during the early post op period from a breast surgery.

Meet the Shaparee Seamless Pullover Nursing Bra. It’s a basic sport style bra with tons of stretch. It has a high neck for size increases, wide straps, and a racer back. Please ignore the wear & tear, and the dog hair. I’ve been using the heck out of this bra. Partially because its comfortable (if not very supportive, hence the not perfect), partially because I haven’t ordered new bras and added nursing clasps yet.
Looking at it, it looks like a basic sports bra. It has light compression when first worn, perfect for the early post op period. It is very stretchy, you can bring it up over your feet if needed.  The straps are wide, but not very strong so while they don’t dig they do absolutely nothing for the small amount of support they should provide.

The clasp is a normal nursing clasp. I’ve pulled it to the side so you can see the internal sling that joins the cup to the band. I like the wide but stretchy construction of this for the early post op period.  It is good because it provides support to the sides if you get the feeling like your new implant is going to fall into your armpit. This feeling goes away as you get used to he new implant, but it can be disconcerting. It is not restricting, it will stretch as you have some swelling. Unlike a normal nursing bra which usually has a side sling with little stretch.

Here is another picture that shows that side sling.  Most post op bras are designed to support but stretch for swelling. But I cannot count the number of times post op that I felt really constricted in my bra. It feels almost like these new boobs are suffocating because things just aren’t quite stretchy enough. Now is when a nursing clasp is perfect. Just unhook those clasps, pull the “cups” down and let your new girls breathe. You still have support under the breast from the band, but the slight compression from the cups is removed. (**If you have major pain or swelling changes please contact your surgeon. These are signs of a possible complication.)

So while we all hesitate to grab a “mom bra” for our post op period, this is a type of bra that you really should consider.  Many women compare the feeling of engorgement to how their new breasts feel during the post op period. Don’t think of your post op options in terms of a nursing bra, sports bra, or whatever.  Think of them in terms of comfort, wearability,  and practicality. After all, it is just a bra to transition you through the healing process.

I have mentioned bra swap groups a few times before now. I belong to a Facebook buy/sell/swap group. It’s really a great thing because you can sell or trade the bras you thought fit but you find out don’t after you take off the tags. Or even the bras that would be a huge hassle to ship back to another country. It’s bras, dresses, clothes, and all friendly to a busty figure.

I got lucky and snagged the HP Kobalt from the group. It’s made by Ewa Michalak, a Polish designer that makes bras in a large variety of sizes, you can even special order bands smaller than a 28 (30 and above are not special order, certain cupsizes are special order). It is an absolutely gorgeous bra.

HP Kobalt

HP Kobalt is a half cup bra meant to lift the breasts high on the chest. This bra is a 28J, a special order. That means that it is basically a cup made for a larger sister size, then the band is worked down. Unfortunately for me this causes some fit issues. But as you can see the color and fabric is absolutely gorgeous!

Straps

The rose print fabric continues on to the straps which are lightly padded. This makes them very comfortable. Unfortunately because the cups come from a larger size put on a smaller band they are placed too wide for me at the armpit junction. This causes some painful digging in the soft tissue.

Cup interior

Black cup interior shows the three part cups constructed with two vertical seams. These vertical seams are what gives the great lifting appearance in this bra. The CH style is also a half cup with the same vertical seams, but is constructed to be more projecting where the HP is constructed to give more lift with less projection. The CHP, same vertical seams, is a combination style, which I hope will provide the best of both bras.

Back band

The gorgeous fabric continues along the back band to the coordinating hooks. The bra has three sets of hooks & eyes. This particular 28J is of average band length. But with special orders the length of the band seems to vary quiet a bit. The band size variances are not limited to this particular bra, it seems that many special order bras have varying band lengths.

You can see that the side of this bra is pulled back by the band. It causes the wires to be too wide and the straps to dig at my armpit. But at the same time the center gore lifts slightly. It is definitely not a perfect fit. Eventually I plan on moving the straps on this bra to give it a better fit. I have an older HP that has this alteration done and it is my most comfortable bra.

