How your breasts change through pregnancy and breastfeeding
Along with morning sickness, changing breasts are ones of the first signs of pregnancy for many mums.
During early pregnancy, breasts might feel tender to the touch, larger and fuller. They might even feel painful as your body adjusts to the pregnancy hormones and prepares itself for breastfeeding.
At that point, you may feel more comfortable with a maternity or a nursing bra one or two cup size larger. Some women will continue to increase in cup size throughout the pregnancy. Others might only notice a difference late in the third trimester.
As the baby grows, your internal organs are pushed up in your rib cage, leaving you feeling out of breath at times. Petite mums and women carrying high will notice this even more. Your rib cage will expand and you will feel more comfortable with a maternity bra one or two rib band size larger than pre-pregnancy.
On average, pregnant women will need a maternity or a nursing bra which is one or two cup sizes and one or two rib band sizes throughout their pregnancy. This doesn't mean you will need to buy several maternity bras. You can even start wearing your nursing bra during pregnancy. Nursing bras are especially designed to adjust to your body and breasts changing shape and size.
After your baby is born and your milk has 'come in', you will again feel that your breasts have increased in size. Choosing a nursing bra that is well fitted and supportive while you establish breastfeeding will be essential for your comfort. Many breastfeeding mums will feel more comfortable wearing their nursing bras even at night time so buying a few nursing bras or nursing tops is a good idea.
From around 6 weeks, your breastfeeding will settle down. Your rib cage will slowly go back to its pre-pregnancy size and your breasts will go back to a size around one size larger than what they were pre-pregnancy.
Here are some examples to illustrate how your bra size will likely change:
Created: February 28, 2010
