Friday 1 April 2011

8 3/4 months




Here I am sporting my huge lump. It is getting in the way a bit now, especially when I want to turn over at night, which is often. On one of the last days I spent at La Trobe I saw a colleague I hadn't seen for a while; by way of greeting he pointed at my stomach and said "Big." Yes, well observed - big.

Well, in the event, it didn't take me all that long to switch tracks from work to leave mode. Perhaps that is a trifle unfortunate since I still have three medium to large sized jobs that need doing. I'm now ignoring my work email, however, which is a very good thing.

I figure I've got about three weeks till the baby arrives and I can't wait, although at the same time I wish I had a bit longer to get ready. One thing I must make myself do is somehow acquire a couple of maternity bras. I attempted this yesterday at Northland Myer and didn't even get as far as the changing room thanks to a combination of a store policy which says you can't get help fitting a bra unless you've made an appointment in advance, combined with two staff members who thought it was a good idea to ignore the hugely pregnant woman standing on the other side of the counter for five minutes wanting to ask a question while they leisurely debated how to make the cash register do some administrative function. I wanted to know how you're meant to figure out how to allow for size changes when the milk comes in - do you just get a bra that fits around the ribcage with some space in the cup? At about $50 a pop I didn't feel like taking a chance and probably getting it wrong. In the end I just put the bras I'd picked out back on the rack and went away. It was a bit upsetting for a while but honestly it is going to take more than that to really disturb the very happy mood I'm in right now.

11 comments:

Kerryn Goldsworthy said...

You look fantastic, if that is any consolation, though I can imagine how upsetting the bra episode must have been. (I bet there are pregnancy/maternity blogs awash with helpful hints about this kind of thing.) I'm particularly impressed by the way you've managed to position the iPhone so it looks like you're holding a coffee cup.

Unknown said...

I bought nursing bras while I was pregnant and didn't buy any more afterward ie didn't need a bigger size. Yes, you're hugely bigger for a couple of days when the milk first comes in but then they adjust downward. [Some women's breasts get permanently larger after pregnancy and breastfeeding - some women's shrivel. Another of those fascinating maternity facts.]

Unknown said...

PS I went to a specialist bra/lingerie shop to buy mine - first and last time ever but it was a good experience.

librarygirl said...

Laura - Dickory Dock in Camerwell in Burke Road is wonderful.
No appointment needed, and little silk tent type fitting rooms and gilt chairs and plush couches. It is an experience. The women fitters are experts. Not cheap, but now I don't go anywhere else.

wv - bless.
I kid you not.

GS said...

You look gorgeous :)

Ditto librarygirl re Dickory Dock (for women with unconventional breasts like myself) and I've always found David Jones in the city helpful. The only time they didn't do "walk ins" to measure was when run off their feet at sales time. I

And also ditto paying a bit more for a really good quality, well-fitted bra. It's a great investment.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Suze: I had my bras fitted in late pregnancy and apart from an increase in size when the milk came in, I returned to my pregnancy size while breast feeding.

I can also recommend DJs in the city, no trouble with walk-in fitting. The fitters were quite patient too.

Another detail I discovered after I had my baby was that I preferred a bra which allowed me to undo each cup in the middle and move it to the side when feeding (if this makes sense), rather than the style that opens from the top of the cup on the strap (the triangle top cup point) and than hangs down. (In my case this sort of bra would regularly get wet during a feed.)

Berlei had some good maternity/nursing bras a few years ago when I needed one. I really liked one particular style which looked just like a regular bra with tiny hooks in the centre for each cup, allowing this preferred "side opening action". It was also comfortable during pregnancy.

Good luck with this. So many changes.


Regular reader, and first-time commenter

Unknown said...

I've already had to buy new bras b/c I am expanding in every direction so rapidly (except for upwards, definitely not getting taller sadly) so I got a comfy bonds maternity bra that wasn't too expensive. I am worried about sizing but at this point all the comfy bras are either sports bras or maternity bras so I just gave up and bought the maternity bra in the hope I'd be able to use it for its intended purpose one day.

Anyway, you look fabulous.

Ampersand Duck said...

I'm still startled by the phrase 'unconventional breasts like mine'. Is there such a thing as conventional breasts? Urban myth, in my book.

You *do* look fabulous. I won't pass on the WV, it's being rude today.

lucy tartan said...

Some really good tips here, thanks. I will check out Dickory Dock tomorrow. Long ago I got good underwear at DJs in the city but I'm not sure I'm up to the mental challenge of shopping in the city at the moment.

Kate, I had a huge hoarder's collection of bras from several different weights and I just pulled the underwires out of some larger old ones. They've been fine, comfortable, though obviously they won't work for feeding.

Hello Anonymous. Thanks for the point about central openings. That seems like a really good piece of advice.

Helen said...

I didn't bother with proper Maternity bras - just bought bras that fitted with, as you say, a bit of give in the cup dept. and no underwire. Then I'd just pull the cup downwar to flip the boob out. Easier and less fiddling. Good luck!

Unknown said...

Probably too late, but I found this quite helpful - I like their bras too...

http://www.bravadodesigns.com/shop/simple-guide-to-sizing