My 15 Essential Products for Breastfeeding
If you want to cut to the chase here is a quick link to my Amazon storefront Breastfeeding Must Have’s list.
My breastfeeding journey was nothing like I thought it would be.
I remember when I was pregnant, I went to lunch with my sister-in-law (who had 2 children at the time, now 3!) and mentioned that I wasn’t sure breastfeeding was for me. I felt awkward “disclosing” this information because I know society basically tells you that you are a shit mom if you don’t. I have breast implants and coming from a previous lifetime of pageantry and modeling I felt my breasts were “sexual” (from my own perspective, not anyone else’s) and it seemed uncomfortable to me to want to breastfeed.
Fast forward to the delivery room and the moment I had my daughter, something was burning inside of me to make breastfeeding work. I DID NOT anticipate that.
I had a pretty run-of-the-mill experience having everything go great in the hospital, yada yada, and then when you go home and shit is a mess. Like, “What am I even doing?!”
While I had a lot of peaks and valleys in my 7 months of nursing (visit my post on Surviving a Nursing Strike), here are 15 things that I found absolutely necessary to help along the way. Especially at the beginning!
1. Milk Saver
More like Life-Saver! This product right here is (almost solely) how I built my freezer stash. My let down happened in both breasts at the same time, so if I didn’t have this in my breast pad would soak up all the milk. But almost every session I got 1 oz. from this bad boy! I would keep a storage bottle on the counter and when it got to my desired amount throughout the day, I would dump it in a freezer bag. No extra pumps required (although I do recommend doing) and I was building up storage before I knew it!
2. Reusable Breast Pads
I think it is important to have both reusable and disposable breast pads. These can be bulky and show through clothing but are MUCH more comfortable then disposable pads. I preferred the reusable pads when I was hanging around at home and also for sleeping. Best part is you just chuck them in the washing machine to clean!
3. Kindered Bravely Marvella Luxe Maternity Bra
When I say “must have” I mean this is a MUST! This may be a strange way to describe a bra, but it feels like butter. No lie. It is the softest thing to ever grace my body. The reason I chose the luxe over the regular model is because it has a clasp in the back to convert easily from regular straps to a racerback, which came in very handy in the summer! Not gonna lie, I wore this well past my nursing days, it may even be on me at this very moment.
4. Hot/ Cold Breast Therapy Pads
Hot/ cold pads were necessary to get through those first few weeks. I mostly used them hot to help relieve engorgement as well as prior to massaging ducts to get clogs out.
5. 1 oz. Freezer Tray
1 oz. freezer trays were a life saver when pumping and bottle feeding. At Aria’s day care, they would throw away any milk after offering and it being refused (crime!) So these were great at times when she was going through growth spurts or was just ready to take more volume. Instead of needing a whole bottle and potentially wasting some, I gave them a bag of 1 oz cubes that they would defrost and feed her to “top off”. Someone recommended this to me and it was genius!
6. Haaka Pump
I’m sure everyone has suggested this to you. I would say I definitely used this more as the months went on than I did at the beginning; but definitely still something to have around. First thing is watch this video. So many people misuse the Haaka and then don’t understand the purpose of it. Once you know how to properly use the Haaka pump, it is great to keep in your car or diaper bag for emergencies to relieve built up pressure if you are not able to fully pump or nurse.
7. NUK Bottles
I went through about 4 different types of bottles before landing on these. Now I know every baby is different, but my issue wasn’t my daughter not liking bottles; it was not wanting the boob after she had one. The nipples on NUK bottles are very similar to how babies get milk from a breast. There are multiple tiny holes and the shape replicates the nipple as if they were nursing. They made transitioning back and forth much better once we got to that point.
8. Maternity Nursing Tanks
These were amazing for nursing in public. *Helpful hint*- wear them under other t-shirts and clothes so when you have to nurse in public your stomach is not exposed. It definitely helped me feel more comfortable with that aspect of nursing in public! Not only are they super soft and comfy but they have a bit of spandex to keep everything in place (without being restrictive), and I love that they were a little longer!
9. Hands Free Pumping Bra
This attachment will work on any nursing bra! Don’t buy into the fact that you need a whole set or something fancy. This will clip onto any regular nursing bra and you can slide your pumps right in leaving your hands free for a book or a cup of coffee (hahahaha.)
10. Kiinde System
Whoever invented this is a pure genius. Not only do you save time on cleaning storage bottles but you also save your precious liquid gold during the transfer! No more pumping into bottles and pouring into bag to feed/freeze. You pump directly into the bag which has a nipple that will attach directly to it and you can feed right from the bag! No cleaning and no waste! Ah-MAZE-ing.
11. Disposable Breast Pads
As I mentioned earlier, it is important to have both reusable and disposable breast pads. I leaked a lot (apparently more than others I know, probably due to my implants.) But I kept a handful of these in my diaper bag which always came in handy. They are also much thinner than the reusable ones therefore much more discrete in your clothing.
12. Lansinoh Hand Pump
I actually kept this in my spare “car bag.” (A bag with an extra pair of clothes, diapers, wipes, etc.) I actually found myself in a situation where I needed this a few times! I was stuck at a car dealership much longer than I intended and grabbed this puppy and hit the bathroom to relieve discomfort.
13. Spandex Sleeping Bra for Nursing
Because of my excessive leaking I was not able to sleep bra-less when breastfeeding. This bra was the perfect option for sleep as it was not tight but kept everything in place. Also, you are doing many feeding sessions in the middle of the night with your little one so you can slide this bad boy right to the side for easy access in the middle of the night. Highly recommend!
14. Large Water Cup
We all know you are supposed to significantly increase your water intake when breastfeeding to keep supply up. This came in handy to have right next to me when nursing and pumping to quench that instant thirst you get when nursing!
15. Breastfriend Pillow
So many people debate about this or the Boppy pillow, and frankly you need both in my opinion. My lactation consultant highly recommended My Breast Friend and I was stubborn and didn’t get one at first but once I did it was a game changer. It keeps the baby perfectly flat instead of a “c” shape you get with the Boppy pillow. It is best for “form” and honestly helps mommy out a lot too with support. Was an essential in the early months!
Whether you are about to embark on your breastfeeding journey or have already started, I hope some of these items help you, as they did me.
I would love to hear your feedback if any of these were a game changer for you! Drop it in the comments below!
For other breastfeeding related posts click here.
Xo, Emily
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