I was talking with one of my good friends, who’s due with her second in April, about how much better she was feeling after buying some new bras. It spun into questions around where she got them, did they have an underwire or not and could she continue to use them after baby boy came (meaning, were they nursing and pumping friendly).
The conversation got me thinking about how clueless I was as a first-time mom who hoped to breastfeed my daughter. While I knew breastfeeding had major benefits, in all honesty, I was doing it mainly because I was cheap – I had heard how expensive formula was and was hoping we could get by our first year without having to buy it. My sister-in-law also breastfed my niece until she was just over one (her goal was to make it to a year, which she did successfully), so it was she that inspired me to make it at least to Ivy’s first birthday.
Looking back on it now, I never really asked her about her breastfeeding journey and I wish we would have because MAN was it harder than I thought it would be. Those first couple of months were definitely the hardest – my nipples were raw, I was exhausted and I was healing from an emergency c-section. I had no idea that cluster-feeding was a thing (if you’re wondering what that is, it’s when your newborn baby feeds for what feels like days at a time); I had no clue how stressful it would be – especially always wondering if my daughter (who is very petite) was getting enough milk. And I can’t count the number of times I wanted to give up – but I just couldn’t. Even with all the pain I was enduring (which eventually subsided for those of you wondering) it felt amazing to be able to continue that bond with my newborn daughter.
So, back to my earlier comment about choosing to breastfeed because it was cheaper. While I’m sure I did save money from not having to buy containers of formula for the first year, breastfeeding (and pumping) definitely don’t come without expense. Between the extra accessories/items that are needed for your breast pump, nursing and pumping-friendly clothing, nipple creams, milk bags, teas/milk to help with lactation and all the extra food you’ll be eating (cuz you’re hungry all the time) you’ll still be spending some money, which I hope is to be expected as a first-time mom.
Since I didn’t have a clue that some of this stuff was needed, I wanted to pull together a list of items that were essential to helping me get through the 13 months I was able to breastfeed. I’m obviously no expert, and there may be items on this list you don’t need, but hopefully you can find a few things that help you out on your breastfeeding journey – whether that be exclusively breastfeeding, exclusively pumping or breastfeeding and pumping.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. See my full disclosure here.
Must-Have Items for New Breastfeeding Moms
I’m not going to lie, the first few weeks of breastfeeding will likely make you feel like your nipples are going to fall off. I can recall many times I lay in bed crying because it hurt so bad, thinking there was no way I was going to be able to continue – but I promise, it gets better. A good nipple cream and nipple cups were LIFESAVERS for me the first few months, at least until my body adjusted to what was going on.
- Lansinoh Lanolin Nipple Cream – I was given a tube of this from my sister-in-law the first time she came to visit me after Ivy was born. I really liked this brand because it’s safe for baby and really helped my cracked, sore nipples.
- Medela SoftShells – a true lifesaver. I was actually given these from a nurse when I was in the hospital and I will recommend them to every new mom I meet. These are a dream because you don’t have to worry about your sore, cracked nipples rubbing up against your bra/shirt – it also helps keep the lanolin cream where it’s supposed to be: on your nips and not on your clothes.
- Most of my friends with kids didn’t know about these and have all said they wished they had them. If you take away anything from this post – I hope it’s picking up a set of these.
- Nursing Pads – There’s two variations you can get: disposable or reusable. I purchased both and didn’t end up needing them (for the most part, I didn’t leak much and I often wore the softshells, which helped catch any leakage I may have had). I would recommend getting a small amount in case you find you do need them.
- Gel Packs for Nursing Relief – I was fortunate enough to not have to deal with mastitis, clogged ducts or massive engorgement, but I’ve had friends who’ve recommended these little gel packs that can be heated up or chilled in the freezer to help the different ailments you may experience while breastfeeding.
- Nursing bras and/or tank tops – I don’t think I wore a non-nursing bra more than 5 times during the time I nursed Ivy. While on maternity leave, I pretty much only wore nursing tanks and once I went back to work I mostly wore nursing bras (because I liked the option to have the little bit of padding in the bras that you didn’t get from the tanks). I loved the tanks/bras with the clips that made nursing and pumping so much easier. Seriously, another must-have item – I would stock up on a few different colors and get multiples of the colors you wear often because you’ll likely be living in these.
