As someone who in my previous pregnancies and post-birth wasn’t too concerned about the sort of nursing bra I was wearing (bad breastfeeding experiences and seriously ill health will do that to a gal!), this time around I was determined to find a maternity/nursing bra that would make a difference to how I looked and felt.
The Lamborghini of bras if you will.
From my own past experiences (and current ones for that matter), there seems to be a distinct lack of comfy-yet-attractive maternity bras that will carry you through the latter stages of a pregnancy, and then well into baby’s arrival. Indeed, during this pregnancy when I got to the stage where I was bursting out of my usual bras and needed an upgrade, I trotted off to a national department store, only to leave with a clutch of comfy-but-frumpy maternity boulder-holders, and a feeling that there MUST be something better out there.
Step forward: Bravado.
I’d heard of Bravado before, but hadn’t had any direct experience of the brand. So when I was offered the chance to try their Bravado Designs Body Silk Seamless Yoga Nursing Bra, I thought “Why not?”.
On unpacking my bra, I immediately could notice the silk-aspect of it, and it felt ridiculously soft, something that didn’t change once actually on. Apparently the ‘Silver Breeze’ technology prevents the growth of odor-causing bacteria which keeps you fresh, and after some warmer weather of late I can vouch that I still felt pretty sweet smelling after a day of wear.
What I REALLY liked about this bra, and which I’m sure added to the comfort factor in a big way, is the fact that there are so many different ways of wearing and adjusting it- with convertible criss-cross straps, and also 4 different size adjustments on the back, as well as the usual strap adjusters. All this combined with the fact that it’s seamless and wire-free mean that I have confidence that the bra will continue to offer me comfort, as well as the right amount of support, at whatever stage of nursing I’m at. I also did the ‘unclip with one hand’ test and it passed with flying colours.
The bra looks good under clothes (crucial), and the removable foam inserts in the bra mean that you can get the comfort, fit and look of your choice (I’m all about the options!).
Some people might not be so keen on the sporty look of the bra (it does scream ‘active wear’!) but I actually didn’t mind that at all for day-to-day-wear, and to be honest if you’re considering a maternity bra with ‘yoga’ in the title then you probably won’t either.
All I can say is it looks a heck of a lot better than the ‘standard’, depressing, department store maternity/nursing bras that I also have, and I intend to purchase a couple more to see me through the rest of the year (for those wondering about sizing, I’m a size 10/12 and have been trialing a ‘Medium’, but there is an easy-read chart online and on the boxes to help you decide what size would be best for you).
Retailing at £34 it’s certainly not the cheapest maternity bra on the market, but for something that you NEED to be comfy and you’re actually fiddling with several times a day once baby arrives, I believe that you get what you pay for.
Whether you’re a yoga-bunny, or a sofa surfer, or somewhere in between, I can highly recommend a Bravado Body Silk Seamless Yoga Nursing Bra for both pregnancy and post-partum use (and I will be updating this review once baby number 3 arrives next month!).
Disclosure: I was very kindly sent this bra free of charge for the purpose of this review, however all opinions are my own.
I love love love Bravado bras! I started wearing them when I was expecting my 3rd and I’ve never been able to go back to other bras. In fact, I have just been to John Lewis to buy one today. I stopped breastfeeding a year ago, but you can turn the bras into ‘normal’ bras so they’re perfect, and so so comfy!