The 4 bras every woman needs for life after breast surgery

I’m delighted to welcome Valerie Murphy back to the online pages of Happy Magazine. Valerie has just launched her new website Valerie’s Breast Care for women in the Mid-West of Ireland. It’s well worth a look if you are having or have had breast surgery. Today Valerie shares the essential bras every woman needs for life after breast surgery.

For me, wearing the right fitting bra and being comfortable for the whole day is everything. It is the foundation for my clothes and there is literally every type of bra imaginable in my lingerie drawer. In my opinion, to be described as a ‘bra nerd’ is something to be proud of!

Since starting my mastectomy breast care service many years ago, I have given many talks on being breast aware, practicing good breast health and the importance of wearing the right fitting mastectomy bra. In the course of these and through all the private consultations I have done to date, I have learnt so much from the women I have met. Hearing so many different bra stories over the years has helped me to pass on valuable knowledge to others. Not only do we all want to look good, we want to feel good and we want to be comfortable without having to compromise on style, whether we’ve had breast surgery or not.

In my opinion, there are four different bras that every woman needs for life after breast surgery. Here they are.

The Fashion Bra

My pick: Anita Fashion Bra

A little bit of glamour is something every woman needs in her life so let’s start there. One of my very first clients is a fabulous woman who is now in her 90’s and wore plain, everyday bras most of her life. On our first meeting in her home, we had a bit of fun as she was literally talked into trying on a lace mastectomy bra. She was hooked! She tells me now that she has never looked back and loves her lingerie drawer, which holds bras that would be the envy of many younger women.

This woman is a great example of a positive breast surgery story.  Over 50 years ago, when she was in her early 40’s, she travelled from the Mid-West to Dublin, for surgery. There were no breast cancer surgeries in Limerick or Galway at the time and options were limited. Meeting this woman every year, who is a breath of fresh air, reminds me of how fortunate we are to have come so far in all aspects of experiencing breast cancer. Her positivity is contagious and it is my pleasure to have introduced glamourous mastectomy bras into her life.

Nowadays there is literally every colour mastectomy bra to choose from the various mastectomy brands. We are lucky to have beautiful mastectomy bras with lace, pearls, and design to make us feel as special as we are.

And don’t forget you are dressing for you! A glamourous matching brief can add to that feel-good factor when wearing a glamourous mastectomy bra.

Image shown is from the Anita Care fashionable mastectomy range.

The Sports Bra

My pick: Anita Sports Bra

Wearing the right fitting mastectomy sports bra will get you in the right frame of mind for exercise. Exercise is encouraged after surgery so having a good mastectomy sports bra is important!

Even if you are only doing some gentle exercise, wearing the right mastectomy bra will keep your breasts in place by reducing movement when exercising. Depending on your own individual shape and size, you will need a low, mid, or extreme control sports bra. The bigger the cup, the more control you will need.

At Valerie’s Breast Care I have beautiful mastectomy sports bras from the Anita Care, Amoena and Royce Mastectomy collections to name a few.  These mastectomy brands specialise in high-quality mastectomy sports bras along with non-mastectomy sports bras in a variety of different colours.

If you would like bras from their non-mastectomy range, my service can arrange a sew-in pocket to hold a prosthesis. You can also ask me about matching briefs or leggings. These beautiful pieces will get you in the mood for that all-important exercise.

Bra shown is from the Anita Active Sports Bra mastectomy range.

The Strapless/Multi-strap Bra

My pick: Nicola Jane’s Underwire Mastectomy Bra

Do you remember when it was not okay to show a bra strap? Thankfully, that has changed and the bra strap with colour or lace has become a pretty addition to an outfit. However, there are times when we need the strapless bra, as literally no other bra will do. At Valerie’s Breast Care, I have strapless bras from both the Nicola Jane and Amoena mastectomy collections. They come with multi-way and clear straps for versatile styling and are perfect for not just strapless tops but halter necks, too. The clever design even gives you the option of wearing one strap under a one-sleeve top or dress. They are seamless for a smooth silhouette and lightly padded cups with underwire support to keep the bra securely in place. All strapless mastectomy bras have built-in cups to hold a prosthesis.

A good mastectomy strapless bra will be part of your lingerie for years as it is probably only worn on occasion. Mind it by handwashing only and you will have it for a long time.

Bra shown is from the Nicola Jane Mastectomy Bra range.

The Everyday Bra

My pick: Amoena Mona Bra 

This bra screams ‘comfort’ to me. It is one of the most popular and versatile mastectomy bras. Like many bras from the Amoena brand, it literally suits everyone! Seam-free cups are smooth under your clothes, perfect under a t-shirt in the summer months. Straps are adjustable and increase in width for larger sizes. There is padding on the straps to give extra comfort and ease the tension around the neck and shoulder area.

All-year-round colours for the Mona bra are white, cream and black with different colours popping up in the Amoena Summer and Autumn collections.

Bra shown is the Mona from the Amoena mastectomy range, which is one of my favourite brands as it carries a beautiful selection of mastectomy bras for every occasion.

Share your bra story

Over the years, women have shared some great bra stories with me and I love to hear them.

If you have a bra story, please feel free to share it in the comments below. Sad, happy or just a little bit out there, all stories are welcome! We all learn from each other so please share any advice. There is no better way to learn than through a real-life experience.

Thank you for reading! Please share with a friend if you think this might be of interest.

For many, Valerie’s Breast Care is one of the first organisations you can reach out to when picking up the pieces and moving on from what has been a particularly difficult time in your life. I’m so glad to have this opportunity to extend a very warm welcome to everyone.

Written by Valerie Murphy, Valerie’s Breast Care.

For more information please contact Valerie directly on her mobile at 085 160 1783 or email her at valerie@valeriesbreastcare.ie