Finding the right kind of bra for pregnancy and nursing can be difficult. When you're first pregnant, your breasts are terribly painful. Towards the end of pregnancy, your ribcage expands and your cup size goes up. When you've just started breastfeeding, your breasts can grow to supergigantichowcantheybesohuge size. A few months after giving birth your ribcage goes back to its old size, but your cup size may still be larger if you're still breastfeeding. If you carry on breastfeeding your breasts may (or may not) go back to their original size.

If you don't want to spend an absolute fortune on buying new bras every couple months, what should you do?

First, from the start of your pregnancy you need to ditch underwired bras. Not only are they incredibly painful for your tender breasts, but they can potentially cause serious problems with your milk ducts.
Second, your bras need to have fairly thick elastic on both the rib and the shoulder bands. As your breasts grow during pregnancy, they will get heavier. Thick elastic helps provide support without digging into your ribs or shoulders.

Third, your bras need to grow with you - unless, of course, you want to keep getting fitted for- and paying for- new bras every couple months.

Fourth, especially at the beginning of pregnancy your breasts can be so sore that you need to sleep in a bra in order to support them. Most normal bras are not at all comfortable enough to wear at night.

During my first pregnancy 13 years ago, I ended up buying tons of bras, none of which lasted me very long at all before I needed a new one. I went from a 34A pre-pregnancy size to a 36C towards the end of pregnancy. During breastfeeding, I initially went up to a 36E then settled at a 36C. When I stopped breastfeeding, I went down to a 36B which I stayed at post-pregnancy (Yay! Free boobjob!).

I'm currently in the final month of my second pregnancy. My ribcage is still a 36, but my cup size has gone from a B to a D. I expect during breastfeeding to get to at least an E again, if not bigger. This time, I've not wasted loads of money on bras I hardly end up wearing as I already knew which bra I was going for from the start: a Bravado bra.

I discovered Bravado bras towards the very end of my first pregnancy. This was in the days before internet shopping and I'd only found one shop on the other side of London that sold them. I bought one and very quickly wished I'd bought more. It was comfortable, breathable and fit me perfectly through the ups and downs in size. It was the easiest bra to unclip and clip back up again with one hand - even through the haze of night feeds.

This time around I immediately went out and bought a couple in different colours. As each bra size fits 3 chest and 2-3 cup sizes, I knew that it would take me until the end of pregnancy and, hopefully, I'd be able to get back into them a few months after giving birth. I even found them comfortable enough to wear at night - though if you're newly pregnant in the summer months, you may want to find a similar bra in a lighter fabric so you don't get too hot.

I've recently bought a couple more Bravados in a larger cup size which should see me through the breastfeeding growth spurt. I also bought a superjumbo size on ebay for the engorgement phase when I'll want a considerably lighter touch. I got it for a fiver - used, but I may only need it for a few days, so there's no point in buying one new.

When I got my first Bravado bra they came in only one style and in either black or white. Now they've got several styles and colours, including my own favourite: leopard print.

For more information on Bravado bras, including UK stockists, see their website.

Another bra with a similar style- though only in white- is the Active Birth Bra, available through the NCT website.