Motherhood Articles > Measuring your Bra Size

Measuring Your Bra Size

Having a baby can really wreck havoc on your breasts, not to mention your bra collection! Even before you found out you were pregnant, you probably grew a cup size, and they kept increasing as your nine months progressed. Buying a larger bra becomes almost as routine as buying toilet paper, it seems you can never keep up. And we won't even mention what happens to your breast size when your milk comes in! Of course weaning takes its own toll and you may find yourself bustier or smaller than before you were pregnant.

Chances are though that if you are like 70% of the woman out there, you are wearing the wrong bra size. So how do you know what size you should be? You could go to your department store and have them measure you, or you can do it in the privacy of your own home with these guidelines.

Use a soft measuring tape (or a ribbon that you can later hold up to a measuring stick to get the dimension). Try to get a friend or your husband to take the measurements for you because you should keep your arms down to get the most accurate measurement. Wear your most comfortable bra while you take measurements.

Finding Your Band Size
Measure around your chest, right below your breasts (where the bottom band of your bra lies). Take this measurement and add 5 inches. If you measure yourself at 30", add 5" to make 35". Since bra bands come in even numbers, round up to 36."

Finding Your Cup Size
Take another chest measurement, this time around the fullest part of your breasts. Take this number and subtract your band size. For instance, if you measured yourself at 40", subtract 36" to get 4". The below chart will show you your cup size.

If the difference is less than 1"=AA cup
1 inch = A cup
2 inches = B cup
3 inches = C cup
4 inches = D cup
5 inches = DD cup

Now that you finally know your correct bra size, it's time to get shopping! Take a look at our favorite maternity bras.