Good Morning!
I won’t lie my first experience with Nursing Aria was hell on earth. It hurt so bad! It wasn’t that her latch was bad, the first six weeks of nursing for me was just absolutely painful. I remember I had to hold Brandon’s hand every time Aria would latch and cringe in agony. After about six weeks it wasn’t painful anymore and I began to enjoy it.
I was new, I didn’t invest in really any nursing bras or nursing tops. I won’t make that mistake again. The only nursing gear I had was a pillow, a pump, and nipple cream. I DO NOT recommend this approach, and I will be investing in more nursing items for little man.
Hours have gone into researching these products and reading reviews. Everyone is different and will need different things. Here is what I came up with.
Let’s get started!
Nursing Bras
I used regular bras and was just flipping them up to nurse. Completely ruined every single bra I owned, not to mention I almost had to completely undress to nurse. It was really stupid of me not to just invest in one stinking nursing bra. Now I do have bigger boobs so I have been on the hunt for a nursing bra that is comfortable, and supportive. These are what I found.
The one that popped up the most on mommy Facebook posts and review sites was the Sublime Sports Bra from Kindred Bravely. Now it is not padded which is an initial worry for someone with large boobs, but I wear nursing pads so those will act as a padded buffer. So many women raved to me about this bra and how comfortable and supportive it is. This is number one on my list right now of bras to buy.
Now the second bra that was raved about is something that can be purchased on Amazon, which is a nursing mom’s best friend. The Cake Lingerie Nursing Bra. Who doesn’t want a comfortable, stretchy but structured bra when your boobs are the size basketballs. It is a bit pricey but when it comes to a bra make sure you invest in something that you don’t have to repurchase over and over again.
I am adding all the bras that were suggested to me on the slider below. The two above were the most raved and most suggested.
Nursing Pads
Now I got some for my baby shower and didn’t use them to further on into my nursing journey. Another huge mistake. They help absorb any milk leaks and help with dry nipples. I remember one nipple was in really rough shape. Aria preferred to be nursed on one side and it made my nipple sore so I would rub cream on the pad and let my poop nip bathe in it. TMI sorry but it’s good to know these things lol. I didn’t mind the reusable washable kind, I know a lot of moms prefer disposable. To each his own. I always bought mine on amazon. Free shipping and I didn’t have to leave the house with a new baby and huge gazongas.
Pumps
Oh, pumps…they will be your best friend and worst enemy. You will be so excited to break up with this thing when you are done. Sitting 2 feet plugged into the wall every few hours was the bane of my existence. Oh but guess what now they have wire-free pumps! They don’t come cheap but if you can swing it, do it!
Now if you don’t know your medical insurance should offer you a free breast pump. I went through 1 natural way to get my pump. They take all your insurance information and show you your options. I liked the service but they also misinformed me that I could get a wireless pump for $70 and when I went to order it they told me sorry our bad it’s $330. Kind of a huge disappointment but mistakes happen right?
So for my free pump, I just got the basic Medela pump. I am saving for a wireless pump I can wear while running aria to school in the morning, or taking little man on walks. How glorious would it be to pump away from the wall!
Nursing Pillow
We loved our nursing pillow from Target. It had a vibrating pack in the middle so it would soothe aria while she nursed. I loved this pillow and sadly it is discontinued. I will try to link similar pillows because they are such a necessity when breastfeeding.
Nipple Cream
Let me tell you how important a good nipple cream is. Your nipples will look like they were put in a blender without this stuff. I used the stuff from the hospital and it was ok but it was not cutting it. I hopped onto a breastfeeding group to ask for suggestions and all of them would not work on my wrecked tits. So I did some research and went onto amazon and came across the most glorious nipple cream out there. Boobease. I am telling you it is magic in a bottle for your nipples. I always add this to baby shower gifts because it is the #1 lifesaver when breastfeeding.
Water Bottle
GET A HYDRO FLASK or something like it. You want to have water constantly flowing and you want it to be cold. Breastfeeding always made me hot and sweaty and you feel a little bit drained. Having cold water next to you is a must, even when pumping. Your body is working hard for that milk. Stay hydrated.
If your supply dips
Now there will be dips, but if you need a boost in supply there are lactation cookies EVERYWHERE. Especially here in Utah, I feel like there are a million different lactation cookies. Also, Gatorade would boost my supply I had to be careful when drinking any type of sports drinks because you can get engorged on those suckers and that hurts.
Fenugreek supplements help, and there is a lot of tea that helps with lactation. I don’t want to link all these because I am not a lactation consultant and I want you to talk to one before you go and hunt down these items. They are free to talk to and very helpful! So talk to one before doing anything.
Nursing Tops
There are so many cute nursing tops now! Roolee always has some adorable ones. Look for easy, comfortable, and breezy. You and baby get so hot when nursing. Especially if you are like me and feel like you have to cover up when feeding. I envy women who can just whip out a boob and do it publicly I do. I want to high five them because it’s a boob and a baby, but I am terrified for the side-eye in public. You do you! But find a top that is easy to maneuver in.
Nursing Cover
Like I said above to each their own. If you can feed without a cover I love you!
Are there any nursing must-haves that I missed? What are your essential items?
