admin I knew from the moment that I wanted to start a family, that I wanted to breastfeed. I knew that it is the most natural way to feed your baby obviously and a beautiful way to bond. That was the extent of my knowledge on breastfeeding. When I became pregnant, I did more research and realized all the beautiful benefits to breastfeeding which made me even more excited to embark on that journey with my baby boy. However, I had no idea how challenging and difficult breastfeeding could be. I didn’t realize that breastfeeding was a skill for both baby and I that had to be learned.
I remember the first three months were the hardest. It was a learning curve for sure. There were times I wanted to give up but I constantly reminded myself of why I chose to breastfeed in the first place. But it did get better after three months and it became second nature to both my son and I. My original goal was to breastfeed for at least six months. I am so grateful to say that Luke and I lasted to about eleven months. I would have gone longer if I could but I found out I was pregnant when Luke was nine months. I made the decision to start slowly weaning him.
Throughout the eleven months of breastfeeding, I found products that were essential to my breastfeeding journey. These products made the beautiful yet challenging process of breastfeeding a whole lot easier. Breastfeeding is challenging enough and can be overwhelming at times. Especially when you throw in trying to figure out what products are necessary to have for breastfeeding when you don’t have any clue since you’ve never been there before. I put together this list below of products that I will be using for my second little man due in June. I hope this can provide you with a great guide that will allow you to just focus on your breastfeeding relationship. That way you don’t have to weed through all the products that are out there to see what works and doesn’t work.
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Essentials Needed For Boob Care
Part of the challenge of breastfeeding is how sore they will be in the beginning. This can make breastfeeding harder as you’ll feel like your boobs never get a break. A newborn feeds for about 8-12 times a day. As you can imagine that is barely enough time to give your boobs the rest you need. Rest assured, there are products out there that will alleviate the pain substantially until your milk adjusts to your baby’s needs and your nipples toughen up.
Without the nipple shield, I don’t know if I would have been able to breastfeed my little man. When I first tried to breastfeed him after he was born, he was having difficulty latching due to my nipple not being long enough. The nurse left right away to grab a nipple shield for me and Luke was instantly able to latch on. I was so grateful. Another use for the nipple shield is to also give your nipples a break. If your nipples are super tender and bleeding, you can use the shield for a day or two to give them a break.
It is important to keep in mind that the nipple shield is not to be used long term. I eventually had to wean Luke off of it when he was around two months. The reason being is nipple shields can prevent full milk transfer meaning your baby won’t get the full amount he or she needs.
Your nipples can get dry, cracked, and even start bleeding. As soon as I started using this cream, my nipples were back to brand new and smooth. It made breastfeeding a lot less painful. It is also safe for baby–you can apply right before a breastfeeding session if you wanted to without having to wash your nipples off.
These are a lifesaver. They are meant to soothe your breasts and they do just that. I would put them in my bra between nursing sessions for the first couple of months to help with the deep aches and soreness. It always felt so cool and refreshing. These are a must have for sure!
I had one where I could put it in the freezer and could also heat it up. It was perfect and convenient. I used the ice for soreness and I used the heat for when I would get clogged milk ducts
Essentials Needed For Feeding
I would recommend a sports type nursing bra in the beginning as your boobs will be super sore, leaking a ton, and still adjusting to your little one. Then I would buy one or two cute bras for going out. I mainly used the sport type nursing bra just because they were more comfortable to wear.
I had a tank top for sleeping in which I loved and will buy more this time around.
With my first, I didn’t buy nursing tank tops to wear everyday because I was being frugal. It was definitely hard at times in public to nurse because I had to take my shirt all the way off to pull my tank top down. It was really inconvenient and made nursing in public more challenging. So knowing what I know now, it is worth spending the money on some good quality nursing tank tops. The convenience alone is worth it!
I used disposable pads and bought machine washable pads. The disposable pads are great for in the beginning when your boobs are leaking more. They are also nice to have for those times you are slacking on washing your fabric pads. I loved the machine washable pads for when my milk was more established and my boobs didn’t leak as much. They were more comfortable than the disposable!
Disposable Pads:
This was a MUST for me. Everywhere I went in public with my little man, my nursing cover went. I am a private person so I chose to want to be covered while I breastfed. If that’s you, then I highly recommend this nursing cover. It’s lightweight so you don’t have to worry about your baby overheating. I also never had to worry about it falling off my shoulders. You can also use this specific cover for a car seat cover or cart cover!
I used my nursing pillow A LOT in the beginning. It was great for the numerous nursing sessions I had when Luke was a newborn. It’s so important to have for comfort and your arms not falling off. It also brought Luke closer to me which helped with his latch. It was also great for tummy time and sitting Luke in it after he was done nursing.
I bought these too late with my first boy and wish I could have used them! When I breastfed Luke with one boob, the other boob would leak wasting a ton of precious breast milk. These amazing devices are meant to capture that extra breast milk so you can give it to your baby later. It’s a great way to stock up on milk. I saved mine so I’ll definitely be using them for my little boy who is due here soon!
A pump is an essential item whether or not you plan on going back to work or being a stay at home mom. There are going to be times where you want to have a date night or even want to sleep through those nighttime wake ups. Pumping and saving milk will allow you to do those things. Plus, pumping can increase your milk supply if you are having issues keeping up with your baby. If you plan on going back to work and want to continue to breastfeed, then you will for sure need one!
I used this one below. It was free through my insurance so be sure and check with your insurance before purchasing a pump!
I used the Medela brand. They are not only affordable but they aren’t cheaply made. I’ve never had issues with storing and they have always help up well. You can store them laying down (which makes defrosting easier) or you can store them standing up.
You’ll need bottles if you go back to work or want a break from breastfeeding or for the babysitter. It’s important you find a bottle that is the most similar to breast and also with a slow flow nipple. This will prevent your baby from preferring the bottle over breast. A slow flow nipple is the most similar to how milk comes out of breasts. You always want to use a slow flow nipple for as long as you are breastfeeding.
I used the Medela brand. They are durable. I use them to pump in as well which was way more functional and efficient. I never had issues with nipple confusion. I could go back and forth between bottle feeding and breast feeding with no issues.
I used the Munchkin brand. They are affordable and last for awhile. I’ve never had any issues and they work perfectly for all bottle types!
You’ll need this if you plan on pumping or don’t want to nurse in public. The ice pack stays cold for 6-8 hours. You can fit four bottles in these or the storage bags full of milk! I even use it now for solids when we are on the go. It’s a great purchase!
With these items, you will be on your way to having the essentials needed to make nursing more convenient, easier, and less overwhelming. As always, I welcome other breastfeeding mamas to join in with some other essential nursing items you could not live without.
Totally agree with all of these! Baby #3 is currently going on 9 months of breastfeeding thanks to many of these 🙂 Great post