Today I am partnering with ThirdLove to share 5 tips to avoid bra fit problems.   I have had so many laughable bra moments throughout my years and many had to do with poor fitting bras.   Visible panty lines have been such a faux pas but no one really talks much about visible bra lines.

5 Tips to Avoid Bra Fit Problems

I spent most of the last 5 years with boobs that fluctuated cups sizes every few months.   Between pregnancy and the various stages of breast feeding my breasts have gone from quite large (when your milk comes in – WHOA) to deflated and “skinny” (now).  By skinny I mean skin bags.   That’s what I call my post-nursing breasts 🙂

I actually JUST weaned my son (who turned 2 in June) so I was finally ready to invest in a “real bra”.   The last 2 years of nursing I mostly wore seamless bras (sometimes called “sleep bras”) because my breasts were so uneven.   When I tried on the push-up and underwire bras I had from before my pregnancies I found the cups were baggy and my breasts didn’t have enough tissue to be pushed up (so many funny emojis to insert here, but my laptop doesn’t allow).   Quite frankly it looked more like a “flop over” of loose skin in some bras and a half empty pool in others.

I remember when I was first starting out as a blogger I wore a strapless push-up bra under an off the shoulder top.   My meal boob (what I called the breast that produced the majority of breastmilk) overflowed the cup so badly that I had to scrap all the photos.

The End of an Era

So to celebrate the emotional process of weaning my last baby I wanted to get a bra that FINALLY fit in a flattering way.   You can certainly go to a store for a bra fitting but I opted to find something online.  Most of my babysitters moved away to college this year so when I can nail down childcare I want it to be for something more fun than a bra fitting.  Using ThirdLove’s fit finder I was able to sip Champagne while I awaited the email with my new bra size.

I was SHOCKED at how wrong I was sizing myself.   I was purchasing size 34-B the last time I purchased a bra in-store.   That bra slid up and bagged out, and basically looked like I borrowed a bra from the wrong friend.   When I took ThirdLove’s fit finder it suggested I try size 30-D.  WHAAAAA???   No way these little skin bags could be considered D-cups.   My husband tells me jokes about D-cups and imagines them super voluptuous and sexy (and believe me when I say, that’s not what’s in my D-cups :).  Long story short – they were right, I was wrong (about the size at least).

The ThirdLove site shares tons of tips and pictures to help you avoid bra fit problems.    Here are my top 5 tips for things I now do based on mistakes I have made in the past.

1. Buy a Bra with a Smaller Band Size

The band is generally the first part of a bra to show wear and tear.   When you first purchase a bra you should be latching it on the BIGGEST hooks so that as it stretches out with wear you can go down to the tighter hooks and keep that snug fit.   This was my number one mistakes for most of my bra-wearing life – assuming I was too “BIG” to wear a certain band size.

2. Don’t Assume You’re too Small For a Certain Cup Size

When you size down in a band size you need to go up in a cup size.   While a C or D cup size gives me the idea of large, full breasts I can tell you, first hand – it isn’t always the case :).   Overflow (whether on the side or top of the bra’s cups) is usually solved by going up a cup size.

3. The Straps Aren’t doing the Lifting

The straps should fit snug so they’re not slipping off but they aren’t meant to lift the breasts.   I have tightened mine to the point where I ended up with problem 4 (below) on several occasions.   A tight band around the chest should be doing most of the work.  Adjust the straps about once a month to ensure they’re at the appropriate length for your body as they naturally loosen with wear as well.

4. The Wire Should Sit Below Your Breasts

HA!   DUH!    When I was trying to wear my pre-baby bras as my days of nursing were winding down I found the underwire riding up to the middle of my boobs.   Again this is related to some other tips that you should start with a TIGHT band that will eventually STRETCH OUT.   I am also about 5-10 lbs lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight (thanks to fewer nights out and lots of milk making) which is another reason my band size was too large.

5. Bras Don’t Last Forever

Bras are something you wear everyday so they take a lot of wear and tear.   Overtime bras stretch enough that they no longer fit as well.   While I used to be astounded at the price of a great bra I now feel differently.   A well fitting bra makes your clothes look better and more flattering.  I tend to rotate 2 “everyday” bras for at least a year so investing in 2 good ones isn’t what I’d consider frivolous spending.

I also grabbed the cutest ORGANIC cotton pajama set while I was on the ThirdLove site.  I am wearing size small above.  If you remember from this recent food post I talked about the personal reason I put my dollars behind organic goods.  The fit, color, and feel of the pajamas are all perfect!  I should note I am wearing this sleep bra beneath the pajamas because my nipples would be begging for all your attention if I were uncaging them.

So I’d love to hear from you!   Have you had bra fit problems like the few I mentioned above?   Or other bra fit problems?  The lifespan of my bigger boobs was so shortI can’t quite relate. I’m sure large breasts opens a new can of worms.   Drop me a comment below, I always love to know you read through 🙂

As always, thanks for stopping by!!!

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Thank you to ThirdLove for sponsoring this post.