*Disclaimer- this post talks about nipples and breasts and all things nursing related. Consider yourself warned.
I've only been nursing now for 3.5 months, but I already feel like I've learned so much. And I am still so in awe that my baby is living solely on what my body is producing for him! God is so cool! I've said it before but breastfeeding is one of my favorite parts of being a mom and I thank God every night that it is working for us. I know how many problems people face in this area and I just pray that we can keep going as long as my body allows for us to.
That being said, here's what I want to have ready when it's time to start this over again:
1) An informative breastfeeding class
I vividly remember Matt coming home from work one afternoon and telling him we had a breastfeeding class at the hospital to attend that night. His face could not have been more shocked! Then he said, "what could be so hard...the baby has a mouth, you have a boob, just put them together." Ha! Truthfully, I wasn't really looking forward to it, but bed rest made any excuse to get out of the house a good one so I pushed for us to go. In the end he ended up staying home and I went by myself, but I'm so glad I did. It was a wealth of info and gave me just the push I needed to finalize in my mind that I wanted to try as hard as I could to breastfeed Carter. Next time I want to go back and bring Matt with me so he can retain all of the info and repeat it back to me when it's the middle of the night and the baby won't latch on and I just want to give up.
2) Nipple cream
It's gross, but this stuff is a MUST! There are lots of different brands, but this was the brand I received as a gift and used. I was lucky and never experienced bleeding or cracked nipples, but I also think it's because I applied this stuff after every single nursing session. And once I got through an entire tube my body had adjusted and I didn't need it anymore so I wouldn't recommend more than one or two tubes for anyone who is planning on nursing in the near future and was wondering. It will stain your clothes though, fair warning.
3) My Breast Friend
The name is terrible, but I LOVE my nursing pillow. It's so nice that it snaps around your waist and won't slide away from your body. It's contoured so it supports baby's head whichever way he's lying and has a little pocket for things- remote, chap stick, water bottle, etc. I just keep my nipple cream and a hair tie in there. And the strap is adjustable so as your uterus shrinks and your post-pregnancy body changes you can adjust the size to fit you. Another must for any nursing moms.
4) Itzbeen Timer
I hesitated to put this on my MUST list, but I'm still using mine so I went ahead and added it. This times how long it has been since baby's last diaper change, bottle, nap, etc. It has a little switch at the bottle to help you remember which side he nursed from last, which is why I mainly use mine. It also shows the current time and lights up when needed. This would make a great gift for any first-time moms out there. Especially for the first few weeks when you get home and are completely in a fog and can't remember your name, much less how long it's been since another persons needs (that you are responsible for!) have been met! Now I love waking up in the morning and seeing how long Carter slept! Can't wait until it says 10 or 12 hours, lol!
5) A Pea in the Pod nursing tanks
This should be at the top of my list. Yes, they are expensive. Yes, I would get more than one. Yes, it has to be this brand.
I have a few other brands of nursing tanks and these blow the others out of the water. I LOVE everything about these tanks- the fit, the length, the material and the quality are all perfect. AND, they have a built-in bra with padding and a net material. Y'all...this is HUGE! The bra means you only need the tank- nothing over or under to hold in your new milk makers. The padding helps put enough material between your body and the world so you don't feel like you can "see" anything AND will soak up any leaking that happens. And the netting pulls the moisture away from your body to help prevent yeast infections and thrush. I cannot say enough good things about these tanks! I lived in these for the first few weeks after Carter was born- night and day. And I have one on now as I'm writing this post!
6) Bravado nursing bras
This is another one of those brand-specific items. I have a couple different brands of bras and these are far superior than the others. (Thanks Stephanie for the recommendation!) I have the Body Silk Seamless, but I'm sure the others are good too. I think the most important thing to remember about any nursing bra is you want something that is wireless to help prevent clogged ducts and mastitis. If I had the money I would buy one of these in every color!
7) A good pump
There are plenty breast pumps on the market, so just do your research and buy one that works for you. I used a hand pump in the hospital after my milk came in and it worked just fine. I was fortunate that Granny and Nana bought the
Pump-in-Style Advanced for me...thank you Granny and Nana! I now use this everyday, although I didn't really need it until this month. It's nice to pump and know how many ounces you are producing and your baby is receiving, so I pump every morning. I'm a milk-making machine and have to turn my pump off after my bottles fill at 12 ounces (and this is AFTER I nurse Carter when he wakes up!) I'm not sure what I would do without this now that C is sleeping so long at night. I've built up a good supply in my freezer too! I also have
this car adapter,
this bustier and
these storage bags, but I don't think any of those are MUST items. You can also buy the cones in different sizes- pumping hurt me SO much at the beginning until I bought cones that fit me.
8) Nursing cover
Again, lots of these on the market. I like mine because it has a rigid neckline so I can easily look down and see Carter while he's nursing, is washable and has terry cloth pockets for easy cleanup and storage. I support every woman's right to breast feed in public, but I like to be covered and more modest as I'm nursing Carter. Next time I might look for one that goes all the way around me so my back isn't exposed.
9) iPhone, iPad, Kindle, DVR or all of the above
Let's face it, nursing can be boring. And a HUGE chunk of my day is spent in bed or in the rocking chair just sitting while Carter takes his time nursing. So while he does his thing I'm usually emailing cute pictures to our families, catching up on my DVR'd shows, reading, pinning, playing games, etc.
10) An encouraging husband
Y'all might not know this about Matt, but he does NOT do well without his sleep. He is super conscience about what time he goes to bed at night and once he's down he's OUT. It's so hard for him to wake up in the middle of the night and he's super grumpy the next day if he doesn't get a good nights sleep. After the first few nights in the hospital when we had a hard time getting Carter to latch Matt understood that breastfeeding was more than "he has a mouth, you have a boob, just put the two together." He knew that breastfeeding Carter was important to me and he LOVES the fact we are saving so much money on not buying formula (approx $1,500!!!) There were several nights in the beginning that I was brought to tears either out of frustration with latch issues or out of pure exhaustion nursing Carter every 2 hours. He was my rock staying awake with me, helping C latch and encouraging me when I just wanted to give up. I know for a fact I would have just thrown in the towel and Carter would be on formula now if he had not helped me as much as he did the first 2 months. It would be easy for any dad to just leave all the breastfeeding stuff to the mom to figure out, so I'm really thankful that I have a husband who is involved and supportive. Love you, babe!
There you have it! Go forth and breastfeed!!
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