- Nursing bras (full disclosure, I was given some old nursing bras from a friend who no longer needed them, so these aren’t the same ones I used but would buy these if/when getting pregnant with baby #2)
- Nursing tank tops – there’s so many patterns/styles of nursing tanks you can get. I like to have some solid colors that I can easily throw under an oversized sweater or cardigan without being too flashy. I had black, grey and white tanks that I wore pretty religiously.
Must-Haves Items for Pumping Mamas
If the idea of pumping is somewhat of a foreign concept to you, which it was to me before I had Ivy, here’s a few helpful tips:
- Begin pumping soon after your milk comes in to start building up a freezer stash
- Be care not to over-do it as every time you pump it’s telling your body you need to produce more (I never had this problem and often wished I was able to produce more than I could in order to have more of a freezer stash)
- If/when you go back to work, pump as often as you would feed your baby, trying to keep it on a similar schedule, if possible
- For example, I pumped 3x a day at work – 8:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. (my work hours are 7:30-4) That helped me produce enough milk to send to daycare the following day for 2-3 feedings
- Do you research on breast pumps! You’ll be using it a ton so make sure it’s one you’re comfortable with. Most insurance companies still provide you a free pump so make sure you work with them to check the different models you’re eligible for
- Remember: your baby does a better job emptying your breasts than your pump will so don’t freak out if you feel like you’re baby isn’t getting enough milk because you’re not pumping a ton
- Side note: if you feel like you’re not fully emptying your breasts when you pump, it might be something with your pump – faulty suction, wrong flange size, clogged tube. Just something to think about 🙂
- If you have access to a fridge and plan to pump several times in one day (such as at work), store your pump parts in a gallon-size ziplock bag between pumping so you don’t have to wash them between every session (this may not be a popular opinion but it worked like a dream for me)
- Every woman’s body is different so the standard flanges you receive with your pump may not be the right fit for you – you may need to increase or decrease in size (this should help with both comfort and ensuring you’re emptying your breasts after each pumping session)
- Make sure you’re buying/wearing clothing that is pumping-friendly! As I mentioned above, I lived in nursing tanks, nursing bras, loose-fitting shirts and cardigans that first year. If it was going to take more than minimal effort to access my boobs it wasn’t something I was going to wear.
Below are a few of the things I had that helped me through 9 months of pumping:
- Hands-free pumping bra – this was essential to get me through my 3x a day pumping schedule. Fortunately my company has laptops so I was able to get work done while I was pumping.
- I know friends who used old sports bras and cut holes near the nipple area to create their own hands-free pumping bra, which is an idea if you don’t want to buy something. In my opinion, this one is well-worth the investment because I could just zip it up over my nursing bra and could still keep my regular shirt on while I pumped
- Battery pack or car plug-in for your pump – both very helpful if you plan to travel or go to events that require you pump in an area with an outlet (links are for a Medela pump – if you have a different brand you may want to check that these recommendations will work with your model)
- An alternative to buying one of these items is purchasing a manual pump
- Milk storage bags – if you plan to build up a freezer stash these bags are the perfect way to store your liquid gold. You can lay them flat in your freezer until frozen and stack or stand them up to keep from taking over your freezer
- A good drying rack – I love these Boon drying systems that look like grass, twigs and flowers. You end up with so many pumping parts, bottles and nipples to wash that the twigs and flowers provide an extra drying level. (side note: they’ve started making them in white with grey accessories, too, if you’re into the more monochromatic look.)
I hope that you found this post helpful in one way or another. I will say, breastfeeding was extremely exhausting, and physically and emotionally draining at times, but it was so rewarding, too. I loved being able to have that extra time to spend with Ivy, especially once I headed back to work. Again, I’m no expert – these are just products that worked well for me and I couldn’t imagine making it through that first year without them.
Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have (or if you need words of encouragement) – I’d love to help out a fellow mama!