So sorry for the late post today. My mom left last night and I was up most of the night with hungry little Olive. And I’m getting a clogged milk duct (more on that in a separate post), so I’ve been feeling chilly, achy and feverish. But the blog must go on!
I have a long road ahead of me when it comes to breastfeeding Olive. She had all bottles of breastmilk during her extra 5 day hospital stay, and once we finally got home I didn’t have the energy to focus on breastfeeding since I had lots of pumped milk my mom could feed her. Olive also gets cold super easily (she gets hiccups any time we change her), so we always keep her bundled up, but that just makes her pass out at the breast. I’m already sick of pumping. But the benefit of pumping is that I know exactly how much she’s eating, so I know that she’s getting enough. If you have any tips on easing the transition from bottle to breast, please let me know!
In the meantime, here is our guide to breastfeeding gear!
1) Boppy Luxe Breastfeeding Pillow – I had the My Brest Friend, which is supposed to be the #1 lactation consultant recommended breastfeeding pillow, but it was so hard that I preferred the Boppy instead. I like this particular boppy because it has an extra soft cover. The Boppy is also a great place for your baby to chill and take pictures!
2) Bebe Au Lait Nursing Cover – You may find these under their other name brand Hooter Hiders, but I believe they are the same company. I was way too self-conscious to nurse in public with Charlie, but now I pretty much don’t care who sees my boobs anymore.
3) Motherlove Nipple Cream – Lansinoh’s lanolin is probably the most popular nipple cream, but I prefer the smooth texture and natural ingredients of this one. No matter how good your baby’s latch is, you’ll probably experience some soreness when you first start breastfeeding. I dealt with incorrect latch, sore, cracked and bleeding nipples with Charlie.
4) Avent Comfort Breast Shells – If you leak on one side while feeding or pumping on the other, these shells allow you to collect and save that milk. They also provide comfort for sore nipples because by preventing them from chafing against your clothing, and if you have flat or engorged nipples, these can help draw them out before nursing.
5) Gerber Breast Therapy Warm/Cool Relief Packs – I loved these because you could use them cold for engorgement, or warm to encourage milk flow.
6) Lansinoh Nursing Pads – I don’t know how many nursing pads I went through in 9 months with Charlie, but I’m sure it was a lot! It was one of my most hated parts of breastfeeding – the constant leaking!
7) Bravado Nursing Tank – I had two of these and they made popping out a boob and going sans bra easy.
8) Bravado Silk Seamless Bra – I was never a big fan of nursing bras and just wore regular underwire-free bras in larger sizes. But this was the one nursing bra that I had that was pretty comfortable.
9) Medela Sleep Bra – I had a bunch of these bras and lived in them round the clock to hold in my nursing pads. I hate sleeping with a bra on, but these made it bearable.
What are some of your favorite breastfeeding products?
Breastfeeding part 1 of 9
1. Breastfeeding Gear by Guides2. Unsolicited Breastfeeding Advice for New Moms by breastfeeding
3. Breastfeeding & Breast Health: What I Wish I’d Known Sooner by Mrs. Stroller
4. Things I Didn't Know About Breastfeeding and Breastmilk by Mrs. Bee
5. Breastfeeding: Rocky Beginnings, Part 1 by Mrs. Yoyo
6. Breastfeeding Retrospective by mrs. wagon
7. Boob Supplies by Mrs. Bee
8. Breastfeeding Twins by Mrs. Train
9. The Breastfeeding Routine by Mrs. Bee
apricot / 464 posts
I have an amazon subscription to those nursing pads…they are great!
olive / 55 posts
Medela makes reusable nursing pads — a set of four (or two sets of two) is $8.50. I bought enough to have four changes — and wash them constantly. I feel like they don’t feel as awkward as the throw away ones.
grapefruit / 4049 posts
-boppy luxe pillow… it has pockets!!
-nursing tanks from target- affordable & comfy
-seamless nursing bras from destination maternity
-the medela freestyle pump – still can’t believe how small it is compared to other pumps…. love, love, love it!!
cherry / 207 posts
I love Motherlove nipple cream too, prefer it to Lansinoh for sure. I also like Motherlove More Milk Plus capsules. Previously I swore by Medela’s comfort nursing bra but I defintely prefer Bravado silk seamless bra. Medela’s PIS advance was my life saviour, let’s see what happens this time around! Used an Ameda until it died on me after 2 months!!!!!’
pomegranate / 3053 posts
My brest friend was my favorite. I remember being able to stand up and nurse at the same time while I did other things with my other hand. Loved the Boppy too but used it more when my LO was older b/c he was big enough not for me to bend over too much.
persimmon / 1255 posts
Never used a boppy but I loved my My Brest Friend pillow since it gave some support to my back. Like Erwoo, I also loved that it was supportive enough that I could stand up while nursing if I needed to. The downside though is that I used it only for nursing and only for the first 3-4 months since it was easier to just hold her when she was bigger and sturdier.
apple seed / 3 posts
I’ve heard that hand expressing helps prevent babies from falling asleep when breastfeeding… softening the breast before you begin nursing helps the flow of milk and makes it easier for babies to latch on and drink… keeping fingers crossed for a smooth transition for ya.
apple seed / 2 posts
You can start giving milk to Olive in a bottle for the first few sucks then quickly take her off bottle and onto your nipple. This worked for me when I was not producing enough and had to supplement with formula in the hospital. Good luck!
cherry / 128 posts
I got all this breastfeeding gear and was unprepared for all the breastfeeding troubles we had – my son couldn’t latch on for the first 3-4 weeks of his life. First he was cup fed, and then bottle fed. I liked using the Breastflow bottles by the First Years because I really wanted to have a nursing relationship.
