Do you truly know what you need for a baby before they are here?

Now that my final baby is almost here, I am starting to think of what I might need again. I thought my last baby, was my last baby (cue surprise) and got rid of a lot of things. I was still nursing him at the time but had started to donate a lot of things he was too old for.

It truly is amazing how quickly we forget what it was like to have a little one even when the youngest now for me, is only two. I find myself struggling to remember what worked well for me and scouring Pinterest for help. Somehow though it has helped this aging mother and I have gathered a few things I truly loved and will love again for my nursing journey.

Get a good pump

I know- a pump for breastfeeding? Yes! No matter what you do for feeding aside from formula fed only, you should have a pump. A pump seriously helped me when I had too much milk for my tiny baby and it helped me keep exclusively breastfeeding when I went back to work. It also helped keep my supply up. There is tons of information on the web for different ways to do it. You will need to figure out what works for you so take all the information but make sure you are not just following someone else blindly.

I used Medela for 3 babies and it was fine. It worked and it came with a bag, was covered by my insurance but seemed to wear out fast. My last baby I went and got a Spectra. It didn’t come with all the things like Medela without a pretty hefty price tag but I got the pump and parts. This thing was awesome. It has a light in case you pump at night near baby, it was so much quieter than the Medela and the battery was chargeable so I didn’t have to be tethered to an outlet. I could strap it on me and move about! It is still going strong. I don’t think I will need a new one for this new baby! Make sure you check with state programs to see if your insurance will pay for your pump! You can search information online.

Heating pads- for your boobs

There is a lot of information that says taking a hot shower and letting the water hit your back can help your milk come down. And it is true! The same goes for warm packs on your boobs. You can place these in your bra after warming them up and it will help get your milk moving. I was gifted these Lansinoh ones from a friend. They feel fantastic like a warm hug. In the beginning especially because you are sore while you are getting used to your milk supply and your boobs are changing. I would use these ten minutes before I pumped, nursed or just when I felt sore. Bonus you can use them cold too!

Haakaa

This little gadget is soooo nice. It suctions onto the breast your are not nursing from and collects the milk that lets down on that side. Instead of all that milk going onto a breast pad to be wasted or worse getting you all wet, you can keep it and put it in a bottle! Perhaps you can make it into the bottle that dad feeds the baby while you get some rest! Either way it is really great to collect that liquid gold. I think this time around I will try to give that milk to my toddler.

Lansinoh Nursing Pads

These pads are lifesavers for people like me who produce a lot of milk. My boobs would leak at the sound of a baby cooing. I couldn’t stop it. If a baby cried, I was done. It didn’t even have to be my baby! These pads kept it all in and no one was the wiser which is great when you are at Target and can’t nurse that very moment. I never had them leak out even if they were pretty full of milk!

Check out my quick tips for beginning breastfeeding here.

Supplements

A few of my favorite types of supplements for nursing can help you so much when you are just beginning your nursing journey. Especially because you can use a few of them to make treats. That is always a bonus because you are generally starving when nursing. Making some little protein balls ahead of time and keeping them in the freezer is a snack prep you will be happy you have.

I love brewers yeast this, as well as flax meal. Both of these are known to be galactagogues which support milk production. When you combine them with oats, peanut butter and chocolate chips and honey….well they make me happy. It is a tasty treat and it helps get that milk going. There are a ton recipes you can find online. Some even make them like a monster cookie! What nursing mother doesn’t need that?! I will admit though they are not the best to overeat if you are trying to watch your calories. But honestly I don’t think you should be too concerned with that while trying to heal and nurse a baby.

I also love a great protein powder. I have one right now that I really like. It is BOOBIE BODY and I really like it because it is plant based protein and still tastes decent. It has a flavor you kind of have to get used to but overall is good. It is said to support nursing and weight loss. I love that but also love how quick I can make it up when I am hangry. And I get hangry easily while nursing.

Burp rags

Whatever you like here will do. I just put them over my arm for the inevitable overflow of milk out of my babe’s mouth. And of course, for spit up. But when you have a strong let down, it is often too much for baby to take. They say baby should be able to learn how to pause the flow but none of mine have ever done that. I can’t hold them on my boob and watch them sputter to try to get that figured out. What I can and will do, is have the burp rag there to allow some of it out before latching baby back on when it slows.

I also use burp rags on my bed when I am nursing there. If I am laying down and nursing baby it catches the milk that would have made my bed all wet.

Huge Water Bottle

I mention this in another post or maybe two, but in order to be successful at breastfeeding, you need water. Now right after baby is born it is easy to drink a lot. Your body wants it. But once you get into the swing of things, it slows. Do not slow your water intake! It is said that you need half your weight in ounces of water a day without being pregnant or nursing. In order to produce the milk you want to feed your baby, you need to increase that amount. Now I am not an expert but you want A LOT more. Keep water bottles all over OR get a really huge one like this Hydrojug. I am not as big a fan of this one because it is plastic but I love the cute styles and carrying case. They now have steel ones!

I prefer my stainless steel cup but it doesn’t hold as much, but it is still a substantial amount. Bonus this one keeps water cold or hot. I prefer cold water a lot when pregnant and nursing. It comes with straws but I use silicone most the time because of my little people. I actually have two of these cups because I have one full at all times. If you will be in a certain room immediately after you come home from the hospital to rest and recover, you may want to have them both full of ice and just get some gallons of water to refill! And of course that is something easy for your support people to help you with.

These are honestly all things that I used and will use again for my nursing journey. There is always room for improvement and I would love to hear things that worked for you!

Do you have any products you couldn’t live without while nursing?