Bras 101: The Great Post-Exchange Debate
Comments
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I agree re: when to start wearing a regular bra -- ask your PS. Different people have different sorts of incisions and different interior work (sometimes called pocket work) done. So your PS will be the best person to advise when to switch to a regular bra and also whether wired or wire free is best for you at first.
Val -- wow! Thanks for the Marshall's update! Hugs!
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My PS's big concern was that I wear something that keeps my implants from migrating out. I'll e-mail her - I wanted to say thank you, anyway.
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sweetbean: You need a bra which has good lateral support. Read some of these answers on realself.com....you can create a makeshift support until you can get fitted properly....
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I went out yesterday and got a Wacoal bra with great lateral support and it seems to be making a huge difference in how they look and feel. I'm feeling better. I also think that they are healing well and thus far, they are still soft.
Edited to add: When I got fitted, the lady said I am a 32DDD. This was a big shock. I thought my entire life that I was a 34B/C. I have never had really big breasts and I don't really feel that they are all that much bigger now, to be honest.
The Wacoal bra is a 32DDD and it is definitely not cute. Do you think I will be able to get creative with sizes, such as a 34DD, when things are settled. If I can buy in DD sizes, I will have a lot more options. If I have to stay in DDD, I'm kind of screwed. Thoughts? Advice?
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Sweetbean: 34DD and 32DDD are quantitatively the same (when you go down in band, you go up in cup size) so that is very likely.
Wacoal makes some pretty bras (and some grandma bras)... sounds like you got a grandma bra style. For now good support is GREAT! Give yourself some time to heal up... but I think you should be able to find good bras that both support AND look pretty.
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I think DD and E are the same in Europe.
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Thank you! I thought I might be able to get away with a 34DD. That would be cool. I feel like I am in a grandma bra at the moment, but getting the best support is the most important thing to me right now. Thanks!
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I tried a night or two to sleep without a bra, and I can't do it. I have been wearing a compression sport bra, but I feel best with an underwire. I need recommendation for the best supportive underwire sport bra to wear for sleeping only. Any suggestions?
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sweetbean - don't freak about a cup size. I would venture to say that most of us wore ugly, 'grandma' bras for at least a little while after our exchange. Freya makes GORGEOUS bras in that size.
And when I find my size (30d) in a store, the pickings are slim. I just did a quick search on www.herroom.com and put 32E in the search box and there are Chantelle,Natori, Freya and other great bras in that size. You are NOT destined to ugly bras, girl!0 -
westieluv - it is completely your call on which underwire you make your sleep bras. Try 'em out and see which one you like the best. I switch back and forth between Freya "Arabella" and a zip up the front sports bra. There is no right or wrong here. Experiment. See what feels best to you.
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Hillck yes a DD is E in European sizes. But a 32DDD and a 34DD in my experience do not both work on everyone. Some people can go either way but some can not, seems most people can not. At least that is what I have found working at Soma Intimates. Perhaps some brands do work that way, I could be wrong.0
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You know, the thing that gets me is that every DDD bra gave me a ton of support. That's great for now, when I need it, but I don't think I am going to need crazy amounts of support - they are implants, right? Perky forever?
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sweetbean my doctor said they will eventually sag just like natural breasts but wearing a bra can slow that. I don't need any support right now but the bra does give me a nicer shape.0
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That makes sense, but I still think I will need less support than if these babies were DDD's of actual breast tissue. I mean, the ones I have don't move and probably won't ever move significantly. Honestly, I just want someone to tell me that I will be able to wear a demi cup someday.
If I stitched the cups together on the bra I am wearing now, I could use it as a purse. A pretty big one. 0 -
sweetbean I just got back from the gym and I noticed that they don't bounce. I am very happy about that. I am 36D I was a 36DD before. It makes working out much easier. ALl I wore was a very loose fitting sports bra.0
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I don't know what causes bounce lol. I have a lot of ptosis. But I do not have as much projection as I would like. I have 600cc and I am 5'6" 160 lbs and I wear a 36D. I am hoping to get mre projectin in time or that maybe my PS will tighten the pocket so they show out more.