My advice is to not give up – I didn’t want the inconvenience of pumping, heating, & cleaning bottles and the inevitable waste of precious leftover milk – lots of skin-to-skin time was the biggest thing, I think. You can also try the “laid-back breastfeeding” or Biological Nurturing approach. I did this by accident – would do skin-to-skin time lying in bed watching TV and it was exactly in this position that my son first latched on by himself with no prompting by my part. The skin-to-skin would also help regulate baby’s body temperature (“kangaroo care”). Now my son is a champion nurser with a textbook perfect latch.
Once latch is good you could totally wear Olive in a carrier & breastfeed & blog (or do other things) simultaneously!
Here’s some links with more info:
http://www.biologicalnurturing.com/
http://breastfeeding.blog.motherwear.com/2011/08/book-review-breastfeeding-made-simple-2nd-edition.html
Oh, and I tend to get blocked milk ducts/mastisis when I’m worn down so Bee, take care of yourself and get some rest! We’ll understand if the site is light on posts.
cherry / 128 posts
Oh, and bf gear reviews:
Brest Friend Pillow – was helpful once son was able to latch, but I only used it for a few months
Earth Mama Angel Baby (EMAB) Booby Tubes – can be used warm or cold, all natural, loved them in the beginning to help with engorgement.
EMAB Nipple Butter (I was gifted a EMAB Breastfeeding basket) – loved it and preferred it to lanolin, also all natural and smoother to apply
Bravado re-usable nursing pads – they were perfectly comfortable and serviceable. Even though they have terry on the outside and are sort of thick, my clothes didn’t look bumpy when I wore them. I hate using disposable things (bad for environment) so this was a fine solution for me.
Bebe Au Lait Nursing Cover – I have no problems nursing in public but the covers are great for blocking out the environment for baby if easily distracted (or the environment is too overwhelming). I still use it when we fly to block out the light when my son wants to sleep and the cabin lights are still on.
Nursing Clothes – basics from Motherwear, nicer stuff from MomPlusBaby.com – with good breastfeeding tops, you don’t need a nursing cover once you’re comfortable with latching on baby. So many people have thought that I was just holding a napping baby, i.e. “Oh how sweet your son is sleeping through XXX,” not realizing that I was actually nursing him! (In that sense, I think nursing covers bring more attention to the fact that you’re feeding your baby.)
My preferred nursing bras are sleep bras because I can just shove it aside with one hand to nurse my son rather than fussing with clips. The trick to nursing discreetly in public is being quick & smooth with your movements.
I would also say a good baby carrier is a breastfeeding aid. You can nurse a baby while wearing them – I’ve used The Portable Baby woven wrap carrier, Pikkolo carrier by Catbird Baby, and the Boba baby carrier (use the sleeping hood to provide additional coverage). This was a total lifesaver once while I was waiting at the tax office to file taxes – my son started getting fussy and hungry – in the baby carrier he was quiet and satisfied nursing and no one was any wiser!
pea / 5 posts
Great list! I personally am a fan of the breast friend over the boppy because it lays flat and you can strap it around you.
apricot / 321 posts
I never tried that sleep bra but I’m definitely going to next time, as well as the Motherlove cream! Brest friend worked better for me too, especially when Max was smaller. The Target nursing tanks worked well for me too.
GOLD / apricot / 341 posts
I really love Gap Maternity’s nursing sleep tops. I had long-sleeved ones this winter when we brought our baby home in December, and I’ve had short-sleeved ones this summer. They have been perfect for middle-of-the-night feeds. I wore A Pea in the Pod nursing sleep bras underneath. Like the medela ones but much less flimsy…
pea / 17 posts
I would add to your list medela hydrogel pads… SO NECESSARY for raw nipple relief! It worked wonders for me!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0011ECPA2/ref=redir_mdp_mobile
And when i had a stubborn cracked nipple that took FOREVER to heal this ALL PURPOSE NIPPLE OINTMENT mix helped(i just followed the “recipe”/directions and made it myself. Worked like a charm!)
http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76:all-purpose-nipple-ointment-apno&catid=5:information&Itemid=17
So two lil breastfeeding must have’s for the win/record!
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
I have used both the boppy and Breast Friend. I think the boppy is more comfortable but if you have a small baby having trouble latching I feel like MyBreastFriend gives better support and positioning.
Also the medela sleep bra posted runs small. I ended up with D cups when nursing and I didn’t fit in the XL sleep bra. I do love my Medela underwire nursing bra though.
Lastly I agree with the Lanolin creme for sure! Have this on hand to help Prevent an issue (my hospital did offer a very small tube).
I also have the medela freestyle pump which I love. It was totally worth the extra few bucks compared to the pump in style. Make sure to have your pump before the baby comes because you may need it if you have breastfeeding issues or supply issues.