Cake Maternity Review Australia 2025: Why This Award-Winning Brand Stands Out

Your pregnant and your bra stopped fitting at 12 weeks. By 28 weeks you're buying the third size up. Your breasts have plans you weren't told about.

The maternity section offers two choices: beige underwire that stabs you in the ribs, or saggy crop tops that provide zero support. If you're above a D cup, good luck!

Cake Maternity is different. Aussie brand, started in Sydney in 2008. Won the UK Lingerie Awards for Best Maternity Lingerie Brand in 2011. They actually make bras for DD+ busts that don't look medical.

But we're talking $65 to $80 per bra. Is it justified?

Their Backstory: From Garage Startup to Award Winner

Tracey Montford founded Cake Maternity in 2008. She was pregnant. Couldn't find nursing bras that weren't "matronly and beige." Everything looked like something her grandmother would wear. She was only 32.

She started with three styles from a Sydney garage. Seventeen years later, Cake Maternity is sold at over 1,000 retailers in 45 countries. Still Australian-owned. Still designed in Sydney.

The design team is mothers who've nursed their own kids. Head Designer Katie spent 12 years at Triumph International and Agent Provocateur before Cake Maternity. These aren't corporate designers guessing what works. They've done the 3am feeds. They know what it's like when your favorite bra becomes unwearable by second trimester.

Cake Maternity's Wikipedia lists their awards: The UK Lingerie Awards win in 2011. Mom's Choice Gold Award in 2017. Multiple UK Mother & Baby Awards. The company runs on 100% solar power from their Sydney headquarters. Sustainability efforts not common in lingerie manufacturing.

Every Cake Maternity product has OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification. Certificate #2016OK0069. This means every component - fabric, foam, hooks, clips, elastic, stitching - tests free from over 100 harmful substances.

Why does this matter? When your nipples are cracked and bleeding (nobody warns you how bad early breastfeeding can be), what touches your skin matters. A lot.

The Technology: What Makes These Bras Different

Most maternity bras offer one or the other. Support or comfort. Pick one.

Underwire digs into swollen tissue. Wire-free options give larger busts zero lift. You get back pain. Or you accept your breasts migrating south. Neither option is good.

Cake Maternity built proprietary technologies for pregnant and nursing bodies. Not marketing speak. Actual engineering.

Flexi-wire. It's a lighter, more flexible wire than traditional underwire. Sits in a wider channel. The ends curve to follow your rib shape instead of stabbing your armpit. Bends 180 degrees without breaking. The wire strength graduates with cup size - a 14F gets firmer support than a 10D.

Does it work? Customer reviews say yes. The flexi-wire gives support without that stabbing feeling. Takes 2-3 wears to mold to your body. Then you forget it's there.

Compare this to regular maternity bras where you're wincing and adjusting by hour three.

Inner sling support. Patented. Two support panels go under each cup. They lift from below. Prevent that east-west sag that happens with wire-free bras when gravity wins. Featured in the Popping Candy and Ribbon Candy styles.

The engineering creates lift without compression. Without constriction.

One-handed nursing clips are featured in every Cake Maternity nursing bra. Not a big deal until you're holding a screaming newborn at 2am trying to get your breast out. Fast.

Cake Maternity designs all clips to work single-handed. Their website even says: "We're mums who design these bras. We understand."

Small detail. Massive difference when you're sleep-deprived and the baby is hungry now.

What Mumgerie Stocks: Six Curated Products

Mumgerie carries six Cake Maternity products. Here's what each does.

Truffles Lace Maternity and Nursing Bra - $74.90

Flexi-wire support. Lace overlay. Plunge cut. This is the "I want support AND I want to look sexy" bra. Converts maternity to nursing with one-hand clips. Cup sizes D to HH in Australian sizing.

There's a matching Truffles Lace Brief ($29.90) if you want the full set. Low waist. Sits under your bump. No compression.

Popping Candy Maternity and Nursing Bralette - $69.90

Wire-free for F to K cups. Uses those inner sling panels. Heat-molded cups prevent mono-boob. Moisture-wicking fabric handles night sweats.

Works for sleep. Working from home. Any time you want comfort without losing lift.

Taffy Busty Non-Wire Nursing Bra - $79.90

Fuller-bust specialist. 3-piece structured cups. Reinforced power mesh at center. A-frame sling.

The construction is different from scaled-up smaller sizes. Cake Maternity engineers different support systems for different cup volumes. This suits projected breast shapes. Maximum structure. No wires.