I really do wish that the process for making a smaller band bra was more manufacturer friendly. I think that Ewa Michalak bras could be the perfect bra for me, if they were graded down to smaller bandsizes better.

In addition to the bra I also have the matching panties in a size 34 (6). I’m not sure what that equates to in US sizes, but they are a tiny bit big on me. They come up a little higher then what I am used to, but they are comfortable & wedgie free. The fabric is the same rose detailed fabric. They look to pretty to think of as underwear. The entire matching set is beautiful, one that you can let peekaboo in the right setting.

Other reviews:
Faustineli

You guys remember The Bra Band Project? Well it’s expanded!

Christine from Boosaurus has taken the lead and started The Bra Band Project website. But it has expanded to include any size bra, as long as it is properly fitted. Once wonderful women around the world help populate the site you will be able to view properly fitted bras in any size.

A few site features:

-Search for examples of bra sizes by band and/or cup size
-Include “show sister sizes” when searching for a specific size
-Login using an existing account (google, wordpress, etc)
-Submit own photo(s) directly through the site
-Search through various resources (including bra stores)

But we need help! This project cannot expand without your help and your bra images. The sizes up now are limited to those submitted as part of the original project. So we need your submission, complete with size, submitted through the website or emailed to brabandproject@gmail.com. All submissions will be anonymous. The more submissions, the better the website will be!

A recent study conducted by a French sports medicine professor has launched a bra frenzy. There are articles, tweets, and blog posts all over the Internet. A quick google can have you lost in the purgatory of the interwebs. More recent articles include the surprised researcher’s response.
Here’s the my thoughts when it comes to your implants. Stick with what your surgeon tells you! They know exactly what was done, they’ve analyzed your breasts in detail. I’d trust them over a sports medicine professor, small studies, or anything that is not a peer reviewed study. We just don’t know enough about breasts to say anything conclusively. But if you follow your surgeon’s directions you’ll at least have the piece of mind and confidence that you are taking care how you should be.
With implants you have to consider several things. Type of implant. Implant shape. Fill. Placement. Shell structure and texture. Each of these can change the surgical techniques used and the individuals expected results.
Lets consider placement and the Cooper’s ligament. The Cooper’s ligament is the connective tissue that supports your breast tissue, attaching it to the muscles of your chest wall. By definition it cannot be an actual ligament, ligaments connect bones to bones. That just leaves us with a vague definition of “connective tissue.” Implants placed over the muscle (or under the fascia) can act more like a weight on this ligament. Under the muscle (full, dual plane, or partial unders) all have varying amounts of muscle support for the implants, limiting the pressure placed on the Cooper’s ligament. You need to support your natural tissue, but also the implant, and possibly your muscle. These placements will have different needs for support, not only during recovery but all through the life of the implant.

Breast Anatomy
Another example would be textured anatomical implants vs smooth round implants. Textured implants have a coating over the shell that helps prevent them from sliding down. The texture coating helps lower the risk of bottoming out. Smooth implants do not have this coating. Surgical techniques for placing a textured implant can be different then a smooth implant, same for anatomical vs round. Different surgical techniques and different implant types can mean different needs for support.
So bottom line, there are too many variables to breast implants for a simple study to guide your bra wear. Trust the medical professional that did your surgery, follow their recommendations. They can range from braless, normal bra wear, no wire, wires bra 24/7. What ever they are, follow your surgeon’s recommendations.

A few responses from other bloggers:

Braless In Brazil
Busts 4 Justice

Below is a guest review from B of the Parfait by Affinitas Honey Babydoll. I sent this to B to review, I won it in a Facebook contest, but unfortunately it did not fit. I tried it on and used it for the images in the post The Molded Cup Bra Delima.

