The 5 most supportive wireless nursing bras for large breasts

I was a 40D pre-pregnancy and ballooned to 44DDD when I started breastfeeding my daughter. While I love breastfeeding, my breasts were so heavy that my back hurt. I also dreaded ending up with saggy boobs later.

I needed a nursing bra that would be strong enough to support my girls and yet be comfortable enough to wear all day. This led to hours of research to find ‘the perfect bra’.

While flexi-wired nursing bras were more supportive and looked better under clothes, wireless nursing bras were so much more comfy to live in.

With engorged breasts (yes, even after 5 months of breastfeeding) I couldn’t deal with constriction from flexi-wired bras. So by hook or by crook, I had to find some strong wireless nursing bras.

If you want both support and comfort (especially if you have sagging breasts), these are the most supportive wireless nursing bras I found:

Most supportive nursing bra overall: BRAVADO! Designs Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra (Mom’s Choice Award winner)

Check it out on Amazon

What supportive features does the Body Silk Seamless have?

• Soft 4-way stretch fabric that molds to your body – it not only stretches when your breasts are engorged but also springs back to its original shape easily.
• Wide straps to disperse the weight of your breasts on your shoulders – the wider the straps, the better it is for your shoulders.
• Wide under-bust band that gives more support to your back
• Knit-in zones around cups to provide extra lift and support
• Full cups protect against boob spillage when you bend forwards to pick bub up
• Designed to fit up to bra size 46J

What’s not so good about it:

• Some women have had side-boob spillage due to lower side coverage
• Even though the bra fits up to size 46J, it doesn’t provide adequate support for very large breasts, especially when you’re out and about

Read our in-depth review of the Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra where we do a deep dive into the other features of this award-winning bra.

Most supportive budget nursing bra: Motherhood Maternity Plus Size Seamless Nursing Bra

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What supportive features does the Motherhood Maternity Seamless Nursing Bra have?

• Specifically designed to cater for plus sized women from band sizes 40-46 and cup sizes D to G
• Full cups prevent breasts from falling out when you bend forwards
• Wide under-bust band to prevent back ache. Also comes with bra extenders so you can adjust it for a better fit.
• Soft stretchy fabric accommodates fluctuations in breast sizes easily

What’s not so good about it:

• Discrepancies in sizing and quality of fabric between the various colors
• It’s not supportive enough even for low-impact activities like walking
• shoulder straps are sturdy but not wide – these can dig into your shoulders towards the end of the day

We go into a lot more details in our in-depth review of the Motherhood Maternity Plus Size Seamless Nursing Bra.

Most supportive nursing sports bra: La Leche League High Impact Support Nursing Bra

 

Check it out on Amazon

What supportive features does the La Leche League Nursing Sports Bra have?

• Full cups come up high and completely holds your breasts in towards your chest for minimal boob-bounce
• Full coverage racerback design for additional support
• wide underbust band to protect your back
• thick shoulder straps prevent sore shoulders
• waffle mesh fabric to let your breasts ‘breath’
• Wire-free and seamfree so there are no wires digging into ribs and itchy stitching

What’s not so good about it:

• Sizes run small
• nursing clips sit high on your shoulders so you’ll have to give your breasts a yank to nurse
• the under-layer can gather between your breasts causing a ‘boob-thong’
• it’s one the most supportive nursing sport bras for large breasts but it’s still not great for high-impact activities like running or jogging.

If you are serious about breast support, no nursing sports bra will be give you as much support as a ‘real sports bra’ designed to support large breasts. That’s why the Enell Sports Bra deserves special mention even though it is technically not a nursing sports bra.

Most supportive sports bra: Enell High Impact Sports Bra

Check it out on Amazon

What supportive features does the Enell Sports Bra have?

• specifically designed for women with large busts
• actually supports your breasts during high impact exercise
• has a hook-and-eye front closure which makes it relatively easy to breastfeed
• wide straps to distribute the weight of your breasts and prevent shoulder pain
• has a wide under-bust band to provide support and protect your back
• Spandex cups provide shape and support
• Made from moisture-wicking LYCRA and NATUREXX fabric to prevent boob sweat and heat build-up
• Comes in 8 cool colours

What’s not so good about it:

• Not actually a nursing bra so you’ll need to open the bra up at the front to breastfeed
• Can cause a uni-boob look
• Nipples can show through due to lack of padding
• Can feel tight and uncomfortable at first but it gets more comfortable after a few wears

Most supportive pumping bra: Simple Wishes Supermom Nursing and Pumping Bra

Check it out on Amazon

What supportive features does the Supermom Pumping Bra have?

• Fit moms with bra sizes up to 40H.
• Has sewn-in molded cups to lift and separate your breasts.
• Cups also drop-down to allow good skin-to-skin contact when breastfeeding
• You can breastfeed and pump at the same time
• 6 hook and eye options to adjust band to suit
• Straps are convertible from U back to racerback which is more supportive
• Works with all major pump brands – Spectra, Medela, Philips Avent, Lansinoh, Evenflo etc.

What’s not so good about it:

• All the fabric layers make the bra feel bulky
• The lace on the Blush and Snow Leopard bras can feel scratchy on sensitive skin

For more pumping bra options, read my article on the best pumping bras for work.

Supportive features to look out for when choosing a wireless nursing bra

• Made of strong, supportive fabric that will stretch with breast size fluctuation but spring back into shape.
• Have extra fabric layers for support – look for nursing bras with double layers, knit-in zones, linings, laminated fabrics etc. Single fabric layer bras are a big no-no for large boobs
• Wide and adjustable straps, preferably convertible to racerback. Wide straps with distribute the weight of your boobs on your shoulder and prevent shoulder ache at the end of the day. Racerback designs are more supportive than U-back straps and is also more comfortable to wear for the whole day. You also don’t have to deal with the annoyance of straps falling off your shoulders.
• A-frame slings – these are better than side slings for large breasts because they provide support and keeps your breasts in place even while the cups are pulled down for nursing.
• Full coverage high cups offer infinitely more support than lower coverage cups.
• Wide supportive under-bust band to lift your breasts and protect your back
• At least 3-4 hook and eye options so you can adjust your bra to fit just right no matter where you are in your pregnancy/breastfeeding journey

Further reading: Should you wear a nursing bra to bed when breastfeeding?

Wondering how many nursing bras you really need? This is what I think. Also read When to start wearing nursing bras (and why).

To learn more, read our in-depth guide on how to choose the right nursing bra.

To wrap up

I’m a big fan of wireless nursing bras for comfort and prevention of blocked ducts. But they need to be super supportive as well. Why you ask? Read this article on the most common complications of large breasts and how to solve them.

My favorite supportive nursing bra is the BRAVADO! Designs Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra but if you’re on a budget, the Motherhood Maternity Seamless Nursing Bra is great as well. For moms who prefer to wear nursing sports bras (Yes, they can be worn throughout the day and are actually a lot more comfy and supportive than regular nursing bras), the most supportive nursing sports bra is the La Leche Nursing Sports Bra but the Enell Sports Bra is even more supportive if you can deal with not having the nursing features. And if you are pumping, look no further than the Supermom Pumping Bra (what a name!).

Quick links:

• The 11 Best Nursing Bras for Large Breasts
• 6 best underwired nursing bras for large breasts
• The 6 best nursing sports bras for large breasts
• the 5 best (and only) sleep bras for large breasts that I recommend
• 10 best pumping bras for large breasts