Underwire Bra

Any underwear lasts a lot longer if you hang it to dry.
The dryer heat just destroys the elastic.
Washing machine on delicate is fine.

Washing machine and hang to dry!
If they are good ones, they'll last about a year with weekly washings.
You usually need about 3 in rotation for the week.

I have used underwire bras for over 10 years. Never had a problem with breastfeeding (and I had an underwire nursing bra). The only problem I have EVER had with them is that over time, the wire can start to push through the fabric and it can hurt. For M., though, that just tells M. it's definitely time to get a new one. I do put mine in the washer, but not the dryer.

ETA: I usually just buy mine at a department store like JCPenny or Dillards, but I have seen underwires at Target.

i've worn mine all my life, no matter what was going on. i do wash them in the washer- i don't dry them though, i hang them to dry.

I wore a soft-cup nursing bra while I was nursing, then went back to the underwire bras I'd been wearing for years. My guess is that because when we make milk not just the breast, but even in the nodes in our lymphatic system contribute to this process (which are located under the arm, etc.), that clear passage for the chemical signals is a good idea, some are discouraged from using an underwire during nursing.

Like many, I wash mine in the washer and drip-dry them. If you can, go to a professional foundation garments/lingerie shop and get a fitting before buying, esp. if you are big. It will make all the difference. Department stores fitters will often compensate for the lack of larger cup sizes by instead moving up to a bigger band size than we need, just to keep the sale in house. Lingerie shops will also sometimes have the same bra at a less expensive price, too.

After having had a wire push thru the fabric while in the washer, make its way under the agitator and short out my water pump, I wash my bras in a bra bag. I don't put them in the dryer.

I wore a wire while nursing, never had any problems.

There is no reason why not to wear an undewire everyday. I didn't wear one when I was nursing because it was too annoying and got in the way of the baby and was not comfortable. I just wore tank tops with a "built in bra" so I could just pull it up and down and not fuss with a nursing bra. I wash all my bras by hand and air dry.

Underwire bras should be hand washed and hang or (best option) lay flat to dry. I have some underwire bras that have lasted 5+ yrs because I take really good care of them.
Do not hang by the straps, the weight will stretch out the straps. Best if hung by the center.

Thanks for bringing up this topic!

I am curious, where is everyone buying their underwire bras? I know a lingerie shop was brought up; does anyone have other places that have worked for them?

The underwire did interfere with milk production for M.. I used a formed nursing bra for every day, around the house times and saved the underwire for rare occasions when I cared more about how I looked. I could hardly wait to get out of that nursing bra and back into my regular underwires though because my girls kinda slid to the sides. Blah.

I have always worn underwire and love it. I did not BF but I am a naturally perky 32DD with no sag.

Make sure you get a good fitting from a good store such as Neimans, Nordstrom, etc. so you purchse the best bra for you.

I wear a racer back bra by Wacoal, no liners, no designs on front and super comfy. A lot of the Wacoal bras look like a granny bra but this one does not and it is very supportive. I have to think about function over style with my boobs.

My daughter loves Victoria's Secret and I used to but I can't get a good fit there anymore.

I spend about $60 per bra and keep them about a year if cared for correctly. I launder them in a mesh bag on the delicate cycle and hang to dry.

Interesting, when I was nursing I wore an underwire nursing bra. Unless you are improperly fitted the wire sits underneath the breast and in no way changes milk production. I know, I could have fed ten kids.

So far as washing, I wash all my bras on the hand wash cycle and hang them to dry. Any bra will fall apart quicker putting them in the washer and dryer.

Oh, for Ladybug, I buy mine at Victoria Secret. They are the only place that makes a big enough cup that doesn't look like I am wearing granny bras.

I buy my bra's from Lane Bryant (only store I know of that has H cups IN the store). I machine wash and dry them (I don't care to take the time nor do I have the space to hang dry them). And I have worn an underwire since I was 15 years old ... I was a DD cup already by then ... so I've been wearing them for 30 years.

Genetics interfered with my breastfeeding ... not my bra. If your bra fits properly it shouldn't have any effect on your nursing ability.

Victoria's Secret - lasted years for M.. They say not to wash them in washer but I do and hang to dry.

The VS near M. has experienced sales women who take care to size appropriately, make sure I'm comfortable, lend a lift: )

I have heard that the wire discourages milk production, but have not heard anything bad about them for regular "non-nursing" use. I wear an underwire bra every single day. Only time I haven't is when I was nursing!

I put mine in the washing machine (in a bra bag, like this one http://www.amazon.com/Household-Essentials-124-Dual-Wash/.... I got my bag at the grocery store in the laundry section - by the laundry bags and ironing boards. The bra bag just helps the bra keep it's shape, not getting a strap twisted around a pair of jeans or something. Once it's washed, I take it out, reshape it the right way, and let it air dry.

@Ladybug - I found a great pair at Kohls last month. I was having issues with sizes and being uncomfortable in my current bra. At Kohls, I found a brand called "Barely There" and they had a style (#4051) that runs "XS, S, M, L ...." so I had not to worry about whether I was 32A or 34A or 32B .... I just got the XS and it fits M. just great!

I've been wearing underwire bras ever since I, um, had something to put in them. They've always worked better for M. than the regular ones.

I buy inexpensive ones (I guess under $20 is inexpensive, from what I read in the other answers!), because I prefer to wear a completely fresh set of underthings every day. I wash mine in the washer, but I line dry them. (Actually, my home dryer is nowhere near as hot as the laundromat dryers, so I don't know that it would damage them; however, it isn't any extra effort to hang them up on a drying rack.)

It used to be that the wire would eventually wear a hole in the fabric, and that's uncomfortable. But the manufacturers must have improved their methods, because I haven't had that problem in quite a while.

I can't comment on where to go for a fitting, because I don't seem to have trouble finding ones to fit M. well. I usually look for ones with a little padding because I had a lumpectomy some years ago and I'm a bit lopsided.