Fourteen and a half months. That’s exactly how long I’ve been breastfeeding Leo for, which means, as far as nursing bras go I’ve gone through my fair share over the past year and a bit.

If I’m honest I still can’t quite still believe that I’ve managed to breastfeed Leo for so long (I stopped breastfeeding his sister Elsie at around five and a half months) but yet astonishingly here I am and I have to say, I’m pretty proud of myself. Breastfeeding now is as much a part of my daily routine as making a cup of tea! And so a decent nursing bra is an absolute must, a key wardrobe staple of mine for the moment and for the foreseeable.

I’ve had mixed experiences to date with nursing bras. I’ve got a couple that I adore but I’ve also had to ditch a couple too after being thoroughly disappointed with everything from the fit to the design. Sadly, decent nursing bras, have been – for me – really hard to find so I was pretty thrilled recently when the opportunity came through to try out a gel wire nursing bra from Carriwell (that’s currently stocked at JoJo Maman Bebe and Amazon.)

The very lovely team at Carriwell kindly sent me two of the same bra to review (in different colours) and I’ve been busy wearing them over the past few weeks, testing them out as best as I can. Here’s how I’ve got on and what I think of their GelWire Nursing Bra.

THE STYLE

If you’re after something lacy and pretty, then this bra probably won’t immediately appeal to you. But don’t let that put you off because although it may be not be fancy, it does still look great but in a simpler, more kind of sporty way.

I was sent two bras – one in classic black and one in grey with white polka dots – and although I’m a fan of them both, the black is my surprising favourite (I say surprising, because I’ve recently had a colour epiphany and have almost ditched black altogether) as it just looks really lovely on.

Is it a bra that you’d want to show off for how gorgeous it it? Probably not. But, it’s certainly one that you won’t be ashamed of flashing when you’re breastfeeding in public or undressing in front of your other half.

THE FIT

Ok, this is the most critical bit and in my opinion, this is where this bra really stands out in the nursing bra crowd.

Now obviously I can only talk from my experience and for my boobs (!) so it may be somewhat different for others but the fit for me is great. Like really great.  Snug and secure, the incredible gel wire structure lifts and holds my boobs in place, giving them a natural yet flattering shape which looks great under tops and dresses. (But the beauty of them being gel wires and not your usual kind of underwire is that you can’t feel them, nor can they dig in to you! Genius.)

The bra has thick straps which work perfectly well with the sporty feel of the design but are also great for providing extra support. (Which will be a godsend to to larger breasted women or for those of you who are at the beginnings of your nursing journey when your breasts are huge and full of milk!) I’ve also found that the straps don’t slip off my shoulders as much as other bras too so big thumbs up for that as well.

Made from seamless mircofibre, the bra has no irritating seams (yay!) and provides firm support (which I love) whilst also being incredibly comfortable to wear. Being seamless, it also means that there are no weird lumps and bumps showing through clothing to worry about too.

I can honestly say that after trying the Carriwell nursing bra and considering it against others that I already own, that this bra provides the best fit of any of them. And just to give you an idea of just how good this fit is, you should know that I’ve even worn this bra working out at my weekly clubbercise class, with glow sticks in hand an’ all.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

This bra is pretty much unlike any other I’ve come across, because it only comes in four sizes – small to extra large. Now admittedly that does sound a bit strange, but personally, I actually really like this, because it sure does make it easier when you come to ordering! Plus, boob sizes can change! Particularly when you’re breastfeeding for a long period of time, so I kinda feel like this just makes so much sense for us nursing mums.

After following the sizing guidelines on the Carriwell website, I ordered my bras in a size medium and even though I was a little concerned about the fit, I had absolutely no reason to be, because whatdoyouknow but they fit like a dream.

I should also add that weirdly I found that the black bra was a slightly better fit than the grey and white polka dot bra. Why that is, I have absolutely no idea. Down to the stretch of the fabric perhaps?

ANY BAD BITS?

Nope, none at all.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’ve been wearing my Carriwell nursing bras for a couple of weeks now and I’ve been really impressed with how they’ve performed, the fit and the quality.

They are without doubt the best bras I own, breastfeeding wise, and I think the design team have done a rather wonderful job at creating a nursing bra that offers great support whilst feeling incredibly comfortable to wear.

If I had to be really picky, I’d say that my only little bugbear is that there aren’t as many colour options as I would like to choose from and that because I’m such a lace / embroidery kind of woman, I did miss a bit of feminine detail.

But other than that, the Carriwell Gelwire Nursing Bra is pretty damn near perfect.

Disclaimer – I was kindly sent two bras to review and compensated for my time to write this post, but as always all words and opinions are my own. And as I always say, if I wouldn’t recommend it to one of my closest friends, then I wouldn’t recommend it to you.