Stuffing your bra

March 12, 2007

Status Check:
11 weeks 4 days pregnant
148 lbs.

I’ve taken to stuffing my bra lately. No, I haven’t regressed to my teenage years when a little toilet paper served to enhance my favorite T-shirt, but instead, I am in the rare situation of being a pregnant woman with a freshly weaned son and temporarily shriveled breasts. Additionally, I’m stuck in limbo between my newly weaned figure and my looming second trimester when my breasts will certainly grow and hopefully begin to fill my bras again.

Two weeks ago, my doctor informed me that due to the combination of medicines that I’m on, I’d have to cold-turkey wean my son. Emotionally, I wasn’t ready and therefore, I cried for hours. Physically, I was unprepared for the intense pain of weaning that nobody warned me about. Weaning hurts. Bad. I spent three days with my breasts bound in ace bandages and ice packs on my chest before I was finally able to cuddle my son again.

Then, last Thursday, I woke up and felt intense relief as the pain in my chest had resided and I actually felt like myself again. My relief was short lived as I glanced in the mirror and noticed that my boobs were no longer full and round and perky, but instead were flat, saggy, lumpy and about a third the size that they were before. Talk about a shocker. I was even more shocked when I went to get dressed and my bras were all at least two sizes too big. Two sizes. With going braless out of the option, I did what any self-appreciating woman would do. I stuffed and I stuffed it well.

Anyway, since I know my breasts will grow again soon, I’m thinking about holding off on bra shopping. I’m pregnant for goodness sakes! Last time I was pregnant I remember buying a new bra every other week, so I’m thinking that perhaps I might just wait this one out instead of spending $100 on bras that I’ll wear for a few weeks. Plus, for now, stuffing with nursing pads is working much better than wads of toilet paper. They’re perfectly contoured and fill the bra quite nicely. Another life lesson that I learned about ten years too late.