My Pregnancy Chronicles: My Search for Affordable Nursing Bras

The first noticeable change in my body when I got pregnant was my breasts. They just grew overnight! Fitting into my underwear soon became a problem, plus wearing anything under-wired was uncomfortable. And thus, my first pregnancy-related purchase was a soft-padded non-wired bandeau bra from B. It definitely gave my growing boobies more room to breathe, but a bandeau is a bandeau -- it didn't offer much support. Still, I happily stuck with it for several months.

When I made it to my third trimester, I started to go shopping. I went to M, and happily noted that they have both maternity bras and nursing bras. The cheapskate in me just couldn't see the sense in buying a maternity bra when I'll just be wearing it for a couple months. I still have my bandeaus anyway. I was thinking that it would probably be wiser for me to buy a nursing bra so that at least I get to use it longer. But, maternity or nursing, those babies are expensive! I went to another maternity store AL and it costs even more there! Gaaah.

Anyway, my next dilemma was when to buy one. The books I read and the sites I visited gave different suggestions. Some said it can be purchased as early as the 8th month. Others said that I can already buy one but in a bigger cup size (to make room for the milk that will come in once the baby is out). The lady in M told me to buy at the last possible minute before I give birth. Well, I decided to give it more thought, and just wait it out, given how much it costs!

At around the same time, I chanced upon bra extenders. I happily bought a pack for Php100. It had 3 different colors -- beige, white, and black -- in a pack. Not bad, right? It is, as the packaging says, "the simplest and most economical way to add inches of comfort to your bra band." I must agree!

Then came my lunch date with K. I was ranting about how expensive nursing bras are, and she said it's because I have been looking at the wrong places! She said that I can buy a very affordable one at the local department store. She made my day! I did feel a bit silly that it didn't cross my mind to look there, since I go there for most other things! So the next day, I set off again in my quest for affordable nursing bras. And I found it! Three local brands have them -- So-en, Sorella, and Sogo. Price range weren't that far off from each other, and I happily fitted the different designs and brands. In the end, I bought 3. And the cost? Only around Php300 for each! I didn't even think twice in buying three all at once. Even if my cup size change after I give birth, I wouldn't mind buying another pair given how affordable it is.

For the meantime, my boobies are very happy with their new outfit!

My Pregnancy Chronicles: The Products I Use

When I got pregnant, I had trouble the first couple months with the skin on my face. Isolated pimples would appear, and it seemed to me that my skin got even oilier! Oil equals shine for me, and I don't like it even though I'd stopped working and stayed home most of the time. My face regimen has always been simple. Wash, rinse, and moisturize. It got even simpler when I got pregnant -- just wash and rinse, as my ob advised. She said the less products I use, the better! I have been a loyal user of Dove facial wash for years, and was really surprised that it didn't seem to agree with my face this time around. All those hormones in overdrive I guess. So I did trial and error with the other facial cleansing products I had in my closet. And the only product that worked for me was Face Shop's Fruits Mix Cleansing Cream. No breakouts ensued, and it didn't render my face too dry or too oily. Thank goodness! 

The Face Shop Fruits Mix Cleansing Cream

This cleansing cream is applied, massaged onto the face and either left on, or wiped off.  In my case, I still like to rinse with water afterwards. (Not everything gets rinsed off, so no worries!) 

Another thing my ob advised was not to use any anti-stretching creams or products on my tummy. She said that they don't work; that she'd had patients who ended up with ugly black line marks on their tummies because of the products they used. Besides, genetics have a lot to do with stretchmarks, she said. I was very  obedient as always... until Big Sis sent me a bottle of Bio-Oil and insisted that I use it. She used it for her past three pregnancies and vouched for its effectiveness. I read the enclosed leaflet and thought it harmless, and so I have been using it faithfully the past 5 months, and plan on doing so till I give birth. I'm on my third trimester now (30 weeks 3 days, to be exact), and haven't seen any stretchmarks threatening to form. Not yet anyway. And I hope never! 

Bio-Oil

Bio-Oil is applied twice daily, on thighs, breasts and tummy-- where stretchmarks are most common. But since this is not available where I live (at least not that I know of), I only apply consistently on my tummy, sometimes on my thighs, and rarely on my breasts. Teehee.