My Breastfeeding Essentials

I have been planning on nursing my babies for as long as I can remember. But my goodness, why do people feel the need to tell you all of their breastfeeding horror stories while you're pregnant? While you get so many unsolicited comments and advice while you're pregnant, breastfeeding it definitely one of the hottest topics. People either hated it and it did not go well for them, or they had a beautiful breastfeeding journey. It seemed like there was no middle ground.

Despite all of the comments, I still knew I wanted to breastfeed for as long as possible, and my goal was at least one year. I remember being rolled into the PACU after my C-section, my husband handing Jack back to me, then my nurse saying to go ahead and try breastfeeding and thinking, "Okay, but neither of us have any idea what we're doing." Jack may have gotten a few drops of colostrum, but was mostly just his sleepy newborn self, I wasn't so bright-eyed myself.

When we got to our room I remember the nurses over and over telling me to try the football hold, but it just wasn't comfortable for me. I just wanted to cradle him, it seemed so much more natural. So, I did. I had brought my Boppy from home, cradled my new baby, and tried to nurse him.

I don't remember it going super smoothly the first few times, but after that, I remember sitting in a big armchair that was in our hospital room with the Boppy across my lap and cradling Jack and him getting a really good latch for the first time and nursing away. From that moment on, Jack has been a champion nurser!

Obviously you're exhausted after you've just given birth, whether c-section or vaginal delivery, and it is difficult to stay awake while you're nursing, let alone remembering what side you started on or how long the baby nursed. Thankfully, I have an awesome husband who, while we were still in the hospital, found an app called Baby Tracker that you can log just about anything concerning your baby in. It has a nursing timer that tracks how long you nursed on each side and which side you started on, diaper tracker for wet, BM, or mixed, sleep tracker, milestones, growth, and so much more! I still use it to this day to track Jack's nursing and naps, so it is definitely one of my, not only breastfeeding essentials, but baby essentials!

As I mentioned several times above, I brought my Boppy to the hospital, and I am so glad I did! A Boppy is a nursing pillow that wraps halfway around you and help you to hold your baby more easily during those long hours of nursing. It has a washable cover for inevitable spit up and blowouts. This is another item that I still use to this day for nursing Jack. You can find it on the Boppy website as well as many other sites.

I know not all women have a great milk supply, but I am lucky to have been blessed with a large milk supply, even 14 months later. One thing I brought to the hospital was nursing pads, and I am so glad I did, because on day 2 or 3 of our hospital stay my milk came in at full force! It was crazy! I woke up one morning so engorged, it was ridiculous! Thank goodness Jack was a good eater from the start, but even he could not keep up with that supply, and I was not only leaking a ton, but in a bit of pain.

I brought these washable nursing pads that a friend had recommended, and if my milk supply could have laughed at the thinness of the pads, I think it would have. Now my friend who recommended them really liked them, so if your milk supply is less forceful they may work for you, but they did not for me. I also found that they moved around too much for my liking as well.

So, I used the disposable nursing pads from the hospital while we were there, which are akin to sandpaper, and also move around a lot. Once I got home I had a box of these Lansinoh disposable nursing pads, which are much softer, extremely absorbent, and have an adhesive on the back so they stick to your bra and do not move!

These are great, but I felt terrible about creating so much waste by using disposable nursing pads. Then I found these washable nursing pads, also by Lansinoh, and fell in love! At first I thought they were so thin there was no way they would be absorbent enough, but somehow they are! They are absorbent, moisture wicking, stay in place, are super comfortable, and washable, so, eco-friendly! I still use these to this day as well and have been super impressed. I highly recommend them!

Speaking of catching leaking milk, one thing I found very helpful was the Milk Saver. I'm sure you could use any milk saving device like a Hakaa, but I only have experience with the Milk Saver. You just put it in your bra over the breast you're not nursing on and it catches the milk that leaks out during letdown. I catch an ounce or two whenever I use it! Plus, it prevents your nursing pad from getting too soaked.

As I said above, my large milk supply came in at full force while we were still in the hospital. I have heard from several friends that their nurse or lactation consultant brought in a hospital-grade pump for them when they got engorged, so I'm not sure why ours did not recommend that. Maybe because Jack was a really good eater? Anyways, my insurance company had already sent my pump to our home after I filled out some paperwork at our Breastfeeding Class, and I really wish I had brought it to the hospital with us to help alleviate some of that engorgement. I have the Spectra S2, which I have loved. Unfortunately my insurance did not cover the S1, which is battery-operated, so I did have to plug mine into the wall whenever I used it, but I have still really liked it.

I also bought a manual breast pump to use if needed while out and about. I have really liked this one from Lansinoh, which actually uses the same bottles we already used for Jack.

When pumping, it's also very helpful to have a pumping bra so you can be hands-free while you pump. I have a very basic one, similar to this one, and still use it while I'm working.

A nursing-related item I actually started using before giving birth was a good, comfortable nursing bra. I found these Auden Seamless Nursing Bras while I was in my third trimester and fell in love. They are extremely comfortable, supportive, provide easy access for nursing, and are seamless as and therefore very discreet under clothing. I bought a size extra large for when I was early on in my breastfeeding journey, and have since downgraded to a size large. Once again, this is a product I still use to this day.