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Wow I haven't visited this forum in a while! I finally caught up on the PM's and now I'm catching up on my favorite thread: THIS one!
Westieluv: my favorite way to sleep is with a Freya underwire, and a compression type sports bra on top. It makes me feel encapsulated, yet compressed enough to allow sleeping toward my side instead of always on my back.0 -
Yes, implants will remain perky, but we are not like augmentation patients. Essentially, all we have to support the implants is expanded skin (which for many of is paper-thin), scar tissue, the pectoral muscles, and sometimes Alloderm. Regardless of implant size, the skin will continue to relax, so dropping and potential lateral movement of the implants will happen -to pretty much everybody. Minimizing that process is the rationale behind wearing a bra.
I have slept in a Freya underwire since my exchange -the Arabella or Eleanor (which is an older style). Both are sheer mesh so you definitely don't feel like a Grandma in those pretties!
The first 3-4 months post-exchange are integral to optimal implant placement. During this time, the capsule (scar tissue) forms around the implant, which provinces support, but also determines where the implant will reside. If the implant moves during this time, the capsule forms in the wrong place, and the results is a catiwampus implant. Revision is the only fix. That's why getting into a bra that encapsulates as soon as possible after exchange and staying in one 24/7 format least those first few months is so important -at least in the opinion of many PS's. Ultimately, though, the decision is between you and your PS!
As for sizing, the cups of a 32ddd are the same as a 34dd. However, a good part of the support does come from the band. If its too big, you lose support. Ideally, it should be snug enough that only a finger or two can fit underneath. Yes, that's tight and does take some getting used to - we Americans tend to wear our bras far too loose compared to Europeans - but once you do, you wonder how you ever wore loose bra before!0 -
Wow, thanks for such a clear explanation for why we wear bras 24/7. I totally get it. I have a really supportive Wacoal bra with what feels like a ton of lateral support. I know some ps's love the VS Biofit for shaping the implant. So hard to know what to do....but at least this bra feels like a good choice. I'm in in 24/7 at this point. I'm still also wearing the PEMF machine, which makes the bra more uncomfortable, but it's not forever. Just another week or so. And if it reduces risk of CC, then I can stand it.
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Sweetbean -- that is fine for now. And probably even MORE than fine!
Hillck -- Carrol (and you) are right DD (american) = E (british)! I just looked up the conversion. This totally explains why I'm a 38DD in Freya and 38D in most Wacoals LOL. I thought Freya just ran small. Too funny.
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For you gals in NYC, check this out! Would love to go here! Tour of Linda the bra lady 's store in Murray hill.
http://blog.lindasonline.com/2011/04/29/tour-of-the-store-lindas-murray-hill/#.TzLMcPF5mSN0 -
Hi All, I finally found 2 bras that are giving me support, are wide enough around in the cups and do not have a bunch of fabric where my nips would be. One is a nursing bra from Target. They only have one style in the stores but it's pretty (not like Freya pretty but ok) It's got 2 part cups and an inner pannel that supports you when you take down the outer cup to nurse. I'm not going to nurse OBVIOUSLY! :-) but it fits great and has really good support. I took the underwires out of it to comply with my PS's rule of no underwires yet. Be sure you get one that fits really snug in the band because it unsnugs a bit when you remove the wires.
The other one is a Platex that comes in the box (well now days its a vinyl pouch) It's called Cool Comfort. It has the molded cups but they are shaped more wide and shallow than the other models. This one is so comfy I barely know I have it on. Band size runs pretty true but I took a cup size smaller in this one from everything else I have tried on.
My boobs are shaping up much better since starting to wear the bras 24/7. Thanks to the seasoned vets (val, hillck,whippetmom,lago. lilah - hope I didn't miss anyone!) for all you continued support of us newbes on this stuff!
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Val and Lilah where are you guys hearing that 32DDD and 34DD are the same size cup? I have been working at Soma since July and have only had a few women who could go both ways. If you look at those two sizes at Soma the DDD looks way bigger. According to Soma they are different.
