Now that I’m almost done nursing my daughter, I am getting excited about being able to wear a “real” bra again. No little clips on the straps. No cups that flip down. No need for breast pads. Yay me!
The past few days I’ve been having fun looking at pretty bras online, and dreaming of the day I can soon wear something like that again! But in doing so I discovered that not only am I probably not wearing the right bra size currently, I probably NEVER have worn the right bra size!
Go ahead and gasp all you want, but I have never in my entire life had a proper bra fitting. I guess I’m one of those people that feels embarrassed about the idea of a stranger measuring me up. But two kids later, I realize there is nothing to be embarrassed about, and I want a bra that is going to fit perfectly and make my post-baby boobies look nice again. At least as nice as possible.
Before I had kids I thought I was a 34B. My boobs were perky and small enough that really it didn’t matter a whole lot if my bra didn’t fit me the best. After I had kids I “guess-timated” that since I’d gained weight, I’d probably gone up a band size and cup size. So since then I’ve been wearing a 36C. Sounds good, right?
I thought so, until I found this: An online bra sized calculator from the designer bra company Chantelle.
After typing my measurements in and the “symptoms” of my bra fit (spilling out of the top of the cups and the back strap riding up), I found out that I am probably more like a 32DD or 34D. Wow!
That can’t be right, can it? So I decided to dig a little deeper and do some more research. I found a few “bra expert” websites, but I found HerRoom.com to be very helpful with bra fitting advice and why I am really a 32DD instead of a 36C. In fact, I learned that about 90% of women are walking around with a band size that is much too large and a cup size that is too small! Read the bra fitting advice yourself! Linda’s Online also is a great resource for bra fit troubleshooting.
So after discovering this, I finally realized one day I’m going to have to suck it up and get fitted by an actual person. A lot of times the first place we thing of to go is Victoria’s Secret. However, I am hesitant as I know a lot of people who have gone to get fitted there and the associate helping them had no idea what they’re doing. Somehow I came across the boutique “Intimacy”, who’s owner Susan Nethero has been featured on Oprah and other shows and is called the “bra whisperer”. Intimacy offers a free one-on-one consultation and even bra alterations. It sounds wonderful! Unfortunately, her closest shop is about 8 hours away from me in Chicago.
Then I found (what I think is) the next best thing! FreshPair.com offers something called “At Home Bra Fitting”. The more I read about it, the more I realized it was for people like me (who are a little too shy to be measured up in a store). You set up a phone consultation with a bra fit expert in which they address your style, fit problems, and sizing. After that the fit expert selects 10-20 bras based on the consultation and mails them free. You don’t even have to pay for the bras. You are then giveyn a week to try them on and decide which ones work. Then you send the ones that don’t work back in a pre-paid package (return shipping is also free). You are only charged for the bras you keep and are under no obligation to buy. How awesome! They offer a large variety of brands too, from less expensive ones like Maidenform to designer brands like Chantelle and Panache.
I hope to try this service out someday! And if anyone has ever tried it or is thinking about it too, let me know how it goes!
And happy lingerie shopping!
(I was not paid or given any incentive to post about FreshPair’s At Home Bra Fitting)
Some of the links in the post above may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.