Essentials For Your Breastfeeding/Pumping Journey

I want to start off by saying that I am aware that not every mama chooses to breastfeed or cannot breastfeed, and this blog post is not to knock formula feeding whatsoever. I am simply sharing my experience with breastfeeding and sharing my essentials that made breastfeeding easier on me in hopes to help other mamas on their breastfeeding journey!

Alright, now that that's been said, let's get to it! So, first things first, breastfeeding is HARD, especially in the first few weeks. I almost gave up, but I'm glad I didn't. In the first days and weeks of having a newborn, there's a lot of adjusting and figuring out how to navigate being a new parent. These products that I'll be mentioning today really helped make it easier on me.

Unfortunately, breastfeeding can hurt a bit in the beginning and this Nipple Butter and Lanolin cream seriously saved me. I used both of them in the hospital and for weeks after coming home. I highly recommend having these on hand. When you have a baby, especially for the first time, you don't exactly know how to position them while feeding. I definitely suggest speaking with a lactation consultant (your hospital should offer one). I had a session with a LC after I had Lawson, and she was very helpful. I used this Boppy nursing pillow for the first month or so of Lawson's life while nursing because it helped position him, and it made it easier on me because I didn't have to hold his body and head up the entire time I was nursing him. Another essential, especially right after you come home from the hospital/birth center, is a cart with wheels. I know it sounds extra, but seriously you need it. You can organize all of your essentials in the cart such as water, snacks, burp cloths, diapers, wipes, etc. so that you minimize the amount of times you have to get up, and trust me, you don't want to have to get up more than you have to..

After you give birth and you start your nursing journey, there is something called after-birth contractions and no one told me about this... thankfully it wasn't a terrible experience for me, but some women can experience painful cramps while nursing in the first few days postpartum. I didn't use these drops, but will be using them with the next baby because i've heard amazing things about them. They are supposed to help ease after-birth contractions. They are called WishGarden Herbs Afterease. I'm so excited to use these next time!

Now, as far as nursing bras go, some people love them and some don't care for them. Personally, I don't think I could wear a regular bra while nursing. I feel much more comfortable in nursing bras and it's much easier to feed (especially in public) with a nursing bra. I use a couple different brands, these are from Amazon and these are from Target. I also recommend getting a few nursing tank tops. These are nice to have to wear to bed, around the house, or under a cute cardigan when you leave the house. I like this tank top for lounging around the house, and I like this one for dressing your outfit up.

Speaking of nursing in public, I'm all for it. I nurse in public all the time and I personally like to use a cover (if you don't use a cover, you do you mama). I loved this nursing cover because it can also be used as a carseat cover. It's also super cute and comes in a variety of different designs/colors. Another item that is (in my opinion) necessary are nursing pads. Breastfeeding can be very messy so these really helped. I used several different brands but the Laninosh nursing pads and these re-usable bamboo nursing pads are my favorite. I love both!

Some women that breastfeed also pump. In the beginning, I never pumped. I only

used this Haakaa Manual Breast Pump, and oh my gosh this product is AMAZING. Every breastfeeding mom needs this. I never used my normal breast pump until Lawson was about 7 months old. The best thing about the Haakaa is that it is less than $15. I was able to build a huge freezer stash of milk using it and it's seriously so easy. You just attach it to the opposite breast that you're feeding on and it catches your letdown. Genius. As far as actual pumping goes, I pump with an electric pump every single night now. My son does better with a bottle right before bed, so I pump before I go to bed to have that bottle ready for the following night. Here's a few essentials you need for pumping. First is a handsfree pumping bra.I use this one and it's great. You don't want to have to sit there and hold both bottles to your breast while you're pumping. The time goes by much faster when you can have both of your hands free to be on your phone, computer, etc. As far as storing milk goes, if I am freezing milk, I use the Laninosh milk bags. If I am saving milk in the refrigerator for a bottle the following night, I use these Medela milk bottles.

Last but not least, bottles. There are so many different brands, and it can be difficult to find one that works for your baby. We started out using the Dr. Browns bottles which worked great, and then a few months ago we switched over to the Comotomo bottles,which I like better. The Comotomo bottles are supposed to resemble the breast, and I definitely think it does. Also, what's great about the Comotomo bottles is there are only 3 parts, which makes it super easy and efficient to clean.

There are so many things that come with breastfeeding, and these items truly helped me have the best nursing experience. I will definitely be using all of this for my future babies as well! I hope that this will help you mamas out there on your breastfeeding/pumping journey. It can be a hard experience, but it is the most amazing and rewarding journey ever. If no one has told you lately, you are doing amazing, and you are the best mama to your baby! Make sure to email me your blog post requests! XOXO

Much Love,

Rachael