This is a review of the Affinitas Honey Babydoll. A friend of mine recently sent it to me to write a review, first off i would like to say that i have never owned a baby doll before, this is the first. My first thoughts on it before trying it on was how cute and simple it was… nothing too fancy and something i would possibly be able to wear to bed on a regular basis. Since having a breast augmentation i have needed to wear a bra to bed every night… 24/7 support my surgeon said, so that is what i have been doing, i am always one for following instructions exactly how they were given. So for the past 2 years i have been wearing underwire bras to bed. It took a little while to find some that were comfortable to sleep in all night long. What i love about this baby doll is that it has underwires… so no need for a bra cause its already built in.

Image from AffinitasIntimates.com

My first night in the baby doll went good, the fabric is nice, nothing fancy. The band is a 30″ and i normally wear a 28″ though i didn’t really mind as i like my band to be a little loose when I’m sleeping so i don’t have to deal with digging wires. Wearing the band on the second hook which is good… i think it would be safe to say that maybe the band runs a little smaller then normal but not by much. I would like to see how a 28″ band fits. The cups on this baby doll are a G and fit me perfectly, no spillage and nicely snug. Usually i worry about falling out well sleeping when the band is a little big for me but no problem there, the girls stayed right in place all night long.

Now since i am use to sleeping in just some undies and a bra i was a little worried about all the rolling around i do and the skirt of the baby doll getting tangled up and making me uncomfortable at night but that was not the case at all. I have been wearing it for almost a week now and i have not once woken up and hand to readjust… I’m not sure why that is as i know I’m one for tossing and turning, maybe its the deep cut out in the back that helps the fabric not tangle? not sure but i like it.

Image from AffinitasIntimates.com

So my finale verdict on the baby doll is that i love it, it fits (for the most part, minus the band being a little big but i expected that) its comfortable and not too fancy that i can wear it every night and not feel bad about ruining some nice lingerie…. And honestly i feel a little sexier then wearing a bra and panties to bed. I think this might be the first of many baby dolls to enter my collection.

When you are between bra sizes. One is too big and the size down is too small. What do you do? Buy the bigger size or the smaller? Does the shape of your breast (or implants) factor into this?
Personally I buy the bigger (usually). I don’t want to encourage tissue migration with the smaller cup. Besides I can put in a stitch or two easier then the can get some extra space.

What about when there are things that just are not perfect with your fit? What are you willing to sacrifice to find a bra that is comfortable and fits enough to wear? I always have a wire that’s too wide, I’ve come to expect that as a limitation for the fit of all my bras. I’m hoping Comexim will fix that, but until then I have emptiness at the sideboob in order to get the proper cup depth.

I want to know what your bra fitting issues are. What do you let slide and what is a no go for buying a bra? Is there an unforgivable bra sin that you commit?

Photo from Ewa Michalak

I purchased this bra from another user on Bratabase. I’m actually not the first owner, it has made its way through a few homes before coming to mine, four that I know of. If it wasn’t for Bratabase I would never have purchased this bra in the size I have it in. User measurements on Bratabase made it very clear, the cups on this bra come up small. This bra is a 60JJ (28JJ), the largest size that I own. But it is sized small. So far I have a slightly small PL in 60HH and an HP in 60J that fit, so having a 60JJ was quite a surprise for me.

Though it runs small in the cups the 60JJ comes up higher on me then what I like. I’m not sure if this is due to sizing, this bra, or the CHP cut. You can see it looks similar on Voluptuous, but Beautiful. The cups curve in a bit at the top, this also leads me to believe that the cups are a bit higher.

From the side you can see there is quite a lot of cup depth, but like with most bras the wires are too wide for me. I’m willing to deal with the extra width for the cup depth that I need.

The CHP style has the typical vertical seam construction seen on all Ewa Michalak half cups. The shape and design of this bra is meant to lift and round out the breasts. It’s not as open of a half cup style as the CH or HP. There is more projection in the cup then the HP, so those that prefer the look of a more forward projecting breast should get along fine with this style.

The plaid center bow is a nice touch in the gore, if a bit unexpected. The color of this bra is like a blue periwinkle, so plaid is not what I would have chosen to accent. It works and is cute. It’s definitely not a lumberjack plaid.

