Breastfeeding Supplies

I have several friends that are pregnant and plan to nurse. They have been asking me lots of questions (which I love) so I wanted to write a few posts about my breastfeeding experience. I am by no means an expert. We only nursed for 6 months and I've only one had child. But I am incredibly passionate about breastfeeding and I want to help anyone I can be as successful as they want to be.

I am going to start with a list things I found important to have to nurse my son.

1) A Nursing Pillow -  Nursing can take a toll on your back. Having a nursing pillow can help you nurse in a much more comfortable way. I used the boppy until he was about 4 months old. I would recommend getting a boppy that comes with a slipcover. They are cheaper that way and then you can wash the slipcover.

Bonus: A boppy is also a great way to prop up baby for tummy time.

 2) Breast pads - Once my milk come in I leaked like crazy. I woke up soaked every night. When he was nursing and my let down hit, I leaked from the breast he wasn't nursing on. And I leaked after a hot shower. It was crazy. So, I went through a TON of breast pads. The Lasinoh pads were great. I keep a stash of them in my purse, in the diaper bag, in the glove box and by all the places I nursed in our home.

I also invested in some washable pads. You can buy some at Babies R Us but those aren't actually waterproof. I found some on Etsy.com that I really LOVED. Charis Baby Designs has great pads. I threw them in the wash, air dried them and used them OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. I think they are definitely worth the investment. I think they paid for themselves at least 4 times over. I only got one set the first time, I think I will get two sets next time. 

 3) Nursing Cami's - I lived in nursing cami's for the first month. They are great. My hospital attire consisted of pj pants, a nursing cami, and a zip up hoody or a button down sweater. It gave my instant access to the "bottles" whenever I needed to feed my son. It was also great when my milk first came in because I was too engorged for a bra. They are comfy and gave me enough support to feel fine wearing them out layered. I got mine from Target.

 4) Nursing Bras - My favorite nursing bras came from Motherhood. They were good quality and surprisingly inexpensive ($20-$30). Plus, they were experts at sizing (your size WILL change in ways you never imagined). Don't buy them before baby, it's useless. I waited until it was almost time for me to go back to work before I went and bought any (6 weeks post-pardem). You need to wait until the engorgement is gone before you can get a good idea about the size. I went to Motherhood, she sized me up and picked some for me. She answered my questions about sizing and I was good to go!

5) "Sleep" Bras - I got mine from Target. I have seen that Motherhood and Medela makes them too. But these were great for sleeping in and laying around the house in. They were very easy to pull down when it was time to nurse. In fact, I found these much easier to nurse in than a nursing bra. And they were comfortable in the first few weeks that I was dealing with engorgement.

6) Nursing Cover - If you will find yourself in nursing in public and aren't comfortable with showing skin, you will want a cover. There are a lot of different versions by different brands. Some have pockets, some have tools to keep track of which side you nursed on. I just got a regular one from Target.

7) A comfy nursing seat - This depends on you and how comfy you want to be. I liked having arm rests and and a foot rest. We had a glider in the living room (that we already owned) and my in-laws bought one for the baby's room (it stayed in our room until we moved him to his room at 6 months). It was nice to have two "nursing stations". I liked having the glider in our room/his room for night time nursing sessions but also for when company was over. That way I could have some privacy and still be comfy. And it was nice to be able to veg in front of the TV when it was just us at home. Of course, you don't necessarily need a new chair. A recliner or any 'ol couch will work too!