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Question....I got the ok to wear a non wire bra last week(exchange 1/17) & I've been wearing one during the day but when I get home from work or ready for bed I change into my barely there sports bra to sleep. Am I suppose to wear the bra 24/7? I can't imagine because I'm so ready to get it off at the end of the day, especially on the side my nodes were removed. I see my PS next Thursday but he not so full of info. What's your opinion?
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I started wearing my Wacoal underwire bra 5 days after my exchange, 24/7. I think it is definitely helping shape the implants. I agree, it is not comfortable to wear it all the time, esp. with an inframmary incision. But if it gets me the results I want, then I can do it. My PS doesn't have a ton of info, either.
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Ladies any suggestions on a bra- I go back to work Monday and need something so people won't stare - I had BMX January 23rd direct to implant one side looks great the other side the implant is to high causng a large divit and skin has folded on itself x 2 ( large ) it shows through bra's I have and clothes. My PS says she can fix until then I need a bra to hold the good side where it needs to be and hide the bad side .Today I tried on all the bras I owed and none worked so frustrated I tossed them all in the garbage
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Carrol -- what Hillck said
Maybe it's different with Soma bras.
Oh and Rubalou: wahooo!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Carrol- regarding "sister sizes" (as some stores refer to them) we certainly didn't mean to imply that they are interchangeable. Often, though, particularly between manufacturers, bands or cups run big or small, and using that "sister size" can be necessary. For instance, I wear a 30DD, but Soma doesn't carry 30 bands. I wanted one of the camo bras, so bought a 32D, which although is big in the band ( I have to wear it on the snuggest hook) fits in the cup. The cup sizes are proportions, so the ratio of band:cup size is the same for. 32D and a 38D, though the actual cup sizes are much different. check out this info from the herroom.com site (which I apologize, but can't figure out how to link while using my iPad!)
http://www.herroom.com/bra-underwires-design-and-size-manufacturing,912,30.html
Tenaj-I feel you discomfort, my dear! Boy, do I remember how I couldn't wait for my shower-the only time my PS allowed me out of my super-tight underwire bra! If you can stick with it, you'll probably be as surprised as I was that one day - it takes a few weeks to be honest - you'll realize you weren't miserable that day at all! If not, then don't beat yourself up;at least you're sleeping in some kind of bra, which is better than nothing at this crucial point.
Kburdick - Healing hugs to you, sweetie! While you may have a bit of a predicament, how lucky that you could do a one-step recon! I'm trying to picture your issue, so if this doesn't help you, please let me know. My thought is that a contour bra would be beneficial. Because it holds it's shape-some more than others-it should hide the divot and fold on the one side, while still supporting the other. I have one that I like that's underwire -Fantasie 4510. Warner's also makes one that is wirefree, though its cup is less rigid. I wore that one a couple times during my TEs when I had an outfit that really required it. I'm happy to help you find some other bras, too. Just let me know,
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Rubalou-You go girl! I love my Target! Maybe you could look up the manufacturer of the nursing bra and see if they make a similar non-nursing style. That way you wouldn't have to worry about the crazy cups. ( I have such fond memories of those things.....though actually I mostly just pulled my regular bra up to nurse ...lol). 0 -
Just bought a Natori "Feathers" bra. It is extremely comfortable, encapsulates nicely, and has amazing cleavage. A great t-shirt bra. I also bought an Anita wireless bra in red, which has lateral support panels. Wrapping it up to give to my DH for Valentine's Day, because he complains about me wearing industrial strength sports bras to bed.
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Gotta check them out, whippetmom! I recently bought a Natori bra, too, a brand I've not had luck with before. It's super soft and a great t-shirt bra - and has convertible straps to boot! It's Natori 132005-Sheer Mesh Convertible Contour Plunge. What a name! ( note:NOT a rigid contour bra in the least!). I tried a couple sizes and ended up sizing down in the cup to a 30D.
Will share my other recent purchases later. Off to my early morning Pilates class!0