There are four sets of three hooks & eyes, great for extending the life of the bra. By the time the bra got to me there was some wear so I cannot tell you accurately how right the band is on a new bra. The inside of the cups are the same black as the HP Kobalt I previously reviewed. It’s a soft comfortable material.
Finally, not pictured are the straps. The straps have a textured embroidery that makes it difficult to adjust the straps. It’s cute, it keeps them from sliding longer on you, but it’s a pain during the adjustment process. The annoyance is worth the trouble though, so take that for what it’s worth to you. Personal preference on the straps.

My biggest complaint has to do with construction. Special order sizes are sister sized down from a bigger size. So this 60JJ (28JJ) has the same construction of an 80GG (36GG). There is no grading down of the cup, the height stays high. No change to the strap placement, they are wider for shoulders on a 36 band frame. Same with the center gore. To me it does not make sense to pay extra for a special order size that is just sister sized down from a wider band. It creates major fit issues. I think that the extra wide wires and the wide strap placement are directly tied to this sizing down process.

Other reviews:

Bra Junkie
Braless in Brasil

I am part of a group of bloggers, all of which tackle bust related issues. When you talk about boobs one thing that is bound to come up is modesty. Every one of us has different thoughts about modesty, and we’ve decided to share them this week. You’ll find viewpoints of a mother, a feminist, an obese woman, a corporate climber and so many more.

Other posts (links to come as they are posted):
Boosaurus
Bras and Body Image
Braless in Brazil
Contrary Kiwi
Fussy Busty- Nicole
Fussy Busty- Amy
Hourglassy
Hourglassy- Off the Rack
Miss Underpinnings
Obsessed With Breasts
Red Hair and Girly Flare
Sophia Jenner
Sophisticated Pair
That Bra Does Not Fit Her
The Tit Rambler
Thin and Curvy
Weirdly Shaped and Well Photographed
Undie Gamer
Nothing Ever Fits

So first off, what is a modesty panel?  You know those mass-produced camisoles or clip in panels that attach to your bra straps that cover your cleavage? Those are modesty panels. If you are anything like me you get the reason the exist but are frustrated by their very existence. Why does anyone need to have a modesty panel to cover their chest?

The bloggers linked above all address modesty and their ideas. I wanted to address modesty from the perspective of a woman with implants.  I know we have all heard the stereotypes, the assumptions that women get implants just to show them off. Well, the assumption and stereotype comes from somewhere right? Sure there are women that want to show them off, why shouldn’t they?  But it’s not the only reason women get implants.

Modesty and breast implants…. To some that may seem contradictory. In the eyes of many breast implants only serve the purpose of enhancing a sexual object. Sure, for some that is the purpose.  But the majority of women have an augmentation done after having children to restore the volume they lost during pregnancy or nursing. They are not really enhancing anything as much as they are doing what they can to return themselves to what they had previously. These women are taking control of their body image and turning it into what they feel they should be.

The same goes for many other women, women that may not have developed breasts. Surgery to give them breasts, the breasts they have dreamed of, does not change their modesty. Many women who have surgery for this reason actually do as much as they can to hide it. They slowly add padding to their bras, they wear clothing to minimize the chances that anyone would notice. Once things settle back to normal they bring out their normal clothing style.

The reality of breast implants and modesty is that things don’t really change. The woman does not change. If she liked to show off her body before chances are she still will. If she liked to dress modestly before, she probably still will. I still dress the same now. I dress the same as I did when I had nonexistent boobs, as when I wore a 28FF, and now wearing a 28HH. I haven’t felt the need to change things. Some people may find it to be immodest to have my t-shirt pull a little tighter across the breasts or that my v-neck thermal shirts show a bit more chest. But I don’t see it any different then wearing the style of jeans that I love. I’m not a modest dresser or a flashy dresser. But no one has ever had a problem with my fitted jeans, I like to think of them as butt huggers. Why should they have a problem with how my clothes fit my breasts?  And why the heck does it matter if those breasts are implants or home-grown?

