10 Very best Pumping Bras 2023, Examined & Reviewed

I’m what you could call a laundering enthusiast, and in my ideal world, I like a new pumping bra for every day of the week. But in reality, I usually wear one for two days or so before swapping it out for a clean one. A rotation of clean bras is a must beyond personal preference: “If your bra gets wet with breast milk, that old milk can grow bacteria, and allowing that bacteria to be in contact with your breasts for an extended time can lead to an infection called mastitis,” Haim warns. Another personal fact: I dealt with a severe case of mastitis and believe that anything to prevent one is worth doing—it’s agony. Haim suggests a bra for every day of the week if you’re pumping regularly, or another clever hack: wearing reusable breast pads so that if you leak or drip, you can change out the pads instead of the entire bra.Like any other bra, a proper fit is paramount when shopping for the best pumping bras, but not always easy to determine. I’ve been pumping for nearly twelve months and needed multiple sizes due to my milk fluctuation from birth until now. “You shouldn’t have to change your bra just because your body is changing, although it is true that sometimes our fluctuations are significant enough that even with a well-designed bra we might have to,” Haim says. She recommends buying a pumping bra in the size that best fits you when you first need it during stage one of breastfeeding. For me, that was several sizes up from my usual cup size (rib-cage expansion during pregnancy is so very real). “A well-designed bra will provide adjustability to continue offering a comfortable fit through fluctuations,” she notes, which I’ve found primarily true. However, as I get closer to my pre-birth size, and because my pumping bras are extremely well-worn at this stage, I have gone down several sizes for a more secure fit. Other helpful details include strap sliders on the front of a pumping bra, which you can easily tighten during a pumping session to ensure good suction and support for hanging milk bottles. They’re easy to loosen whenever breasts are full, for sleeping, or when you want to create more cup capacity and reduce compression on the breast—an important feature as this can help mitigate the risk of clogged ducts, Haim explains. An extended back closure with additional hook-and-eye clasps beyond the standard three is also helpful. These accommodate changes in band size as your rib cage expands and contracts again from pregnancy through the stages of breastfeeding.Without further ado, scroll to discover ten of the best nursing bras based on my experience and top-reviewed styles from the shopping community. ” />