Breastfeeding Essentials

Breastfeeding is such an amazing experience. Nothing beats feeding your baby yourself, and seeing them growing, knowing that your body is providing them with all the nourishment they need.

Breastfeeding should be easy, but in truth it isn’t always. Unfortunately, there isn’t always the support for new mothers to help them overcome problems. The first few weeks can be tough, time consuming and sometimes painful. One thing I learnt though, is it is worth persevering… if you can get through the first few weeks, then it will become so much easier… not only is it best for baby, it is great for the Mama’s health, free and so much easier than having to faff around sterilising and making up bottles.

Breastfeeding hasn’t always been easy for me, however, this time around with Vega it’s all been pretty much plain sailing. He latched on minutes after being born and fed happily pretty much constantly! A few days in I noticed that my nipples were hurting when he latched on, so I spent some time making sure his latch was perfect {there are a ton of great videos on YouTube if you’re looking for some help} and thankfully the pain stopped after a day or so. Around the two week mark one of my boobs was a little tender and sore, so I fed lots from that side for a day or so, massaging the hard lumps. It seemed to do the trick and *touch wood* we’ve had no problems at all since!

I think the key to successful breastfeeding is support. It isn’t easy, but it shouldn’t hurt. If it does, it could be that baby isn’t latching on properly. Don’t be afraid to ask for help… see your Midwife or Health Visitor, or ask a breastfeeding friend.

Here are a few of my breastfeeding essentials:

Breast Pads – Breastfeeding can be messy – you will leak when you least expect it, these can stop those wet patches! In the early days I wore them constantly, now I tend to not need them, though will often wear them at night as Vega doesn’t always feed at night anymore and I wake up leaking!

Nipple Cream This Multi-Mam balm is great. I used it from day one this time around, before my nipples had a chance to get sore and I totally avoided any sore or cracked nipples! There is nothing worse than having cracked, bleeding nipples and having to feed a baby!

Breast Pump This Lansinoh breast pump is fantastic, it’s light and easy to use. It seems really effective too {I’ve previously only used a hand pump}, makes expressing milk much quicker and easier. Expressing is great – even if you are home 24/7 with your baby it can help increase your supply and also it’s great to be able to have some milk on hand in case you do need to leave your baby. I’m really impressed with this pump, and would definitely recommend it to any new Mama’s on the lookout for one.

Bottles If you’re expressing, you’ll need some bottles! While I’m a huge advocate of breastfeeding, it is exhausting. With all our babies, after the first few weeks, I’ll often leave them with a bottle of milk and their Papa for a few hours in an evening… I’ll get my head down for a good patch of unbroken sleep and he’ll do a night feed or two. With Vega, I also wanted to make sure he would take a bottle from early on, so that I can go out with the girls if I need/want to {I’ve only left him once in the day time though so far!}

Refillable Cup I get ridiculously thirsty when I’m breastfeeding, so I make sure I have a drink of water on hand all the time. Kiki is actually really good at making sure I have a drink if she’s sees I’m sat nursing.

Breastvest I’ve mentioned my love for these before, but they basically turn any top into a breastfeeding top – perfect if you’re not up for flashing your tummy to everyone when you feed! They sit just below your bra, meaning you can wear a top over them that you lift up for feeds, and your tummy is still covered. I live in mine!

iPad Breastfeeding does mean you’ll spend an awful lot of time sat feeding the baby. While sometimes it’s nice to just gaze at those tiny features while they feed, I usually have my phone/tablet on hand. I can catch up on some work emails, check in on facebook or even watch an episode on Netflix {currently working my way through all of The Good Wife!}

Cushions It’s important to be comfy before you start feeding. The first few weeks I needed a tonne of cushions in just the right positions so that I was comfortable. Now, I like one behind my back and one under whichever arm his head is resting on!

Have I missed anything that’s on your breastfeeding essential list?