If you thought the trials and tribulations of dressing for an unfamiliar body ended at childbirth, let us introduce you to the world of nursing bras. That’s right, your underwear drawer isn’t solely welcoming adult nappies (IYKYK) in your fourth trimester, but a whole host of functional bras, too. Who said postpartum wasn’t all fun and games?
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And while updating your wardrobe with the best maternity clothes when you’re pregnant can be a creative, joyful way to experiment with your style, investing in the best nursing bras to see you through postpartum can be slightly less fun, more functional. After all, if you’re breastfeeding, they are a vital piece of equipment.
You’ll quickly come to realise that, as a new mum, sexy and impractical underwear – even if they’re from the best lingerie brands – is now redundant (and will likely remain so for a while). Maternity knickers and comfy maternity bras are your new best friends, particularly – if you’re anything like me – your little one decides he wants to breastfeed for a lot longer than you ever expected…
Why you can trust me
Freelance Fashion Editor, Charlie Teather, became a first time mum last year, and – alongside, you know, prepping for one of humankind’s toughest physical feats and the subsequent life-altering reality of a tiny new human to care for 24/7 – rediscovering how to dress a body that was changing every single day posed a real challenge.
Charlie didn’t want to lose her personal style identity, but wanted to celebrate and not just ‘disguise’ this incredible moment in her life. And if she was finding this balance hard to strike, after working her whole adult lives in the fashion and magazine industry, she figured others must be too. So Charlie made it something of a personal/professional mission to compile the ultimate guides. If for nothing more than for her to refer back to if/when she ever does this pregnancy thing again, because (spoiler alert) baby brain is no joke, people.
She’s also been breastfeeding for almost 16 months (some babies apparently aren’t so keen to wean themselves!), so you can trust that these bras have really been put through their paces.
How I tested the best nursing bras
Charlie used her own pregnancy and postpartum journey as the perfect excuse to trial run the best maternity styles out there and compile this edit. She shopped for staples from independent, designer and high street maternity brands during her second and third trimesters (with varying success), and has also asked her well-dressed pregnant pals and new mums for their top tips to find high-quality maternity wear. Not to mention, she’s scoured Instagram for the ultimate inspiration too. For mums-to-be, Glamour‘s edit of the best maternity jeans of 2025 is essential reading…
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