Do you have a stance on modesty?  If you have implants, has it changed how you dress? Has it changed how people feel about how you dress?

Most of you all know what my kryptonite bra is. A bra I wore as a 28FF (in a 30FF), a bra I was so sad that I cannot wear anymore. So you ca imagine my excitement to read an email from A Sophisticated Pair and the Parfait by Affinitas press release. The announcement includes great news about the future of Parfait by Affinitas sizing. Ladies, the Charlotte in a 28 band and up to a K cup in all band sizes! And that’s not all! Please read the press release below.

“Due to high customer demand, leading full bust lingerie brand Parfait is thrilled to announce expanded cup & band sizing for Fall. The best-selling Charlotte Padded Bra, Sophia Wire Bra and ever-popular Alexis Babydoll will be available in new sizes GG, H, HH, J, JJ and K, while the Charlotte Padded Bra will also be available in a 28 band. Expanded styles will begin hitting retailers nationwide this August.

Leading the size expansion is Parfait all-time favorite Charlotte, a style that launched with Parfait’s initial debut back in Fall 2010. The Charlotte Padded Bra will be available up to K cup in Peach/Black, Red/Black, Dusty Rose and brand new colorway Wild Pink, also introducing a 28 band size in all colorways and all cup sizes. Best-selling Alexis will expand to K cup as well in the popular Babydoll silhouette, available in Ivory and Black. Rounding out the roster is newer style Sophia, whose Wire Bra will be available up to K cup in Black, Pearl White and European Nude.

“We have heard and listened to the growing feedback from our dedicated fanbase for expanding sizing, and are so pleased to be able to meet their wishes after extensive research, development and fit testing. As a brand committed to providing full bust women worldwide the best in quality, fit and style, we couldn’t be happier to announce that expanded cup sizes are here!” Keng Zhang, President, Parfait by Affinitas

Stay tuned, Parfait plans on rolling out additional styles in expanded sizes in future seasons.”
Charlotte, Sophia Wired Bra, Alexis Babydoll

I have not done an update about breastfeeding for a while. It’s not because I don’t want to share it with you, I really do. But it’s been hard. Really hard. Breastfeeding does not come easy, pretty much every woman has problems to overcome. My problems came in a very unexpected form. I know I’m still dealing with the emotional impact.

No one goes into this expecting major problems. You expect the normal, painful latch, bleeding nipples, thrush, mastitis. I did not deal with any of these. What I dealt with is chronic low supply due to insufficient glandular tissue (IGT). Basically, I am missing a good portion of the milk producing tissue in the breast.

IGT often goes with Hypoplastic breasts, known as tuberous breast deformity in the plastic surgery world. But I did not have tuberous breasts. What I did have was severely underdeveloped breasts. I had always worried that having small breasts naturally would be a problem with breastfeeding, but like you hear over and over, size is not an indicator of how much milk you can produce. While I was worried I also let that be a comfort. My problems with low supply were a bit blindsiding.

When Gabrielle was born I was able to let her nurse almost right away. I knew to ask for help from a lactation consultant right away to start with a good latch instead of working to correct one. I was given a nipple shield right away for borderline flat nipples. We did great while at the hospital and home. Until Gabrielle went in for her first well baby appointment and it was discovered that she had lost too much weight and couldn’t keep her body temperature up.

To make a long story short, after a hospital stay to get her back to healthy we went home and routine changed. I was constantly pumping to see how much she was getting, she was getting bottles. Nursing had stopped. After two weeks of this I had enough and went back to nursing then following with a bottle.

I spent time working on pumping to try and improve milk supply. I ate oatmeal (I hate it), drank dark beer, took supplements. I even ordered medication online, medication not FDA approved for lactation but that had the side effect of increasing milk supply in lactating women. At my peak I was able to produce what is considered a half supply (3oz every 6 hours while pumping, full is 3oz every 3 hours, pumping carries by each woman). It wasn’t easy, both on the body and mentally/emotionally.

