Disclosure: These bras were received as review samples. All opinions are my own and based entirely on my experience.
I have to start out by apologizing to Bravissimo, who so graciously sent me the following three nursing bras a month before Baby Girl was due, yet I’m only now (over a year later) getting around to reviewing them. But luckily, they are all still available for sale in the full range of sizes!
I have all three of these bras in size UK 32J, which at the time of receipt was my accurate size. Today, I’m down to 30HH (sometimes 32HH or 30J depending on brand and bra style), but these are still working very well for me! Sorry I don’t have any photos of the bras on me, but since they’re not my accurate size any more, I don’t think a current photo would be properly representative. But please trust me when I say that they fit true to size when I first got them!
First we have the Fern Comfort Nursing Bra. This one also comes in a non-nursing version, which I owned prior to my pregnancy. When new, the outer fabric is super soft. I’ve worn it absolutely to death, so it’s quite pilly at this point from rubbing against my clothing. But the interior lining, made of what I think is a polyamide blend that’s slightly stiffer than the exterior, is still good as new. The straps are half adjustable, the band is lined with the same opaque polyamide fabric as the cups, and the hook and eye panel is padded for extra comfort. The cup drop-down clips are easy to unclip and close back up one-handed.
I picked this one because my shape (very projected and full, high-set, close together) tends to fall out the center of wireless bras that have a more plunge shape. The lace panel on this one, which is lined with sheer mesh to give it a bit of structure, helps hold my boobs in place without my cleavage spilling out the center. I happily wore this one out of the house all the time, and I think it provides enough lift and support that it looks good under clothes and no one would guess you’re wearing a wireless bra. It was also great for lounging and sleeping.
Today, in a cup and band size bigger than I need, it’s not as great for sleeping. It just doesn’t hold my boobs in place as well, so they tend to slide around inside the bra when I roll over or am sleeping on my side, but I think that’s to be expected. I’m looking forward to wearing the non-nursing version of Fern that I already own in 32HH once Baby Girl is fully weaned.
Next up is the Nursing Sleep Bra. The non-nursing version of this one is called the Non-Padded Cami Sleep Bra—and is currently on sale!
Unlike most crop top-style bras, the Sleep Bra is not just a flat plane of fabric; rather, it has vertical center gathering and princess seams to provide 3-dimensional cup definition. The straps are half adjustable, with the non-adjustable half that sits over your shoulder being wide and padded. The outer layer of fabric is jersey with some stretch, and the lining is mostly soft mesh with some areas lined in an opaque polyamide blend. The slightly wide elastic at the base of the band anchors the bra in place with no rolling and is super comfy.
I wore this bra to the hospital to give birth, and when I needed to unclip the drop-down cups for the first time, it was a little tricky. It just didn’t want to open! But after using it a few times, the plastic loosened up and it became just as easy to unclip and re-clip one-handed as all my other nursing bras.
This one gives just a slightly more “uniboob” shape than Fern, but not by much, and that’s the shape you expect from a crop top style anyway. Again, I found it exceedingly comfortable. Even today when my correct size is two cups smaller, it still works amazingly well as a sleep bra, keeping me contained all night. I do find that the wide, padded straps have over time begun to roll into a U shape, but this is more of an aesthetic issue and doesn’t affect comfort or fit. Also, the side slings that hold the bra up when you let down the cups are made of a double-layer of the same soft, lightweight mesh as the rest of the bra lining. However, while this feels nice against the skin (well really, you don’t feel it at all), it easily crumples up and folds. Again, this is more of an aesthetic issue, but I guess I would prefer if the sling mesh was just a little stiffer to maintain its shape.
Finally, we come to my favorite, the Nova Lounge Bra. This is technically not a nursing bra, just a regular lounge bra. But it’s so easy to pull the cups off to the side that it works great for nursing. The microfiber exterior fabric of the cups and band is sooooo smooth and silky-feeling. The cups are lined with cotton and the band is lined with the same (I think) ultra-lightweight mesh as the Nursing Sleep Bra, so it’s like wearing a cloud.
The support is shockingly good, providing a nice round shape just like what you see in the manufacturer photo. Also, the little bit of cross-over at the center does an amazing job keeping your boobs separated. To be honest, wearing exclusively wireless bras for months on end resulted in a lot of sweating between my boobs (plus some attendant chafing and breast BO), but Nova solves those issues completely.
I did find that the band stretched out a bit fast, so you may want to sister size into a smaller band size. At 32J, this bra is definitely too big on me in both band and cup at this point, but I still wear it for sleeping and lounging, and it gets the job done. Still, I would love to buy another (or several!) in my correct size of 30HH.
I can’t thank Bravissimo enough for sending me these when I was only a month away from giving birth. After growing out of all my other wireless bralettes early in the pregnancy, I exclusively wore Bravissimo (purchased with my own money) for several months, and just didn’t trust any other company to provide properly-fitting nursing bras at my then size of 32J. Plus, they offer multiple wireless nursing options for up to at least J cup (some up to K and L), not just one bland bra.