Similarly, nursing camis are really great to have as well and something I wear frequently. I have worn both the Medela Nursing Camis as well as the Bravado Nursing Camis, which are very similar. They are both very similar. They are slimming, provide some compression, non-wire, seamless, provide good support as well as easy access for nursing. The only downside is that they cannot be dried in the dryer. I made the mistake of drying them and the bottoms of them unraveled, unfortunately. But if you follow the laundering instructions, they should be fine and I definitely recommend them. I got my regular size small in both brands and they fit true to size.

Another thing I found very helpful early on in my breastfeeding journey was nipple cream. It takes some time for your body to adjust to your baby latching on to breastfeed, especially when they need to feed so frequently (every 1-2 hours at first!), which can cause dry, cracked, and sometimes bloody nipples. But I found that I was able to prevent those issues by first making sure Jack latched well each time, and secondly, by using Bamboobies Boob Ease Organic Nipple Balm. I never got to the point of overly dry, cracked, or bloody nipples, and I absolutely attribute that to these two things. This nipple balm is great because not only does it soothe, protect, and moisturize, it is USDA Organic and non-toxic meaning you do not have to wipe it off before breastfeeding your baby like you have to with other nipple creams!

While this next product is not essential for some, I really liked having a nursing cover for nursing in public. I am a rather modest person so I personally prefer to use a nursing cover while in public. I also love multi-use products, which is why I love our Copper Pearl Multi-Use Nursing Cover, which can also be used as a car seat cover, shopping cart cover, high chair cover, and even as an infinity scarf! The material is so buttery soft, extremely stretchy, high-quality, wash well, and they have so many beautiful designs. I loved using it as a car seat cover on sunny days, during naps, and in public, especially during cold and flu season to prevent Jack from getting sick.

As I was planning on breastfeeding, one thing I knew we should invest in was a comfortable place to sit while I was nursing. I knew I would be sitting in this chair for many hours throughout my breastfeeding journey, and I knew I wanted it to be comfortable, which meant I wanted to actually try it out before purchasing it. So, my mom, sister, and best friend from college went to several furniture stores, and finally found the perfect glider/rocker/recliner from a local store called Bernie & Phyl's, that even matched Jack's nursery color theme! My husband and I decided to splurge on this rocking chair knowing how important it was to have a place we could comfortably feed our baby and absolutely love this chair to this day!

Along with a good rocking chair, I also recommend a small table to go next to it to hold things like burp clothes, nipple cream, a water bottle, your phone, snacks, pacifiers, nursing pads, Vitamin D drops, and anything else you need within arm's reach while your nursing. We got this one from Amazon that we love, and matches Jack's nursery perfectly! I love the storage on the bottom and even bought this lazy susan to go in the bottom to help keep things a little more organized.

Another breastfeeding essential is water! Water will help to keep your milk supply up and keep you hydrated as you feed your baby. As I've mentioned before, I have a Yeti Rambler with a straw cover that I have with me at all times. For some reason I drink much more when I have a straw. It keeps my water so cold, holds plenty of water, and helps keep my hydrated. I love my Yeti, but any water bottle would work!

Not only is it important to hydrate your body while you are breastfeeding, but you really need to fuel your body with food as well. I recommend having plenty of snacks on hand that are easy to eat while breastfeeding in between good, healthy meals. Some of my favorite snacks were granola bars, trail mix, and these super yummy lactation cookies that help increase your milk supply! Oats are great to help boost your milk supply, and of course, there are plenty of recipes online so you could make your own lactation cookies as well, but sometimes it is nice to have something you can just grab and go with!

We decided to wait the recommended 6 weeks to give Jack a bottle to prevent nipple confusion. At that point our pediatrician recommended the Lansinoh Momma Bottle, which is great for breastfed babies! Once you get to the point where you feel comfortable giving your baby a bottle, I highly recommend this bottle. It is very similar to an actual nipple and helps mimic breastfeeding, which helps to prevent nipple confusion once your baby starts taking a bottle. Jack took this bottle right away and still uses it to this day.

Once you're pumping and using bottles, it is also a good idea to have a bottle sterilizer to sterilize your pump parts and bottles. We use this one from Munchkin that actually goes in your microwave! It's also great for pacifiers!

Whether you're nursing or bottle-feeding, it is so important to burp your baby to prevent them from spitting up. Therefore, it is a good idea to always have burp cloths nearby. I also use them to tuck in my bra while Jack is nursing to prevent milk leaking onto my nursing bra. I use the standard Gerber cloth diapers that are commonly used as well as the less bulky, but still absorbent ones from Burt's Bees Baby.

Finally, I recommend plenty of nursing-friendly clothes and pajamas. Of course, you can always pull your top up, and have a nursing tank-top underneath to provide a little more coverage. But it also nice to have some button-down tops and pajamas, and/or wrap tops, dresses, and nightgowns. I loved these pajamas from the Stars Above line at Target, and still wear them! They are so soft, cute, and perfect for nursing!

Of course, all you really need to breastfeed your baby is you and your baby. But these products certainly make it much easier.

I have been blessed with the best breastfeeding journey with my son. He is now 14 months old, and while it certainly is a large commitment, it is such a special bond we have and I am so glad I have been able to provide such great nourishment to my baby for so long. I hope some of these products can help make your breastfeeding journey a little easier and more enjoyable and am more than happy to answer any questions you may have about breastfeeding! And while I have exclusively breastfed, I know that breastfeeding does not come as easily to others, so remember, fed is best!

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