(from top left clockwise)
Essential #1: Quality Nursing Bras
The Bravado Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bra is my favorite. So comfortable! Kind of spendy, but TOTALLY worth the investment, especially if you plan to have more than one child. I got away with just two of these bras, one in black and one in nude.
Essential #2: Quality Breast Pump
If you don't plan to return to work, I think you could get by with a less expensive pump than a Medela, but this is such a great pump. And depending on your insurance, some actually will pay for your pump or at least reimburse you some money which is awesome!
Essential #3: Nursing Tanks
Returning to work ended up not panning out for me, so comfy at home nursing clothes were a must! For the price, these Gilligan & OMalley Nursing Tanks from Target were great.
Essential #4: Reusable Nursing Pads
I've already written an entire post about these, but I'll say it again, reusable nursing pads are a great way to help out the environment and save some $$. I'm a fan of these particular Pink Daisy organic cotton/hemp pads (check out my old post for some other suggestions).
Essential #5: Boppy with Velour Cover
We couldn't have survived without our boppy! And I highly suggest a velour cover (usually the Boppy brand covers have one side cotton, one side velour). With velour (or something fuzzy like fleece), it will be easier to wipe up excess milk or spit up without it soaking right through to the boppy pillow.
Essential #6: Glass Bottles with Silicone Sleeves
When possible, I think glass over plastic is best. I absolutely love these Life Factory glass baby bottles, but they are expensive, so these Evenflo alternatives work just fine. The amount of bottles you will need depends on whether you will breast or bottle feed and whether or not you will return to work. Four bottles were about all we needed.
Essential #7: Super Absorbent Burp Cloths (not pictured)
Little J spit up...A LOT. The absolute best burp cloths for a heavy spitter-upper are flat Chinese or Indian prefold cloth diapers. They're big, they're absorbent, they're perfect. Even if your little one doesn't spit up a ton, it's great having something super absorbent to save your own clothes from unnecessary laundering.
Essential #8: Lanolin (not pictured)
The first few days (sometimes weeks) of breastfeeding can be rough. You will need some lanolin! A little goes a long way and some samples came with my breast pump, so those were all I needed. You may even be able to get some samples from your doctor or midwife...so ask for some :) Little ones come with a number of initial expenses, so accept samples / freebies when they are offered!
Essential #9: Nursing Cover (not pictured)
Can't believe I forgot this in the original post! Of course it's a matter of personal preference, but I really liked having a nursing cover like one of these.
So those are the nursing essentials to add to your registry. Did I miss anything? (See comments below for additional info).
PS - This is blog is not just about parenting / babies...but it's a topic that's near and dear to my heart so I like to write about it from time to time :)
PPS: I'm linking this post up with "Your Green Resource" (on Live Renewed, Sorta Crunchy, A Delightful Home, and the Greenbacks Gal)
My insurance covered the medela pump because our baby was in the nicu. Although we had to purchase it from a medical supply company. So make sure you get in writing from your insurance company what their policy covers and what the medical codes for billing are.
ReplyDeleteI got nursing pads, but didn't need them with my first, not everyone does. The evenflo glass bottles were awesome and cheap. A tip i got from one of the hospital nurses was to only buy the 4oz bottles. The 8oz are heavy and when you increase to a 6oz feeding, you can always use 2 bottles. You can also freeze breastmilk in these bottles. I had at least 15 of them but i didn't feel comfortable feeding in public.
I'm allergic to lanolin. I knew ahead of time, but try out the samples before you buy it. The lactation specialist said a bit of the hind milk works pretty well to soothe sore skin too.
Two other items i ended up purchasing were the nuk hot/cool pads and the medela pump bra. Both helped make the pumping easier/more effective.
Thanks Jessi! Those are all really great points.
DeleteDefinitely check with your insurance company before purchasing your pump. With my insurance, the process was pretty simple for a partial reimbursement. I just had to fill out a short form and send in a receipt.
That's great that you didn't need nursing pads. I've mostly heard stories from friends who have had an overabundance of milk and they couldn't have had too many (which is why I definitely recommend reusable). It's amazing how different everyone's experience can be!
I agree on the 4oz bottles. Those were really all we used. We didn't use an 8oz until after Little J's first year and then it was just to transport cow's milk (that we would pour into a sippy cup).
Yes, the milk thing helps! Also air drying (easier to do at home for obvious reasons). In my early days I tried EVERYTHING :)
I ended up making a pumping bra out of an old sports bra...but I think next time around I will invest in something a little better made. Pumping can be a challenge so I would definitely give the hot/cool pads a try as well. Thanks so much for those suggestions!
Elisabeth@Simply Parkers
I love my body silk bra too and just bought one for a friend last week. I bought my Medela pump (a one-side at a time small travel model) for $25 secondhand at diaperswappers.com and LOVE IT! It works just as well as the larger model I'd borrowed from a pal, and it easy to tote around. Great list! So glad I found you from the green living link up!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Jelli! Isn't the Green Resource great for finding like-minded bloggers!? Off to check out your blog.
DeleteElisabeth@Simply Parkers