When I’m pregnant I’m all about being comfortable so as soon as I found out this time I ditched my underwired bras and headed straight back to the comfort of maternity/nursing bras. I still have the bras that I wore when I was pregnant and breastfeeding Toby but some of them are looking a bit sorry for themselves to say the least. I was on the look out for some new bras but being a 36G I find my choices are sometimes a bit limited so when the people at Bravado got in touch to see if I would like to try two of their maternity/nursing bras I was very happy to give them a try.
Essential Embrace Nursing Bra
The Bravado Essential Embrace Nursing Bra is made from Bravado Dynatex fabric which is a combination of cotton and microfiber. The breathable fabric has a four-way stretch so it can mould to your changing shape throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding. The bra has a full drop cup for easy access when feeding, and this also allows for that all important skin to skin contact.
I received the Essential Embrace Nursing Bra in black with purple piping in size 36 FF/G. I found the bra fits well and is very comfortable. As I’ve found with all non-wired bras and having quite a large chest this bra doesn’t quite manage to avoid the mono-boob look, but this isn’t really a problem. The material of the bra is quite thick and so feels very supportive. I also like the full drop cup, I found this style much easier when feeding Toby. The clips are easy to open, even one handed. The bra has four sets of three hooks at the back and also included with the bra is a bra-extender which I think is a great idea. I know in the latter part of my pregnancy with Toby my ribs really expanded so having a bra-extender will mean this bra will still fit comfortably and I won’t have to buy another size. Bravado even include some extra clips/hooks with instructions which allow you to convert the bra to a normal non-nursing bra when you have finished breastfeeding. To be honest I don’t know if this is something I would be bothered to do but I think it’s a great added extra which again would help extend the life of the Essential Embrace bra.
The Bravado Essential Embrace Nursing Bra is available in white, chai (skin-toned) or black and from size 32 B/C to 36 HH/J. It has an RRP of £34.00.
Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra
The Bravado Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra is made from soft stretchy material, and as you may have realised from the name it is seamless so there are no bits to rub or irritate. There are pockets in the cups which hold foam inserts designed to hide nipples or breast pads, these are removable if you wish. I normally avoid any sort of moulded cup as I think they tend to make my already ample bosom seem even bigger but that isn’t the case with these inserts. There is a wide stretchy band that sits under the bust which makes this bra very comfortable and the stretchy fabric means it can easily accommodate your changing shape throughout pregnancy and nursing. Like the Essential Embrace Nursing Bra, the Body Silk Seamless has a full drop cup and the clips are very easy to open. It also comes with the kit to convert it to a regular bra when you no longer require it for breastfeeding.
I found the Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra to be very comfortable but I do have a few niggles. This bra does not come in regular bra sizes, it is sized as small, medium, large or extra large. I had to get the extra large in order for the cups to have enough material to cover my boobs but this means that it is quite loose around my ribs and rides up a bit at the back. The other problem, similar to with the Essential Embrace bra is that it does not separate my boobs leading to a rather sweaty and not entirely attractive mono-boob. Like I said, this is a common problem for me with non-wired bras but I did find it slightly worse than usual with the Body Silk Seamless. Lastly, the stretchy material, although very soft and comfortable, did not provide me with a huge amount of support. It was fine for most things but I definitely needed to be careful I didn’t run down the stairs! With all this in mind I would recommend the Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra for those of you who are perhaps a bit smaller than me in the boob department, it is incredibly comfortable but for someone who is a G cup it maybe isn’t the best option out there.
The Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra is available in a selection of colours and has an RRP of £30.
I obviously haven’t had a chance to try these bras when breastfeeding yet, so I’ll be back with an updated review after our little bear arrives in August.
**Disclosure: I was sent these Bravado nursing bras in return for this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.
