I am a huge proponent of fed is best. There is no shame in not wanting to or not being able to breastfeed. There is also no shame in choosing to exclusively breastfeed. There is no shame in choosing to exclusively pump. And there is no shame in choosing a combination of any of these. You know what is best for your baby, your body and your mental health.
Obviously, if you have clicked on this, then you have made the decision to at least give breastfeeding a try. Kudos to you!! This experience will be one that you will never forget.
I am going to preface this by saying that breastfeeding is hard – physically, mentally and emotionally. (You can read more about my breastfeeding journey here.)
But, these tools and items that I am sharing below can help make your breastfeeding journey just a little bit easier.
*Disclaimer: some of the links listed below are affiliate links and I will earn a small commission when the items are purchased using that link.
- Wearable electric breast pump
- Reusable nursing (boobie) pads
- Nipple cream
- Nursing bra
- Nipple shield
- Bottle and milk storage solution
- Nipple soothing ice pack
- Supplements
- Sunflower Lecithin – clogged ducts
- Increase milk supply – fenugreek free
- Postnatal vitamin
- Nursing pillow
- Manual breast pump
- Breast milk collection shells
A hands free, wearable electric breast pump
I could not have had a successful breastfeeding journey without my Elvie wireless, wearable electric breast pump.
While wearable breast pumps are not for everyone, I found it to be extremely beneficial. Gone are the days of having to sit in one place while you pump because you are tethered to an outlet. Gone are the days of not being able to play and pick up your children because you are pumping. Gone are the days of not being able to multitask.
With a wearable electric breast pump you can do all of it.
There are a few wearable electric pumps on the market today:
I chose to go with the Elvie because I was scared of the suction power of the Willow. After reading reviews it seemed as though the Elvie has a gentler suction that is easier on first time moms sore, raw and cracked nipples. It is also the quietest on the market and this was a big deciding factor for me as I was planning to return to the office after my maternity leave, but then Covid hit and that never happened (I work from home now). I also loved that I could pump into the reusable bottle containers, instead of having to pump into bags.
The only downside to the Elvie, pretty consistent in the reviews as well, is that it tends to leak when you bend over – and trust me, I experienced this first hand.
I have heard raving reviews about the Willow as well. It has a stronger suction for moms that need to empty their breasts quickly and their new version has reusable containers as well. If you use the bags, the pump does not leak (if positioned correctly). It is quiet enough that you can’t tell you are wearing it when you are in an office environment.
The only downside to any wearable breast pump is ultimately the cost. The cost of these pumps is typically higher than a normal breast pump and they are not typically covered by insurance.
If you are looking for convenience, multi-tasking and discreteness, then a wearable breast pump sounds like a great option to consider.
Reusable nursing (boobie) pads
When you are breastfeeding, your breasts will leak. You will be out and about and all of a sudden you look down to 2 wet spots that have soaked through your bra and shirt, which can lead to embarrassment and discomfort.
I absolutely LOVED these reusable nursing pads from Bamboobies.
They are super soft, absorbent and washable (yay for the environment).
Fun fact – my husband actually stumbled across these at Target when he was looking for the disposable version, they turned out to be such a life saver and really made me feel confident about going out in public again and not having to worry about leaking through my bra and shirt.
Nipple cream
Having a good nipple cream will seriously make all the difference when it comes to breastfeeding. When your nipples are sore, raw, cracked and bleeding this nipple cream from Bamboobies will make help them heal faster and soothe the pain and irritation.
Plus – it is organic, doesn’t need to be removed before breastfeeding baby and lanolin free (which is a big deal for me, because lanolin really irritated my skin).
Nursing bra
Having a good, supportive and easy to use nursing bra will make all the difference when trying to breastfeed in public or in the middle of the night when you are half awake.
I loved this one from Bamboobies. It was soft, comfortable and easy to unclip one-handed.
Nipple shields
Alright – these little pieces of plastic saved me so much pain, they also made it easier when we introduced the bottle to Brodie. Just remember to wash them after every feeding.
I used these nipple shields for my entire breastfeeding journey (I was so scared of being bitten and these helped alleviate a bit of that fear). Now, ideally you would transition off of these a few weeks after starting your journey, but the lactation consultants never walked me through the best way to do this and I didn’t want to try on my own and screw up the routine that we had down.
It did make breastfeeding in public a little challenging because I had to find somewhere to put the nipple shield on BEFORE putting Brodie to the breast to feed, but it worked for us.
Breast milk storage bags and bottle
We tried a million different bottles with Brodie and he wouldn’t take any of them or if he did, he would push the bottle nipple in so far and make a horrendous mess all over.
Then I came across this breast milk storage bag and bottle solution from Kiinde. I could store my milk in the same bag that I used to feed Brodie – this was genius!
Plus – they are so easy to clean and there is no transfer mess so all of your liquid gold stays in one place and they are recyclable!
The only con to this system is that the bags tend to stretch out a bit when you warm them, so it is likely that your baby will get more milk than you originally thought.
Nipple soothing ice pack
Talk about a life saver! These breast therapy ice packs helped to ease the pain and burning from raw cracked nipples. They are seriously magic!
Supplements
Plugged/clogged ducts are not fun. They can also lead to mastitis (a milk duct infection).
I had a clogged duct and it was unbelievably painful to feed Brodie or pump. It almost interrupted my milk supply because it was just too painful. That is when my lactation consultant recommended taking Sunflower Lecithin to help loosen up the clog and also as a preventative measure.
I took this everyday from 2 weeks until I stopped breastfeeding at 20 months.
Legendairy Milk is my favorite natural and organic supplement company for breastfeeding moms.
At some point in time you will likely experience a decrease in your milk supply. I had these irrational fears that I wasn’t producing enough and went through so many supplements until I found the one that worked best for me.
This one from Legendairy Milk is natural, organic and fenugreek free. All the other supplements that I tried caused some side effects, but this one was the best for maintaining a healthy milk supply.
It is recommended to continue to take a prenatal vitamin throughout your breastfeeding journal as well to ensure that you are getting the proper nutrients to continue to produce milk.
I found this amazing postnatal vitamin that I loved!
Nursing pillow
Some moms will tell you that this isn’t something that is needed, but let me tell you that this was such a great tool to have – especially when you are on the more petite side, like me. The strain on your neck, back and arms is real and it makes it more difficult to get a proper latch when you and the baby are not positioned correctly.
I absolutely loved my Boppy and it made nursing so much easier.
Nice to haves
Manual breast pump
I would consider a manual breast pump a nice to have, especially if you decide to go with a wearable pump like the Elvie and Willow.
I purchased one because I was told that it would help empty my breasts all the way, but I never actually used it.
Breast milk collection shells
When feeding your baby on one side, you will most likely leak (as let downs tend to happen on both sides simultaneously) on the other side. There isn’t a major issue with this, except that it can get really messy.
Before I found these breast milk collection shells, I was shoving a folded up burp cloth into the other side of my nursing bra to try to soak up some of the milk that was leaking out – not my finest moment, but hey you gotta do what you gotta do.
You will find what works best for you, I really liked these collection shells because I was able to save the milk that leaked from the other side and add it to my breast milk stash in the fridge. This is a great way to build up a freezer supply.
I hope that you found these suggestions useful and I wish you the best of luck on your breastfeeding journey.
And always remember that fed is best.
Share this post with a soon-to-be mama that is looking for some baby shower gift ideas or a new mama that is just starting out on her breastfeeding journey.