Hellobee

To continue on in my series on breastfeeding, I thought I would share my list of essential breastfeeding items. I remember finding it really helpful to see what supplies other moms thought were important for their breastfeeding needs. While I don’t think everybody needs all of these products, with the difficulties we faced I found we needed quite a bit more than I initially thought. There were also a few items I thought to be a must that we barely used. So — here’s Little Deer’s and my roundup of our breastfeeding essentials:

No. 1 Nursing Cover: Though we ended up not getting quite as much use out of this as I had thought, I do think it was essential. Because of needing to put nipple shields on before getting her to nurse, I really needed to be pretty covered up if we were out in public. I wish I could have just slyly popped out the boob and gotten her to latch-on quickly. I would have been pretty comfortable with that but oh well! Though we didn’t go out much in the early days, I still found this cover to be handy for when we were at family gatherings and such.

No. 2 Burp cloths: Because of how milky our breastfeeding sessions were (between the my overactive letdown, her latch issues, and the nipple shields) I found it necessary to tuck a burp cloth under my breast while nursing. This not only helped get things into a good position, but it also helped soak-up any extra milk. I bought about 4 packs of these and they have worked great! I love having lots of cheaper burp cloths than a few expensive ones since we used them so often and seemed to go through them like crazy.

No. 3 Lanolin: When I first started to have issues with chapped/bleeding nipples, I tried some natural nipple butter. As nice as it was, it just wasn’t able to provide a strong enough barrier and help me heal. Good ol’ lanolin to the rescue! We were also able to get some of this at the hospital, but ended up ordering a larger tube on Amazon as well. When I was on “nipple rest” for a few days to let things heal, I slathered a ton of lanolin on. Even once everything was looking good, her latch was still very shallow for a long time so I used lanolin after each nursing session.

No. 4 Breastmilk Storage Bags: Since I did seem to have so much extra milk (especially in those early weeks), I wanted to be able to save and freeze it. These are the same bags that I used at the hospital I worked at, so I decided to get them for at home too. I’ve never had any trouble with them, and they stack great in our freezer.

No. 5 Breastfeeding Made Simple book: Though I ended up reading several books on breastfeeding, this was the one I liked the best. I found it to be the most practical, straightforward, and informative of the bunch. I often referenced it in those first few weeks, and even took notes as I went. I think it does a great job of encouraging moms while also giving you the knowledge and tools you need to troubleshoot any potential problems.

No. 6 Medela Softshells Breast Shells: These guys really saved me and allowed my nipples to heal during those first few weeks. Though not the most attractive things to wear around, they definitely do the job! They allow your nipples to breathe and not have anything touching or rubbing them (like a bra or fabric). They come with little foam inserts that you can stick inside to catch extra milk, but I found it was easier to cut a breast pad in half and stick that inside instead.

No. 7 Nipple Shields: Seeing as we are still using these at 13 months, I would say these have been super essential for us! While I don’t recommend getting nipple shields unless it’s deemed necessary, it doesn’t hurt to keep them in the back of your mind. Especially if you have flat or inverted nipples. If you’re having difficulties with breastfeeding while still in the hospital, ask to see a Lactation Consultant. You may find using nipple shields helpful for a bit while things get settled. Our nurses were happy to give us a couple before we went home, so try and grab some while at the hospital.

No. 8 Throw pillow: I remember being so excited to get my boppy, put on its cute cover, and get to breastfeeding. We brought it with us to the hospital, and used it right away. No matter what though, I always needed to pile a bunch of pillows under it to make it work for us. As much as I wanted to love it, our boppy just wasn’t cutting-it. Once I started leaning back a bit while breastfeeding, I found that I could just prop one throw pillow under my arm (the arm supporting her head) and I was good to go. It ended up being much easier and more comfortable for us.

No. 9 Breast pads: When my milk first came in, I was a hot leaky mess. I was going through these breast pads like they were candy! Once my supply adjusted over time, I only needed about one pair a day. Because of having an over-active letdown, every time Little Deer nurses the other side leaks too. So even now they’re a necessity. I hope to look into making/buying some cotton ones in the future, but for now I’m very happy with these.

No. 10 Medela Pump In Style: Even though I didn’t end up returning to work, I am so glad that we invested in having a breast pump. Our insurance company only covered a breast pump if Little Deer had been born prematurely or was having feeding issues, so we paid for this ourselves. I used this for pumping during our nipple rest while I was healing, when I was engorged, or when I wanted to pump and store some milk. Though I don’t use it much any more, I used it almost daily for many months. I think this will get lots of use over they years and with more babies.

No. 1 1 Dr. Brown’s Bottles: These too were the kind of bottles that we used at the hospital I worked with. I liked their ventilation system and overall design. Though LD would end up snubbing just about all bottles, this was the one we used during our nipple rest period and the only one that she eventually ended up liking when she was older.

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 What were your essentials for breastfeeding? Anything you bought after the fact? Or didn’t end up using?