I have been wanting to blog about this for a few weeks now, but have put it off. It is kind of personal and I really try not to share too many personal things on my blog...
But, I really need to share this!!
I want to talk about bras...
Yes, bras.
Alright. Before I had children I was a nice manageable size. I could walk into any store and purchase a bra for a whopping $20 or less, depending on the style.
And let's talk style. I could walk into any store and pick up any style of bra. I could get the cute lacy ones, the pretty flowery ones...even the sexy ones if I wanted...
FAST FORWARD: 15 years later
I have now had 6 full pregnancies. I have nursed 5 babies between 2 months and 1 year each. The girls grew with each pregnancy. They just kept growing!!
I have worked out, I have lost weight and gained it back, I have tried to tone the girls and they really are not going down in size at all. I have posted about my experience with the plastic surgeon, which I am considering again.
But in the meantime, when trying to buy a bra, I can no longer go into a mainstream department store and find my size. I had been wearing the biggest size that they sold and it just didn't do its job. But I knew that buying a properly sized bra would cost me a small fortune and we just don't have that kind of money to spend on 1 piece of clothing. So, I just continued with the "dd".
Finally, I had enough and I knew that I needed to buy a real bra that would fit me right. I needed to see a separation between my tummy and my girls. I needed to feel good about myself.
So, I saved and went to a specialty store. They brought me the size that I thought I was, which was an (are you ready for this?) "h". It was too small...so they kept going up in size until they hit the ao"k" size. I was a bit upset to find out what I really was...but I bought 2 bras, because I really needed them.
The one bra, just a plain beige bra, 69.99 and the other one with a wire cost 129.99.
Over $200 on 2 bras!! I still can't believe that I did it. I know I need a few more, but I am going to have to save up for and budget for that time.
I will tell you one thing, I have never felt more confident, my self esteem has never been so high. When I wake up in the morning and I get dressed, I feel good about myself. It has been years since I have felt like this.
Some people say that one shoe can change your life (like Cinderella) but I say - the right bra can change your life!!
There you have it. My fun, overly personal blog for now...LOL!!
Remember when we were kids and the trouble was that we were too flat and HADN'T started growing breasts as yet?
ReplyDeleteI too miss the days when the ladies stood up on their own. I nursed my son for four years because, with his many gastrointestinal issues, it was one of the few things his stomach would tolerate. Needless to say, my boobies were just never the same.
My little sister, who is now 22, has extremely large breasts also. Her problem is that she had such a tiny waist and then the extra large ladies. She resorted to wearing two bras at once for years, just to hold herself in. I finally took her to a specialty shop a few years ago and offered to buy her a good bra that would hold the ladies in. Don't remember the exact size, but it was a letter somewhere in the middle of the alphabet one would not normally associate with bras.
Someone needs to develop a more economical line of supportive, larger bras. I know there would be many grateful, happy women out there. Enjoy your new bras!
lol! I feel your pride (and pain) in my own smaller way. I cannot find anything with a large cup and a small enough band anywhere. SO....I have 1 bra - it cost me about $75. I wear it all week long, and then wash it overnight. Yep, it's an investment, but totally worth the cost. I'll never go back to department store bras again.
ReplyDeleteI hear ya... I saved up and bought my first decent bra 2 years ago- it cost me $98... I wore it out completely. Now I am back to the Walmart ill-fitting ones. Wouldn't I just love to find a pretty bra my size!!
ReplyDeleteAMEN RUTH!! I understand- I only buy 2 bras per year because they are too expensive. It isn't a luxury- you need those bras baby!
ReplyDeleteFrom the opposite end of the spectrum...a well padded bra can boast your confidence. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm either an A minus, or when I'm nursing, I'm between A plus and B minus. Not a full B, not a full A. Just an 'almost'.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest complaint is I just don't like wearing bras with saggy cups! I don't talk about it much though, because I have heard other more endowed women talk about how tough it is to be large, and I hear their frustration.
I always felt like wearing padded bras was telling a lie and it was many many years before I even bought a padded bra.
I have officially let go of my hesitations towards padded bras over the past couple of years.
Right now I own 3 bras that fit. They're all padded. If it's not padded, it sags! That's all there is to it.
As an aside, I no longer own any bras with underwire. I think underwire is stupid because I don't have enough to hold it in place which is just annoying.
Have you guys tried Lane Bryant? I have never been small or perky for that matter;). But I have always been cheap;). I have found that Lane Bryant has some good bras for a decent price, even better when they have their good sales.
ReplyDeletedid you go to a specialty store? i've yet to find a place that knows how to measure the ladies properly.
ReplyDeleteSo many comments here!! See this was a topic that needs to be discussed. I have gone to a specialty shop and they used a measuring tape...but I don't think they did a very good job. They still had to go out and pick different sizes until I found one that fit...
ReplyDeleteI will have to check out Lane Bryant. See if there is something that could help me out!!
I also agree that someone needs to come up with some kind of economical "middle of the alphabet" size bras...there is a HUGE (no pun intended;-) market out there for that!!
And it is good to know that no matter what the size...everyone has bra issues!!
I am glad I brought up this topic:-) I need to do another post on the wire bra that I ended up with...it is kind of a pain in the side!!
Thanks for the fun comments, and the encouragement:)