We worked through low supply, nursing strikes, bottle preference issues. We worked through frustration and tears.

I promised my husband that I would stop all the extras once Gabrielle was 6 months old, and I did. She still is nursing now at close to 8 months. But it is more casual nursing. What she gets is very limited, but there is more benefits to nursing then just breast milk.

Through all of this I learned that the changes I had during pregnancy were more about healing from my pervious surgery (3 months before pregnancy) and pregnancy weight gain, not actual breast changes. Breast changes can be a huge indicator in milk supply for some women while in others it is not an indication at all. It gave me a false sense of confidence. But on the good side the limited changes I had in pregnancy and nursing made it so now I have no real difference in my breasts. Of course that could change as the last of my milk fries up, but it’s doubtful. That is the biggest concern expressed by most women who are pregnant after a breast augmentation.

When it comes to the entire experience I can say it was more stressful then I was expecting. Everything I was prepared for die not happen. And even the more natural look I thought I would have afterward hasn’t happened.

I’m not really sure what will happen from here. It is a follow the baby’s lead. I am glad that I pushed so hard, even with the stress and emotional toll it took. I am also glad I never really invested in good nursing bras. I did not have size changes through the day, so a good fitting nursing bra wasn’t as essential for me. Gabrielle and I have passed every goal I had set once problems started. Everything past 6 months is icing on the cake.

Made In Preston is a newly launched clothing company for the full bust woman (stay tuned for bras!). The company is the conception of Nikki Hesford, the woman behind Miss Fit UK and The Big Bra Bar. You may have seen Nikki on Dragon’s Den  in the fall of 2012. Fort US readers, think Shark Tank. On the MIP blog brand founder and Managing Director Nikki states, “Made In Preston is a fashion brand like no other; resonating Northern sincerity, glamorous charm and feminist attitude, girls all over the world will be wishing they had big bangers to buy our bras and clothing!”

There is a key difference in MIP, one that I find to be very appealing. If you check out the about page you’ll see that the MIP name comes from the fact that “everything is designed, sampled, graded, produced and packaged here at our factory in Preston by our Prestonian (and one Lancastrian!) work-force.” Now, I’m not in the UK, but I buy regularly from retailers that are in the UK. I absolutely love buying from a retailer/designer/company that supports the community it is based in. Some may think that it’s contrary to buy from a company that is outside my community or country, but that is not the point to me. Locally based or foreign, community based retailers help the economy of their community.

MIP White Military Dress £36

Community economics aside, there is more benefit for the buyer. The dress that maybe out of stock can make a quick turn around with a local factory. There is no wait time for a shipment or waiting for a bulk purchase. Then there are design considerations. Before their launch MIP reached out through their Facebook page for women willing to test their product and provide feedback. Nikki provided some insight to this through email. “It is a learning curve for us though and the beauty of MIP is that because we design, sample, manufacture everything all under our own roof, if we find ways to improve a style in terms of fit, we can do that very easily. For us, amending the pattern is just a case of going upstairs, getting it out of a cabinet and altering it!” Pretty amazing right? By providing feedback you can help the design team learn what is a feature or improvement that is needed in every size or maybe an individual fit concern. For example, if ten women across several sizes say that a sleeve is too tight the pattern and subsequent garments can be changed to reflect that need.

Africa bralet £35

Of course with all of this comes design problems and struggles. The current size range is 6-16 with three bust size accommodations (Fit, Foxy, & Fab). That is a total of 18 different sizes meant to cover a range of 48 bra sizes (26DD-36HH). You also have styles like the bralets that have underwire, which are sized in a range. For example, the 8 Fab bralet has a 28H/30GG underwire. But an 8 Fab may be worn by a woman who needs anything from a 26 band to a 34 (really the sizing possibilities are endless).  Talk about some design complexities! So there will be women that may not find the perfect fit in a particular style, just like a dress from Pepperberry or a top from Biu Biu. It’s not a flaw in any company, design, or individual’s body, it is just something that happens when you are designing a line and trying to fit as many shapes and sizes as possible. I have already learned that one particular design does not work on my body shape, but I know it will work on plenty of other women (more on that to come). I hope that the LBD design works for me, I’ve been eyeing it from the time I saw it on the website.

