What to expect with your new bra

Hey my beautiful bosom friend!

I’m Courtney Killpack, Bra Fitting Expert and CEO of Bosom Besties. You have your new bra(s) and you’re probably feeling lots of things right now as you try them on. I’m here to help you adjust to your new size and bra by letting you know what to expect with your new size and bra and what isn’t normal.

What is normal to feel with your new size and bra:

Band feels a little snug or tight

This is normal. You want the band to feel snug and not move on the loosest set of hooks and your bra will stretch out with time and wear.

Did you know you get your support from your band? Yes, in order to hold up your bosoms, your band needs to fit low and snug on your back.

Have you ever been backpacking in the mountains before? If not, that’s ok. When you go backpacking, you want the weight or to support the weight of your pack on your natural waist, not your shoulders. When you don’t have a supportive band, this can cause a lot of strain on your neck, shoulders, and back. This makes wearing a backpack really uncomfortable. Same thing applies to a bra.

You want the bra to stay in place so it’s not moving up your back all of the time, and driving you crazy, so in order for your band to stay put and support your bosoms, you want that band snug on the loosest set of hooks. That way as your bra stretches out, you can tighten it and keep wearing a supportive band.

The band is fitting low on your back

This is normal and at first will take some time getting used too. Most women wear bands that are too big and not supportive, so that’s why they ride up your back.

You want the bra band to fit low and snug on your back. I love giving the analogy that bras are like teeter totters. The lower your band is sitting on your back, the more lift you’re going to get in the front. The higher the band is placed on the back, the lower your breasts will be in the front. So if you want to the girls to look supported, you want that band low.

I have back fat with my new bra, will I get more back fat with this snug band?

Guess what ladies, having back fat is normal. As women we have fat on our bodies and If you don’t have any back fat, then I’d tell you to go to go make yourself a milkshake. Wearing a bra that fits low on the back and is snug is actually going to give you less back fat than if your band is too big and rides up your back.

The least fleshy part of your back is where your new bra is going to be sitting. It’s going to look smoother under your clothes, I promise. If you put your old and ill fitting bra back on, you’ll probably notice it’s fitting a lot higher up your back and will be cutting into the more fleshy underarm area of your back. You’ll see how it’s showing more “rolls” because it’s cutting into the most fleshy part of your back.

Remember, you’re going to see less back fat when your bra is sitting down low and snug compared to if your bra is too big and riding up your back and cutting into the fleshy under arm part of your back.

You’re getting red marks on your skin

This is actually very normal. You’re wearing a new size and your bra is new so it’s going to feel the most snug at the beginning, that’s ok, that means it’s fitting.

I love giving the analogy that a new bra that actually fits is like wearing a new pair of shoes. At first it can feel a little uncomfortable because you’re not used to having a bra fitting snug in the band, low in the back, the gore is separating your bosoms, and your bra is actually covering you places you’ve never been covered by a bra before.

The more you wear your new bra, it will start to stretch, ease, and mold or “break in” with your body.

What is not normal

Chafing

Chafing occurs when the bra is too full in the cup and hits really close to your armpit area. As you move your arms from the front to back you notice that it digs into your armpit area. If you notice the bra is restricting you from being able to move freely, this isn’t normal and most of the time going down a cup size can fix this problem.

Bruising

Red marks on skin is normal from bra. Bruising on your skin is not. This means your band is too snug or you’re wearing too small of a band size or cup size. Most of the time going up a band size can help fix the trick.

Extreme discomfort for more than two weeks

Bras are actually supposed to be comfortable. Who would have thought?! It’s normal to feel uncomfortable for the first week with your new size and bra. If you experience discomfort longer than 1.5 weeks, then you might need to adjust the size by going up a band size or cup size.