Hellobee

Breastfeeding did not come easily with Charlie, and after 4 months I ended up exclusively pumping with him. I was fine with it emotionally, and would have been ok if breastfeeding hadn’t worked out with Olive either. The first eight weeks with Olive were rocky since she was so small, tired and weak, but we persevered and made it to 26 months… and could have gone even longer since she didn’t want to wean! I’ve learned that when it comes to being a parent, most things ended up being different from my expectations the second time around!

From exclusive pumping to increasing supply to dealing with mastitis and clogged ducts, I’ve been through a lot of nursing related gear with both my kids. One thing not included in this guide that I can’t recommend highly enough is to have a lactation consultant come to your home asap if you’re having trouble. They are so helpful, knowledgeable, and passionate about what they do, and it’s a completely different experience than working with the hospital lactation consultants.

Last week I wrote The Ultimate Postpartum Care Kit, and below is my ultimate newborn nursing kit with everything you might need to breastfeed successfully!

1) Covered Goods Nursing Cover – I loved my Dria Nursing Cover but it is a little pricey, so I found this more affordable similar alternative from Covered Goods that comes in a lot of great neutral prints. I also had a Bebe Au Lait cover but wasn’t a big fan of the bold prints that drew attention to it, though the structured neckline is helpful in the beginning so you can see your baby. I saw that they’ve added muslin covers in some more muted prints that look like they’d be good for warm weather.

At first I was soooo uncomfortable nursing in public and would take bottles of pumped milk out with me! I had a whole system of bringing refrigerated pumped milk and a thermos filled with hot water. I’d fill the thermos cap with the hot water to heat the bottle. It was a whole process just getting out the door. But once I got comfortable nursing in public, I could do it anywhere. Most of the time I used a Aden & Anais muslin blanket as a cover because I always had one with me and it was so lightweight. I still think a regular nursing cover is helpful in the early days though when you’re getting the hang of nursing, and if you have a kid that likes to pull off covers!

2) nursing tank – I had several Bravado Nursing tanks that were great because you didn’t have to wear a bra, but also a little pricey. Many Hellobee moms have recommended these Gilligan and O’Malley tanks from Target as a more affordable alternative.

3) pumping bra – There is absolutely no way I could have pumped without a pumping bra. These enable you to keep your hands free so you can work, surf the net, even do chores! Since I exclusively pumped with Charlie, I had two so that I always had a clean one ready.

4) sleep bra – I leaked soooo much milk in the early weeks, especially at night, that a sleep bra was an absolute must to keep in my nursing pads. I lived in Medela Sleep Bras round the clock! These Coobie bras are comfy enough for wear day and night, though perhaps not the most supportive for bustier gals. I had some pricey nursing bras, but I didn’t like messing with the little clasps and preferred something I could just pull down like this. I loved bras without underwires postpartum because they were so much more comfortable, and ill-fitting bras with underwires can cause clogged ducts or mastitis.

5) breast shells – My hospital gave me a set of breast shells (I’ve used both the Philips Avent and Medela) and they were one of my must have breastfeeding products! They give your sore nipples a break from brushing against nursing pads/clothing, they help your nipples heal by enabling them to be exposed to air, they help your nipples protude if they are flat or too engorged so that your baby can get a better latch. I’ve told moms who were struggling with breastfeeding due to flat nipples to use breast shells, and they have told me that they were lifesavers. When you’re wearing breast shells though, they tend to collect a lot of milk and milk has come pouring out on more than one occasion when I leaned over. An interesting product is Milk Savers, which enables you to collect milk from one breast while your little one is feeding on the other. I collected a ton of milk in my breast shells, especially when Olive was nursing on one side and I would have a let down on the other side. I never saved the milk, but it would have been a pretty significant amount. I suppose you could use a breast shell to collect milk on one side while your LO is nursing on the other!

6) nipple shield – People have a love/hate relationship with the nipple shield. Love because it can make breastfeeding easier/possible and give sore nipples a break. Hate because it can be difficult to wean off of it and they are kind of a pain to deal with. I had no idea what a nipple shield was before having Charlie but my hospital handed them out very readily to new moms. It definitely made breastfeeding easier and helped a lot with the soreness. For me personally I don’t think it had an impact on hurting or ending our breastfeeding relationship… I think I probably continued breastfeeding longer because of it. Luckily the second time around I ended up not needing one.

