Does Your Bra Fit? Project #BraHappy

You've probably heard the statistics before: how the majority of women are wearing the wrong size bra.

Now, at some point in my younger years, I was small and perky enough that I didn't have to wear a bra when it came to things like halter tops or sundresses.

And then I got a little older and wanted to be sure I was wearing the right size bra. So I went to a lingerie store and was measured by some bored 19 year-old who couldn't possibly care less if she measured me correctly as long as I gave her name at the register so that she got credit for the sale.

But, she agreed with the size that I had always worn(34B- oh yeah, I'll share that with you). So, that is what I bought and continued to buy. Until pregnancy.

All of a sudden, I was a lot bigger. Hubs wondered if I could keep that size after the baby was born. I went through a few different sizes during my pregnancy- trying on different bras until I would find one that wouldn't drive me crazy... at least for that week.

Then I was dealing with finding nursing bras and fluctuating breast size then, too.

Finally, I was done with having babies and nursing them. I thought I'd celebrate by tossing all my ugly nursing bras in the trash and replacing the bras that had been sitting idle in my underwear draw from my pre-kids days.

So once again, I headed off to be measured, explaining to the girl with the tape measure that I've been through three pregnancies and nursing and my breasts felt different. That I used to be a 34B but wanted to be sure I was getting the right size. She quickly measured me and agreed with my assessment.

But, I recently measured myself with the help of 123underwear. They sent me a soft tape measure and a sizing guide. I also had a chance to speak to someone about fit.

And I found out that I was one of those women wearing the wrong size bra. I was NOT a size 34B, but a 32C.

Check out this how-to guide for finding your bra size from 123underwear. It is not what I had heard before.

As I was talking to the consultant, she was asking me how my bras usually fit. I told her that I thought they fit, but that I was always wearing them on the tightest setting. She explained that a bra should fit on the loosest setting. And then as time goes on, and your bra stretches a little, you can then tighten it to the next setting. If you start out on the tightest setting and your bra stretches at all, you are pretty much out of luck. Makes a lot of sense to me.

Here are some more tips about bra fit from Beverly Russina from 123underwear:

Front of your bra:

• Underwire must lie flat against your rib cage. Breast tissue should not be billowing out from below the underwire. Basically, underwire should not be resting on breast tissue but on bone.
• Your breast tissue should sit comfortably within your bra cups – with no excess material. Breast tissue should not be billowing out the top or sides of your cups.
• The bridge of the bra must be flat between your breasts

Back of your bra:

• Your bra band lies straight across your back. It should not squeeze, dig or leave marks. It should stay in place and not ride up or down.
• Bra straps must stay in place. No rolling down or digging into your shoulders.

And this great tip: Ladies – always remember that your breasts should be perched upright in your cups. For truly proper support your breasts should be sitting – halfway - between shoulder and elbow.

Do you think your bra fits or do you need some help being happy with your bra? I'll be blogging again about Project #BraHappy over the next two weeks to share more tips with you- and of course, have a giveaway for you coming up, too.

This is a sponsored campaign on behalf of 123underwear. While I was provided with tips about bra fit, all other thoughts and opinions are my own.