Breastfeeding is definitely one of the most beautiful experiences of motherhood. That feeling that you get when your baby latches on is just priceless. Of course, the beginning might and most likely will be difficult, at least for most of us. If you’re expecting, you probably already started researching all the information, but truth to be told – nothing can really get you prepared, only a positive mind and some essentials, that make it easier in the beginning. Because of that, I will share my essentials that I bought before labor or discovered later on. So if you’re interested – just keep reading.
The first week or to might be really difficult. Your nipples aren’t used to the sucking, so the pain get real sooo fast. It really gets down after a week and disappears later on, but when you’re in that moment, feeding your baby in a crucial pain – there are things that might help to deal with that. On of them – Multi mum Compresses.
These compresses are packed individually. They are filled with cooling gel that instantly reduces the pain. It really helped in the beginning, when I thought I couldn’t deal with the pain. Just put it on your nipple in your bra and you’ll feel instant relief. I used only one box of these, so in my opinion it’s really worth buying it.
Another life saver – Multi mum balm
It’s by the same brand and does wonders for your nipples. Just use it after every feed and after you wash your breasts and this stuff will help your nipples heal instantly. Of course, both of these products are save for babies to inject, so you do not need to wash your boobies before feeding session, which is very convenient 🙂 The only downside that I could mention – you should probably wear breast pads in your bra while using it, because this stuff (like other creams for nipples) can get your bras or clothes ruined.
Another great thing to have at your house – breast pads.
When you come home from the hospital, your breasts are just full of milk. The whole process of your body making milk for the baby isn’t regulated properly yet, so most likely you’ll be leaking all the time. Usually, when your breastfeeding on one side, the other is leaking and this can get really messy. So breast pads are true life savers. I used these Philips Avent ones and they were nice, but I’m sure you can find other alternatives. Since you’ll be nursing day and night, in order to use breast pads at night you’ll need a sleeping bra, which is another essential.
Of course I didn’t know anything about sleeping bras before, so I didn’t have one. Still, I hade and old sports bra, which I used instead of that. I truly there is no difference, as long as you feel comfortable. Just a few tips for the sleeping bra you’ll need: Look for breathable material (especially for summer time), do not go for the ones with underwire (they are just nightmare for the beginning) and make sure it gives you easy boob access. You’ll be breastfeeding at night also, so this is really important. I could’ve never imagined myself sleeping with a bra, but at that time I just couldn’t stand the feeling of my breasts rubbing on to the shirt. So, invest in a few sleeping bras and that will help you to.
Also don’t forget just nursing bras for the day and maybe some tops with easy access for feeding. In my case, I only bought a few nursing bras. I found that a had plenty of tops that were suitable for breastfeeding, at least I could make them work. Some women need nursing chairs, pillows and other stuff, but for me it wasn’t the case. I didn’t want to invest in ton of stuff that eventually I had to put away and storage. So I used a lot of pillows that we had at home and it worked for me.
The breastfeeding essentials are kind of personal and your list might be very different from mine. If you have any suggestions or tips, leave them down below for everyone to see. We can help each other to create the most magical experience of breastfeeding, so let’s work as a team!
With love – daymom