My Breastfeeding Must Haves

Eleanor had nothing but breast milk the first six months of her life (when we started on solid food in addition to breast milk).  Even at this point I'd say it still makes up the majority of her nutrition.  From the pictures below you can see how it made my sweet girl grow.

3 days old

2 days short of ten months.

We are just about to hit the ten month mark (tomorrow!).  I'm proud of that.  I battled clogged ducts, toe curling pain when she latched, and the general I have no idea what I'm doing moments.  It was all worth it.

Now that's she's getting older it's easier but still challenging.  Especially when she decides doing handstands while latched on is a good idea. haha.  Most of the time I nurse her in my quiet bedroom because she get's so distracted.

But really I'm not an expert, although I have learned a few things along the way.  Check out my list below of some of the things that really helped us -especially at the beginning!

1)Lansinoh Latchassist Nipple Everter  My nipples were flat and this helped while Eleanor and I were just starting out.  I used it for the first month.

 
 2)Bamboobies Nursing Pads While I luckily didn't have a lot of leaking, I used this and liked these because they were softer than disposable pads.

3) My Brest Friend This would be my pillow of choice.  I never had a boppy (although I had a similar style) and after the c-section couldn't have used that anyway.  I don't use the pillow anymore but that's because I just don't need it as much.

4) I used this as a nipple cream and it helped a lot.  As a plus it's also good as a diaper cream among other things.

 

5) I sat in this chair many days and night feeding Eleanor.  It has a side pocket in which I kept some of the essentials mentioned in this post.

6) I use these to store milk when I pump.  It's not often but I do wanted to have a stash just in case.  I have a few hundred ounces stored in the freezer in these bags.

7)  This was another product that I used to help me adjust to breastfeeding.  It helped with the pain and it helped with the flat nipples as well.

8) A good nursing tank or bra. I had a hard time finding ones that were really supportive and fit well.  They worked fine (still using them) but I didn't/don't love them.  Find one you love and then buy them in all the colors.  Seriously.  I have 3 different styles out of the five I have.

9) While not a tangible thing, having support is huge.  I went to a local support group for the first time when she was about 5 weeks old and if I am blessed to have another child someday I will go even sooner.   I read books and blogs and even watched you tube videos but actually getting help in person was so much nicer.