Breastfeeding is hard. Not gonna lie. It’s a mental game. You’ve got to set a goal for yourself and then push through.
My goals have always been to breastfeed for a year. 4 babies later and I’ve finally accomplished it. My supply got really low with Zaya and Josh around 6 months and I didn’t do a lot of research on boosting my supply, so I ended up switching to formula. Not a big deal, but I was bummed.
With Alayna, my time was obviously cut short. And now with James, I know wayyyy more! The saying “Knowledge is power” comes in handy in this case. The more you know, the more you prepare, the better your outcome.
With that being said, if your goal is to reach 1 year, or 2 months, or 7 months, or even 2 years! You gotta keep your eyes on the prize and Don’t. Give. Up! And having all the right tools will set you up for success.
I’m not going to share any tips on breastfeeding. I will share about my breastfeeding journey with James one day. We went through a lot together! But what I do want to share are my must have breastfeeding products I turn to. ESPECIALLY those first few days!
You DO NOT need every single product to make your breastfeeding journey successful. These are products I have used and have worked for me. I suggest on putting it in your registry and start off with whatever you get gifted. Later, if you think you need something else, then get it. Don’t feel pressured to get everything right away.
I’ve placed an asterisk by the things I highly recommend having right away. In case you’re wondering!
Let me know if you used any of these products. What worked. What didn’t? Would love to hear from you.
**Nipple cream – lots of cracked, blistered, bloody nipples those first few weeks. Yes, you read that right. This nipple cream has been my favorite by far. Can also be used as a lip balm. You’re welcome!
**Haaka – This is my absolute all time favorite product ever for breastfeeding! Everyone needs one of these. I created a wonderful stash just by collecting my let downs. Can also be used to hand express. OR for mastitis, which I pray you never ever get! This little silicone gadget is amazing!
**Nursing pads – Lots of let downs in the beginning. You’ll definitely want these at hand. Disposables are great, BUT you can save some money on reusable (washable) pads. Reusable ones are just as great! I linked a reusable one.
Shawl – I have big tatas, so when I’m breastfeeding I feel super exposed. Don’t like people looking at my boobies so I use a shawl. No shame. You wanna breastfeed without one. Go for it! Do you, Mama.
**Water bottle – I NEEEEEEED my Yeti 24/7 when breastfeeding. First of all, you need to stay hydrated to keep your supply up. But you also feel thirsty like all the time. I suggest investing in an amazing water bottle.
Snacks – Not only do you feel super thirsty all the time. You also feel HUNGRY 24/7. Keep snacks close by.
Legendairy supplements – Whenever I felt like I had a drop in my supply, these supplements came to the rescue. They are amazing! Would instantly see a difference. Legendairy Milk is an amazing company all relating to breastfeeding. I suggest following them on social media, or looking through their website.
**Nursing bra – A good quality nursing bra makes a difference for me. Kindred Bravely has been my favorite so far! Target has great ones too, but because I do have big boobs, and they almost never have my size, I ended up going with Kindred.
The bra I use from them is a 2-in-1. Theres an extra slot for pumping. Instead of having a separate pumping bra, it’s already attached. If you think you’ll need to pump to go back to work or your going to exclusively pump, I highly suggest looking into this bra. Not sure you can find it on amazon, but you can definitely find it on their website.
Pump – I’m not going to link anything because there are soooooo many options out there! Depending on the reason you would want to pump will determine which type of pump you go with. Figure out what the reason is, look into the best option for you, and get it. If you’re wondering which one I have, it’s the Freestyle Double Electric Pump by Medela.
You don’t need anything fancy or expensive. You just need something that will do the job you need it to do, so if that means going as basic as a hand pump, which if you know how to use it properly you can get a lot of milk with it, then go with that one. Don’t over complicate it. Ask your mama friends too.
Make sure you also have the right nipple size for your pump! I didn’t realize how important that was in the past. I also never confirmed what was my size and I missed out on some good pumping sessions because I didn’t have the right size. It makes a huge difference. Again, the more you know, the better your pumping and/or breastfeeding journey will be.
Milk Storage Bags – If you plan on pumping/breastfeeding, you’ll want to have these for freezing your milk.
Things that I don’t use, but work for others!
Nipple Shield – If baby was is NICU and was being bottle fed, some moms have found that using a nipple shield helped transition to mom’s nipple. Moms also use to protect the nipple if they are damaged and need time to heal.
This one is a little controversial. Some will say it worked great. Others will say it ruined their breastfeeding journey. My advice would be to talk to a lactation consultant!
Nursing Tanks – I would use this as a pj shirt but my boobs are heavy and the shirt doesn’t stay on me well, sooooo I don’t use this. BUT if I had smaller boobies, I would use this and put nursing pads inside.
I leaked a lot at night those first 3-4 months. There were nights I’d even sleep with a bra on so I could use the nursing pad because it was so much. I’d wake up drenched in my own milk to give you an idea…
Nursing Pillow – I hated using these things. Not sure if I was using it right or not but I never got the hang of it and just ended up never using it. I ended up using it to prop up baby (when they were older) a lot more than for actually feeding.
That’s pretty much it! It feels like a lot, but if you look at the true necessities, it’s pretty basic. The ins and outs of breastfeeding is probably the more overwhelming part of it all. But YOU CAN DO IT! I believe in you! ✨
Pin this post if you’re not yet breastfeeding and would like to go back to it later!