7) hot/cold breast therapy – This is one of those things you only need to get if you need it. And with my many clogged ducts and mastitis, I needed it! You can use these cold to relieve engorgement and pain, or hot to treat clogged ducts, mastitis or encourage milk production. I used these warm to aggressively treat clogged ducts with Charlie that thankfully never turned into mastitis.

8) breast wipes – I think this is a nifty little product to keep in a nursing basket by your glider to wipe off your nipples after nursing. It’s not a bad idea to keep your breasts clean to prevent thrush. I never had it but have had friends that did, and it was a nightmare to get rid of it.

9) manual pump – I have used a manual pump in a public bathroom, but in general I didn’t use my manual pump much because I loved my double electric. A lot of mamas find that they prefer a manual pump though because they don’t have to go through setting up a double electric, they don’t need to pump often, or they use it to quickly relieve engorgement. Another good use for a manual pump is to quickly draw out a flat/engorged nipple before breastfeeding.

10) nursing stool – This is definitely not a necessity and just a nice to have. Our glider had an ottoman but it was the same height, so I found a nursing stool infinitely more comfortable to use when nursing, especially because I’m short and my feet didn’t touch the ground.

11) gel pads – My hospital gave me these and they provide relief for sore nipples, especially when placed in the refrigerator!

12) nipple cream – There are many brands out there, and I liked this one from Motherlove made with organic ingredients. You may end up not even needing any — I don’t think I used any with Olive though I used a ton with Charlie.

13) nursing pads – A can’t live without product even if you don’t end up breastfeeding because you will surely be leaking milk. I leaked for most of the first year with both kids and had to wear nursing pads every single day.

14) double electric pump – If you’re a SAHM or plan on pumping infrequently, you may not need a double electric pump. Since I exclusively pumped, I couldn’t have lived without one!

15) bottles – It’s a good idea to have a couple bottles on hand even if you plan on exclusively breastfeeding. I think most people tend to register for too many bottles so I wouldn’t go overboard until you know what your needs are. I think I only had 2 Philips Avent bottles when Olive came home from the hospital and then later I bought some Comotomo bottles when she had a nursing strike.

16) boppy/my brest friend – Mrs. High Heels wrote a great post comparing the Boppy to the My Brest Friend here, and she said that both were great for different reasons. Used nursing pillows can frequently be purchased inexpensively on parenting listservs/Facebook groups if you want to give both a try. I used the Boppy for years!

17) Mother’s Milk Tea – Increasing your milk supply is a whole nother post! But in case you find yourself not producing enough milk, especially if you’re trying to build up a freezer stash before going back to work, Mother’s Milk Tea and More Milk Plus really worked for me!

18) burp cloth – These Gerber prefold diapers make the best burp cloths and I used them through both kids. You can tuck one into your bra to catch leaking milk on the side your LO is not nursing on, drape it over your shoulder/under your LO’s chin when you’re burping them, and it was Olive’s lovey for a long time too!

19) milk storage bags – I used Lansinoh bags and never had any problems with them.

20) basket – I love the idea of placing a nursing basket where you nurse most frequently, like beside the glider. I had marathon nursing sessions with Olive in the beginning that easily lasted an hour! I’d put an ipad/book, ear buds, snacks, water bottle, nipple cream, breast wipes, nursing pads, burp cloth, and a hair clip (I can’t stand having my hair in my face). Another good idea is to create a nursing basket for your older child to keep them occupied while you’re nursing a younger sibling.

21) ipad – For binge watching tv during those marathon nursing sessions.

22) feeding app – You will not remember the last time they ate/pooped/peed/slept. Back in the olden days when I had Charlie apps didn’t exist and we used to write it down on paper.

23) ear buds – If you don’t want to wake your LO up while nursing.

24) snacks – You will be oh soooo hungry.

25) breastfeeding book – I definitely did not read enough about breastfeeding, and you’ll have lots of time to read about your specific challenges during your nursing sessions.

26) water bottle – You will be soooooo thirsty. So, so, so thirsty.

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I know this is a lot of stuff, and it’s hard to know what you’ll really need until you’re actually breastfeeding. So what are the absolute essentials? I would say a nursing/sleep bra, nursing pads, bottles, burp cloths, and a nursing pillow. You’ll need a double electric pump if you’re going to be pumping at work and building up a stash, but your insurance should pay for one. Everything else I could have lived without, except my pumping bra. I would definitely wait to see what you need before buying all the gear. Also every hospital is different, but my hospital provided a ton of stuff including nursing pads, milk storage bags, lanolin, gel pads, breast shells, nipple shields, and formula to get through the first week or so.

What were your newborn nursing essentials?