Pumpkin Nursing and Pumping Bra - $64.90

Hands-free pumping. Multi-way safety zippers fit all flange sizes. Cotton inner lining protects nipples from zipper teeth. Spacer material creates smooth profile under work clothes.

If you're exclusively pumping or going back to office work, this bra lets you pump while doing anything else. Eating lunch. Answering emails. Whatever.

The Pumpkin zippers take practice. Once you get the positioning right, it's liberating.

Copper-Infused Compression Socks - $37.99

Medical-grade 20-30mmHg compression. 20% copper nylon in the sole. Designed for pregnancy swelling, varicose veins, tired legs.

Around second trimester your ankles start looking like tree trunks. These help. Copper adds anti-bacterial properties.

They're intentionally tight. That's how compression works. Expect to need help getting them on.

Most maternity brands don't offer medical-grade compression. Makes this a great addition to Cake Maternity's range.

Bra Sizing Gets Complicated

Cake Maternity uses Australian sizing. But fit varies between styles. Your usual 12DD might work for Truffles. Not for Taffy.

Sizes run 8 to 24 in bands. Cup ranges D to K depending on style. Most styles start at D cup. If you're A to C, options are limited. This brand specializes in fuller bust support.

Here's what happens to your body during pregnancy and nursing.

You'll increase 1-3 cup sizes during pregnancy. When your milk comes in, add another 1-2 cup sizes. Then you fluctuate throughout nursing. Depends on feeding schedule. Time since last feed. Whether your baby hit a growth spurt.

Your "size" is a moving target for about 18 months.

Measure in third trimester for the most accurate baseline. Order bras with the band on the loosest hook. Your rib cage shrinks postpartum. You'll need to tighten. Choose cups with room for fullness. Between sizes? Size up.

Best approach: Order two bras in your measured size from a stockist with returns. Wear them. See how they work. Then order more once you know what fits.

The Price Reality

Cake Maternity nursing bras cost $65 to $80. Department store maternity bras run $30 to $50. Sure, that's a big gap.

The durability argument makes sense if you're nursing long-term. Budget maternity bras stretch out and lose shape in 3-4 months. Cake Maternity bras maintain structure for 12-18 months according to customer reviews.

Buy cheap, buy twice. A $75 Cake bra for a year = $6 per month. $0.20 per day. A $35 budget bra that needs replacing twice = $70 total. Plus the hassle of shopping for replacements while managing a newborn.

The OEKO-TEX certification adds value you can't see. When you're dealing with cracked, bleeding nipples - and this is a special level of pain - chemical-free fabric matters. The certification covers every component. It tests for over 100 harmful substances like Formaldehyde, Cadmium and banned AZO colourants.

The engineering for larger cup sizes justifies premium pricing. Creating support for a K cup isn't just scaling up a B cup pattern. Cake Maternity's inner slings, graduated flexi-wires, reinforced panels - that's engineering work.

But if your budget is under $40 per bra, Cake won't work. Other brands make decent wire-free options for $45 to $50. They function adequately for smaller cup sizes. Buy what you can afford. No shame in that.

Where to Buy Cake Maternity?

Mumgerie stocks the six core products. Receive free shipping over $150. They're also available from selected Australian retailers and online stores, including Cake Maternity direct at au.cakematernity.com.

Cake Maternity: What They Do Well and Where They May Fall Short

Cake Maternity excels at fuller-bust engineering. The flexi-wire delivers. Proper support without underwire pain. One-handed nursing clips work in real use. Materials and construction outlast budget alternatives. The bras look good under clothing.

There are a few limitations Not many options for A to C cups. Sizing varies between styles - requires trial and error. Budget buyers won't like the prices. Some features work better for certain body types. The Taffy's projected cups won't suit everyone.

The compression socks fill a big gap most maternity brands ignore. The Pumpkin Bra solves a specific problem for working mothers and exclusive pumpers. The Truffles  Bra proves you can have support and style. Revolutionary in maternity world.

If you're DD+ and nursing for six months or longer, Cake Maternity offers value despite upfront cost. The durability, engineering, material safety justify premium pricing.

Smaller-busted? Tight budget? Only need bras for a few months? There are adequate cheaper alternatives.

Buy smart. Measure carefully. Order from stockists with returns. Start with one or two bras to test sizing. Don't buy your full nursing wardrobe at once.

Your breasts will do whatever they want regardless of your bra budget. At least Cake Maternity makes the journey slightly more comfortable.