There is an irony that at a time in your life when you need the most support, the bras available are little more than larger versions of training bras. Triangles of flimsy nylon, no underwire, and roomy proportions. And steep prices tags to boot.

Clearly, none of that was going to cut it.

(I know you aren’t supposed to wear underwire bras while nursing, to help prevent clogged ducts and mastitis. I know this is true, and lord knows I tried not to wear an underwire, but I just couldn’t do it.)

Many common undergarment brands offer their same line of bras, altered to clip on and off for nursing. But, when your bra size has just increased by multiple cup sizes over night, you’ll be searching for DD and H cups, not B’s and C’s. You’ll need to find specialty brands, appealing to well-endowed women.

I went through quite a few options and settled on these. They lasted throughout my year of nursing, and supported like normal bras. The price is still steep, but I figure that’s what you have to pay for a well-fit bra.

For sizing, you’ll want to wait a few months until things normalize to invest in a good nursing bra (I’ve linked to a nursing sports bra that might get you through that period.) Once you think your size has normalled out, seek out a professional bra fitting or go to Nordstrom for a fitting. You can also try doing it at home. Ignore that weird rule to add 4 to your band width.

(A note on Nordstrom: I went there for a fitting, but found their nursing bra selection to be woefully inadequate. HOWEVER, Nordstrom will convert any bra to a nursing bra for you for $10. I have no idea how well that works, though.)

Here’s what I had luck with.

1. La Leche League Nursing Sports Bra — A good first purchase, before you know what size you’ll end up being. As in, no, I didn’t use this for working out. It felt like a true sports bra: tight and supportive. (It was light years better than other nursing sports bras I bought, which were little more than nylon and flimsy elastic.)

Between $20-$30

Sizes small to 3x plus

2. Bella Materna T-Shirt Nursing Bra — A basic t-shirt bra, with cup sizes running up to G. This felt like any other normal t-shirt bra — padded, molded cups. The band has 3 clips, so it’s supportive. The nursing clips were easy to snap on and snap off using only one hand.

$58 but now on sale for $25 on their site

Band sizes 32-41, Cup sizes C-H (although they don’t have all sizes in stock right now)

3. Le Mystere Sexy Mama Nursing Bra — This bra has 4 clips on the back and basically holsters you in and lifts everything way up. Easy on-off clipping again, and it’s pretty.

$66

Band sizes 32-40, cup sizes C-G

4. Freya Rosie Soft-Cup Nursing Bra — Ok, if you really don’t want underwire, seek out Freya. It is a brand dedicated to well-endowed women using only lace and seams for support — no foam cups. It really is magical, and it’s no surprise that their nursing bras are equally amazing. This one ran a little too high-cut for me (I don’t like anything peeking up or out), but I’d recommend it to someone looking for no underwires.

$68 on sale for $34

Band sizes 30-40, cup sizes D-HH

Leave a comment if you have a nursing bra recommendation too!