I've spent quite a bit of my recent life nursing babies, and while it eventually feels like second nature, it starts out hard for most moms, especially with the first baby. I quickly discovered I needed a survival kit that I could carry from room to room, depending on where I was feeding the baby. Many of these items would be convenient to have on hand for bottle feeding as well, but as I can only speak from my experience, here's what I needed from my real life. Hopefully it'll help you thrive in yours :)
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First things first, grab yourself a little caddy to hold all your essentials. For the first weeks after my first baby, I almost lost my sanity trying to juggle a tiny baby and all my nursing necessesities through my little house. Save yourself the stress, and find some kind of caddy. You can grab something really cheap and simple like this cleaning caddy, which is how I saved a lot of money. It was also nice, because it was very easy to clean if something spilled or someone spit up on it. You can use something marketed more directly for nursing that has a little more space for organization, like this super cute rope basket. Or if you want something that you can roll around and include all your diaper necessesities too, I know several people who loved these carts. If I could do it again, I'd probably buy the rope basket because it's cute and has a little more room than the tiny cleaning caddy I used, which means I could repurpose it for another kind of storage later. Buy whatever makes sense for your house and your lifestyle.
Okay, now to fill it!
For Your Boobs
Haakaa: If I buy one gift for every new mom who's planning to breastfeed, it's a Haakaa. I've exclusively breastfed each of my babies, and I've never used an electric pump, yet I always have a freezer stash of breast milk, thanks to the Haakaa. It uses hand-free suction to express milk from the opposite side that baby is nursing on. I could count on at least 2 ounces from each side, and sometimes I'd get up to 6 ounces. It depends on the baby and your supply. I suggest waiting until your nursing journey is a little more established and your supply is regulated before using too consistently. Depending on my baby's appetite, I usually wait 2-4 weeks before using it. Unless I'm really engorged and need relief.
On that note, I was so so engorged with my first baby that she physically could not get a latch. Her pediatrician recommended this little hand pump to start expression and to soften the breast tissue so baby could latch, and it was a LIFE saver. I probably used it for only the first 2 weeks with each kid, but it was worth every penny for the relief it provided. Some people can also use the Haakaa for this, but for me, I needed the physical pump, at least starting out.
Motherlove Nipple Cream: This is my other go-to gift for breastfeeding moms. I had severe latch issues with my first baby, and this stuff was amazing to help soothe bleeding nipples. I like that it is organic and uses safe, soothing ingredients for me and my baby. I also use it on my baby's cheeks when they get chapped in colder months.
Nipple shield: I had never heard of these, until the lactation consultant in the hospital gave me one after my first birth. You'll want to be careful about creating a dependence on it, but it is eventually what gave me healing and success in my breastfeeding journey, as it allowed my baby to latch and letdown in the early days. If possible, you can establish letdown and then slip it out and see if baby will latch directly to the nipple. Also, since it's not always realistic to wash these properly between feedings in the middle of the night, I used pacifier wipes to sanitize them when I was just too exhausted to make it to the sink.
For a Mess
Burp rag: Any cloth will do, but I've put these to hard work through several kids, and they're still in great shape. I love them.
Nipple pads: I leaked for months with my first baby, so these saved many bras and outfits. I preferred the reusable ones, but you can also buy disposable ones that stick in your bra. I also recently discovered these handy little nursing suction cups that collect leaking milk. I didn't find them until too late in my nursing journey, but I recommended them to a friend who loved them and told me to continue recommending them!
Baby wipes: perfect for everything all the time. I prefer the Rico brand from Costco, but they are very similar to these Huggies.
For Your Health and Sanity:
Lip balm and lotion: It will never fail--the second you are trapped under a nursing baby, you will suddenly feel dry and dehydrated. Honestly, you can use nipple balm on your lips and knuckles in a pinch, but I prefer to have my favorite lip balm and lotion on hand at all times.
Water bottle: Same as above, you will never feel more thirsty than when you can't reach your water bottle. This one is my favorite because you can either tip it up to drink from the spout or sip out of a straw. Also, it locks to avoid spills, and it has a handle that I can carry with one finger. It ticks all the boxes.
Head phones: Few things are more annoying than waking up a sleeping baby with sound from your phone while you're trying to nurse. We all may have the best intentions about screen time, but when you're in survival mode, you do what you gotta do to stay alert or entertained. Get yourself a pair of Bluetooth headphones so you can hear movies or tv shows or reels or whatever from your phone or (my favorite nursing activity) listen to audiobooks. These headphones are not fancy, but they've lasted me for years.
For Your Comfort:
Nursing pillow: I started with this nursing pillow, and while it really is great and was super convenient starting out, I eventually switched to using a plain couch pillow under my elbow. You do you here, just make sure you have support while you feed your baby. It'll save you a lot of neck and back ache.
Blanket: I keep a blanket on my nursery glider and next to my chair in the living room at all times. Even in the dead of July, I find myself getting chilly while nursing, especially in the middle of the night. It's also nice to be able to pull the blanket over baby's legs to keep them cozy too. This is not something I use in just the first months of baby's life; this is a necessity for my entire nursing journey, up to 14 months.
Alright, I think I've hit all the basics! Did I forget anything? Let me know in the comments :)
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