If you’re expecting a baby soon you’re probably thinking a lot about how you’re going to feed them. If breastfeeding is what feels best to you, you’re going to be needing a few things to make your nursing experience go as smoothly as possible. I’ve been nursing my son for 14 months now and have tried all sorts of products. Some things were super useful, while others went to waste. Every persons breastfeeding journey is unique, so you may find some things work for you and some don’t, but overall these are the top 9 items you’ll need as a nursing mom.
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1. Breast Pump
Especially in the beginning your breasts can get engorged, which can be incredibly painful. Your baby will drink a lot of the milk, but nursing doesn’t always do the trick, so having a good breast pump is important. In addition, if you don’t want to be the only one that can feed your baby, it’s really important to pump milk and store it for bottles. This will be such a game changer for those tired newborn nights when you just need a little more sleep. If you plan on pumping regularly, it might be beneficial to look into portable pumps so you can still get things done while moving around. Most classic pumps require you to sit still while pumping, so it may be something to consider.
2. Milk bags:
On that same note, milk storage bags are a must from the get go. It’s important to have a tightly sealed storage container to keep your milk fresh in the fridge or freezer until you need it. There’s all sorts of different types of bags that can hook right up to your pump or just have milk poured into them. If you don’t want to have to continually purchase bags you can also get reusable milk storage bags!
3. Silverettes/nipple shield:
I personally didn’t need these, but they’re things that I’ve heard have saved soooo many nursing moms. I think how useful getting these are depends a lot on your personal nipple shape and your baby’s latch. If you have very flat or inverted nipples, or your baby has a hard time latching, these will save you. Basically, the idea of a nipple shield is to cover your nipple during nursing to minimize damage and help your baby latch. The downside of this is it does make it harder for your real nipple to get stimulated which can slow down your supply. A silverette is used as a space for your sore nipples to heal from any cracks or tears from breastfeeding.
4. Nursing bras:
This one I feel like is especially important in the beginning. Once you becomes a seasoned breastfeeding mom you find yourself nursing in every position and every outfit in every location like a pro. In the beginning it’s hard! Plus your baby is new at this whole eating thing too, so creating a space that’s easy for both of you is important. You’re going to want to have nursing bras to make your nipples easy access. Nursing bras are different from normal bras because they have a latch that you can disconnect to expose your breast for your baby. It makes it soooo much easier to establish good nursing habits in the beginning when your baby doesn’t have to fight clothing in order to eat. If nursing bras aren’t in the budget I’ve found the easiest alternative bras are ones without padding in them.
5. Nursing clothes:
For similar reasons as the last one, nursing clothes are also helpful in the beginning! It’s a nightmare being out in public and realizing that there is just no way you are getting your boobs out of your outfit without flashing everyone. That’s where nursing clothes come in! These are shirts that have the ability to move just the area around your breasts out of the way to allow your baby to nurse easily. Especially if you’re EBF (exclusively breast feeding), this is something you’re going to want for daily use.
6. Nursing cover:
If you do happen to be wearing a shirt that needs to come all the way up in public to nurse, nursing covers are great! These are a piece of fabric you place over you and your baby for privacy while in public. It allows for you to take your breast out so your baby can have the space to latch fully without having to feel indecent in public. I will being honest and say I rarely used the one I got. My son was not a fan of being covered while eating, and it just got complicated. But also in full honesty, plenty of strangers have probably seen my breasts by accident now. Babies don’t wait to get home to get hungry so it’s just a reality that you will probably need to nurse in public! It just depends what feels more comfortable to you.
7. Bottles/nipples/bottle cleaner:
If you plan on pumping and offering bottles to your baby at all you’ll also need bottles, nipples, and a bottle cleaning brush. My son only briefly took a bottle before he started refusing anything but milk straight from the source. Because of this we tried loads of bottles to get him to drink pumped milk. The one we had most success with, and that we like the most as a breastfeeding family, was the Emulait Anatomy Bottle. This is bottle designed to look and feel just like your breast! It’s supposed to help with nipple confusion and make it feel more like nursing when your baby to drinks out of the bottle.
8. Nipple cream:
One thing you unfortunately have to be prepared for is having sore nipples from time to time. Your baby will latch wrong, bite down, and suck hard on your nipple. They will crack and bleed and blister and hurt. (If you’re having trouble with your baby biting while nursing check out some tips to deal with that here.) This is not a constant thing but it does happen now and then if you’re nursing for a long period of time. The best thing to have for these situations is a good nipple cream. I tried a few, but I personally felt like Earth Mama’s Nipple Butter was the most effective. I actually also ended up using my Nipple Butter on certain dry patches of skin that were putting up a fight against my other lotion and they went away immediately!
9. Lactation drink:
One thing to consider is that there are days where it can be hard to produce. Some people are over suppliers that have plenty of milk. If this is you, great! If not, don’t be discouraged. Soooo many moms have hard times producing breastmilk, but it this doesn’t need to be a reason you give up your dreams of nursing your baby! There are plenty of things you can do to increase your milk supply, and finding a good lactation drink is a huge one! I personally have used Earth Mama’s Milkmaid Tea and Munchkins Milkmakers Lactation Drink. Both of these made an immediate noticeable difference for me and are definitely worth a shot if you’re struggling.
Conclusion:
Breastfeeding can be a difficult journey, but it can be just as enjoyable and rewarding if you have the right supplies and support. If you are truly determined to nurse your babies for however long you want to, then don’t be discouraged! These nine things will make your journey way easier, and can help you meet any breastfeeding goals you set for yourself. Don’t give up and good luck! You got this mamas!