It's totally up to you and your comfort. If you usually go braless, you do not need to wear one during breastfeeding. Moms often have concerns about leaking a lot at night, so this may be another reason why wearing a bra at night might be helpful.
If your breasts don't leak very much, you don't have to worry about wearing a bra. But, if you have very leaky breasts, you need something to hold your nursing pads in place. This will save you from waking up in a puddle of breast milk and having to change the sheets every morning.
Easy access clothing PJs or a nightgown that opens down the front (rather than one you have to pull up or down) will give your baby easier access, while keeping you warm during cool nights. Some women like to wear a nursing bra at night, but be careful: This can increase your risk of plugged ducts and mastitis.
1. Does wearing a bra reduce breast milk? An ill-fitting bra or bra with tight underwires might cause extra pressure and result in clogging of the ducts. However, there is no scientific evidence that wearing a bra will have any impact on the production of milk by the milk lobules.
If one breast always leaks when your baby is nursing on the other, put a cloth over that breast or a nursing pad inside your bra ahead of time. Same goes if your breasts leak at night – you may want to wear a comfortable sleep bra with nursing pads. Dress for leaks. When you're out and about, layer your tops.
In pregnancy, the breasts may start to produce milk weeks or months before you are due to have your baby. If your nipples are leaking, the substance is usually colostrum, which is the first milk your breasts make in preparation for feeding your baby. Leaking is normal and nothing to worry about.
Signs of Oversupply - Mom
The following are signs of oversupply in the mom: Leaking a lot of milk. Breast pain from feeling overly full. Nipple pain, usually from the infant biting, chewing or clenching down to slow a very fast let down.
Injury prevention. Although the injuries are usually mild, it is possible to hurt yourself when sleeping in a bra. The buttons, hooks, straps, and underwire can repeatedly poke at and rub against your skin, resulting in redness and chafing. Taking off your bra before bed prevents this from being a problem.
Get up with your partner for night feedings
If she's breastfeeding, helping the baby latch on, or helping mum get in a comfortable position is helpful. After feeding the baby, you can put them over your shoulder and gently pat their back to wind them.
Skin will be less damaged
If you do not have to wear a bra day and night, your skin may thank you for it. Without the effects of the material rubbing on your skin, it will tend to be healthier and happier.
Avoid Laying Directly on your Breasts
Sorry, stomach sleepers - this might not be the best position for you as you go through the earlier days! Engorgement and night feedings that trigger letdowns can cause not only discomfort, but leaking.
It is common to experience sagging, drooping or a "deflated" appearance. Some women describe their breasts as "pancake-shaped." This happens because lactation creates a different, denser tissue in the breasts. Once you are no longer breastfeeding, your natural breast tissues may permanently shift.
The breasts of some women grow in several sizes as they breastfeed. When they stop the breast tissue that is responsible for the production of milk will rebound, or involute. It usually takes around six months to regain the shape they were in before their pregnancy. Sometimes the breasts remain deflated looking.
"The production of breast milk and increased breast size can cause the breast skin and tissue to stretch," Kasper explains. "So after you finish breast feeding, the breasts become less dense and you notice that your breasts have an empty, sagging, or flattened look and feel." Fan-freaking-tastic.
"If you don't wear a bra, your breasts will sag," says Dr. Ross. "If there's a lack of proper, long-term support, breast tissue will stretch and become saggy, regardless of breast size." Still, both experts agree that multiple factors play into if and when sagging (technical term: "ptosis") occurs, bra-wearing aside.
Not Wearing a Bra Can Cause Muscle Stress: In addition to soreness, not wearing a bra can lead to unnecessary stress on the neck, back and shoulder muscles. Not only is this painful, but it can also lead to knots and even tears in these muscles.
Squeezing into your regularly fitting bra may result in some light bruising around the bra line or some more intense markings due to the water retention, puffiness, and whatever else you experience during that time. That is okay.
Despite views to the contrary, breasts are never truly empty. Milk is actually produced nonstop—before, during, and after feedings—so there's no need to wait between feedings for your breasts to refill.
Baby keeps pulling away while breastfeeding
Once the let-down starts, some breastfed babies struggle to keep up with the fast flow of milk. If they're overwhelmed, this can make them pull away. Your baby could also be suffering reflux, which can also cause symptoms such as pain, fussiness, and unsettling behavior.
To put a number on it, it usually takes about 20 to 30 minutes after feeding to generate enough milk for your baby, and about 60 minutes to replenish fully. The more often your baby feeds, and the more they empty your breasts, the more milk your body will produce.
Breastfeed Often
Although inconvenient, leaking breasts are a sign you are lactating properly. Try to breastfeed or pump regularly and not skip feedings or pumping sessions. By frequently expressing milk, you may be able to limit how often or how much your breasts leak.