Ben
and I had to make a crazy, last-minute trip to the States yesterday, to
renew my passport -- it's a long story -- and almost were arrested at
the border -- an even longer story. It did, however, bring us to the
States, the land of cheaper oil changes, cheese, and bras. That's right.
We went to TJ Maxx to get me another bra. Here's my story... Before
we knew we were pregnant (5 weeks into it), my breasts were already
very tender (my nipples would hurt when the water hit them in the
shower!) and beginning to swell. I thought I had just gained weight over
the holidays... Eventually they developed -- and still show -- a
complicated interlacing of bright blue veins, visible even in my
ever-enlarging and pinkening areolae (the colored area around the
nipple). My nipples have changed dramatically, too! They're bigger in
every respect and now seem to be made of clusters of translucent balls,
much like a miniature raspberry. One breast seems to be growing and
developing much slower than the other, but I'm sure that's "normal". In
the second month, my bras felt very tight around my rib cage and I found
that every time I breathed I wanted to unhook my bra (I think this is
because as my uterus expands, it pushes my intestines up and into my
lung region -- I've noticed lately that when I have lots of gas, the
area above my navel gets really hard -- I think that's because my uterus
is taking up the space below my navel and forcing everything into a
smaller area). We decided that it was time to buy me a larger bra.
When
Mom and Dad Amundgaard came to visit us in February, they bought me two
XL sports bras to sleep in (I find it very uncomfortable to ever be
without some kind of support -- and I've heard that wearing sleeping
bras can help protect against sagging boobs). Those bras were so
comfortable that they were all I wore for about a month; then I/the
babe had a growth spurt and they no longer fit. A friend of ours, with a
new baby, suggested that we buy a larger nursing bra and start using
that now. So we bought one from Motherhood Maternity for about $35 -- it
has padded straps and little hooks at the top of each breast to let one
side down at a time -- cool. When we bought it, the woman helping us
told us to make sure that I could fit my fist in with my breast, because
my breasts could grow that much more before the baby's born. So we did
-- and it's a little big, but much more comfortable than the other bras.
I wore it everyday and sometimes nights, and didn't wash it for about a
month. We decided it was time to buy me another bra so that I could at
least trade out while I was doing laundry. My mom came to visit and
bought me a pregnancy camisole with a built-in nursing bra. Now I sleep
in the camisole and trade out between it and the bra when I do laundry.
So I'm pretty well set. What to Expect, though, says that some
women can expect their breasts to increase 3 cup sizes!! Mine have
already increased one cup size and 3 sizes around my rib cage -- and my
milk hasn't even come in!! The book also mentions that wearing underwire
bras can cause mastitis,
but I can't stand how my boobs look and feel without underwire, so
everything I have bought -- and hope to buy -- has wire (except the
camisole, which makes it comfy for sleeping in). I'll let you know how
the wire thing goes.
That was
the "tales" part; now for the "tips". With what I know now, this is
what I wish I'd bought: one XL sports bra for sleeping in during the
first trimester; one maternity camisole with built-in (non-nursing) bra
to sleep in during the second trimester (one cup size larger than
pre-pregnancy and 2 sizes larger around the rib cage -- and non-nursing
camisoles sell at Target for under $20 whereas my nursing camisole was
around $40 -- thanks, Mom!); probably 3 normal bras from TJ Maxx or Ross
or the like (they're about $7 each at TJ Maxx, so I'd get one for the
first trimester that's larger around the rib cage; one for the second
that's larger in cup and rib cage; and one for the third trimester
that's larger yet in both places); and then, about 2 weeks before the
baby's due, I'd buy one or two nursing bras. Of course, I'm only about
half-way through pregnancy, so I may change my mind on this yet, but
that's what I'd recommend now.
P.S. I have another cold. Unbelievable!
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