10 Breastfeeding Essentials For First Time Moms

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I recently wrote a post titled, “The Breastfeeding Survival Guide for First Time Moms.” In that article I talk a little bit about the difficult experiences that I had breastfeeding my first born and how I survived that difficult stage with lots of help, including these 10 products. They helped me to gain a strong bond with my baby during the breastfeeding process and in the end we were able to learn so much together.

Keep breastfeeding if you can, don’t give up, and I promise that it will get better every day, and before you know it breastfeeding will seem just as natural as taking a drink of water.

1. Electric BreastPump: This tool will quickly become your best friend in this new adventure. It performs a similar role as your baby in that it creates a sucking motion that helps increase your milk supply. I used it quite a bit in the first few days when my baby wasn’t latching on correctly and I needed to avoid an excess accumulation of milk. I also liked to use it about 10 minutes before nursing, because it helped get the milk flowing which kept my baby from getting impatient and crying. 
2. Breastmilk Storage Bags: These don’t need much explanation – if you are using an electric breastpump, you will need somewhere to store the extra milk where it will be safe from bacteria. You can find many options on Amazon.
3. Nursing Bra: You will need a good nursing bra that is comfortable and that provides easy access for your baby. When you are not home, this will be one of your best friends.
4. Nursing Cover: Whether you buy one or make one, you will definitely want to have one of these in your baby bag so that you can comfortably feed your baby in public. If you go to this site, and enter the code SAVE35MLT, you can get one for free and you will just pay a small amount for shipping.
5. Nursing Pillow: This, without a doubt, was one of my favorite products. It allowed me to hold onto my baby more comfortably when I was nursing him. You can get one for free at www.nursingpillow.com using the code A4E56C
6. Nursing Pads: I never had to worry about leaking milk until I started breastfeeding. Of course at first I was filled with pride, because only a few weeks earlier I was so worried that I couldn’t produce enough milk, and now I couldn’t get it to stop! The truth is that it isn’t a great experience to be at a meeting or activity when you start leaking milk. Keeping a pack of these nursing pads in your bag can definitely help you to avoid those embarrassing moments.
7. Clean Towel: It is important to have a clean towel nearby when you are breastfeeding so that you can dry the nipple area after nursing. Humidity in that area creates a perfect environment for bacteria, and you want to avoid that because your baby will be eating from there again very soon.
8. Lanolin: Fortunately there are a lot of great nipple creams on the market, including Lanolin. These are 100% safe for your baby and they provide instant relief for dry, cracked nipples. I used this at least 2-3 times per day in the first few weeks and it was a lifesaver!
9. Gel Pads: These are amazing and they also provide instant relief. I had a couple pairs of these and I always kept one in the refrigerator so that they were ready when I needed them.
10. Nipple Shield: I had never heard of these until one day that my nipples hurt so bad an were so cracked that I thought I couldn’t bear any more. That day, one of my friends suggested that I try these, and although they can be a little bit uncomfortable at first, they definitely do the job and protect your nipples on especially painful days.

Without a doubt there are countless products available to help us in this difficult, but wonderful job of being a mother. If you aren’t sure what some of these products are called where you live, just copy and paste the word and search the internet and you will be able to find lots of options! These products were so helpful for me, ad I hope that they help you as well.

Remember, failure isn’t not being able to do something, failure is never having tried. Good luck and congratulations on your decision to breastfeed!