Little Black Dress £42

Made In Preston currently has dresses with a price range of £35-45 ($58-63 at current exchange rates) and tops with a range of £35-40 ($58-61 at current exchange), all with free UK postage ($7.50 for US delivery). Stay tuned for updates on MIP’s line of bras as matching bottoms. You can find MIP on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

This is a sample only! Please note this is a model shot, so we can’t expect a perfect fit.

Bra fitting in the US is one of those things women do not regularly do. The idea of going to get a fitting ramps up the anxiety levels in a lot of women. We are faced with the idea of being topless in front of a stranger, not a comforting thought. So most women just avoid it.

In the breast augmentation world there is an excitement that is attached to your first bra fitting after surgery. Some women will run straight to Victoria’s Secret as soon as the feel up to making the drive. Nothing against VS or their product, but they are not who I’d recommend for your first fitting. I have never been able to give much for personal recommendations as I’ve never been lucky enough to have fittings at multiple places. But one name you’ll see often is Nordstrom. Many ladies will choose Nordstrom as their first fitting. Just recently I was able to see why.

Through a hectic couple of weeks of travel with a baby (including getting my twin sister to try a new size) our final stop was Seattle. The schedule was full, but a few short hours opened up before flying out. So to the mall we went. I was able to have my first fitting at Nordstrom.

Now at the time I was in a bit of a boob conundrum. I had been nursing for 7 1/2 months, but things were going down hill. A change like this is not the best time for a fitting, ideally I would go while nursing was established or she was completely weaned. But you gotta take the opportunity when it happens.

This particular Nordstrom is undergoing renovation. I stopped at the bathroom before heading up to lingerie and the women’s restroom was previously the men’s room and their was a curtain across the urinal wall. Not what I was expecting. From here my expectations dropped to about as low as they could go, but I tried to give the benefit of the doubt. Construction and renovation has to happen, the timing was just bad.

So we make our way around the first floor looking for a directory. Nothing. I’m kind of wondering, maybe it was misplaced with the renovations. So we head to the elevator, a perk of a baby in a stroller. There we found one area no getting renovated that definitely needed it. I had a flash back to my early years. But we also found out which floor the lingerie department was in.

As I walked through the lingerie department my hopes continue to sink. I saw Calvin Klein, Wacoal, DNKY, and other brands. Nothing in my size range. Finally I see some Chantelle, as I keep looking I see one rack with Freya, Panache, and Cleo. My hope comes back only to be dashed by the store associate that approached me. I told her I was looking for 28 bands and that I’d like to be fitted as I was experiencing changes due to nursing. She immediately told me that they no longer carried 28s but offered a fitting.

The fitting was a very simple process. She measured my underbust while I was in my bra, declared that I did need a 28 (measurement was 26 inches), then went to grab a few fit bras. She told me that while they did not have any 28s we could at least establish a cup volume. The first bra was a 30H Chantelle, which is a 30FF in UK sizing. The wire width was great, but the gore was lifting horribly. Because of that she grabbed a few more for me to try, unfortunately nothing was just right.

The last bra she brought for me to try was a 30G Freya Deco. I’ve wanted to try this bra forever. I knew it wouldn’t be perfect, but I really wanted to just try. At this point the fitter and I started talking about specific fit issues I was having. The biggest issue is the lifting center gore, which means to go up a size in most cases. But going up in size until I have a flat center gore results in too much space behind the breast before the wire hits. So here is where I come to a conundrum. Which fitting issue would I rather have? I could feasibly size down to a much more manageable size range, one with different cup construction and more availability.   Something that I’ll be seriously considering over the next few weeks.

And just because there is no fitting post that is complete with out some bra pictures, below you’ll see the 30G Freya Deco.