Last week I posted a photo on my Instagram account about my experience as a breastfeeding mom. The feedback you guys provided was incredible! So many of us have shared the same struggles, judgement, fulfillment, highs and lows when it comes to feeding our babies- regardless of HOW we have chosen to feed them. There is no right way to feed your child and I truly believe in my heart that a fed baby is a happy baby no matter how that happens. Our journeys in this arena are all unique and that’s ok! Having breastfed or been pregnant for over 5 years now, I think I can officially call myself an expert in this area. For me, breastfeeding ending up being an amazing experience for both my babies and I but initially I was open to whatever worked for both of us, be it nursing, bottles or formula! I NEVER intended on breastfeeding for an extended period of time. I also wasn’t prepared for how CRAZY people would think breastfeeding a 2 year old was. But I’ve learned to let that go (I think). If you ever want reassurance that you are not alone in this journey, go read the comments on my Instagram post last week!
Let’s say you want to try breastfeeding or you know someone that is struggling with it. Today I’m partnering with Walmart to share 10 must have items to help you get through those first few months! Walmart has a huge selection of baby products and their website is so easy to shop. I found it simple and streamlined to find all of these baby products for you guys and many of them ship next day or offer free delivery and pick up! In honor of August being Breastfeeding Awareness Month, Walmart is offering some great savings on nursing essentials so it’s a great time to stock up.
As great as my journey with both kids ended up being, let me tell you that the beginning was extremely difficult with both of them. My first piece of advice is to work with a lactation consultant if and as soon as you begin to struggle. Both of my kids had latch issues and Griffin was a little tongue tied but we were able to work through a lot of that with the help of the consultant. Not everyone needs this but if you do, there are tons of lactation support groups that your hospital or pediatrician can provide you with! Ok let’s get to the must haves. These are the items I used and that literally SAVED me while I was breastfeeding. Through a lot of trial and error I discovered exactly what you should have on hand OR gift a new Mom that wants to try breastfeeding!
1.) Boppy Nursing Pillow– I used this CONSTANTLY with both of my babies. It is the perfect pillow that will allow them to comfortably nurse in your lap without your arms going numb from holding them. It came with me everywhere and yes, I tried the other popular ones and always came back to this! This is a GREAT gift idea for a Mom to be!
2.)Nursing Pads– To put it mildly, I had a serious oversupply when my milk came in. I was constantly leaking and it was so uncomfortable. Wearing these will save you from that hassle and keep your bras nice!
3.) Nipple Shields– Hands down the MVP of my nursing experience. I’m not going to get into the details but everyone’s shape, size and bodies are different. That doesn’t always translate to a baby being able to easily latch. SO bring on the nipple shields! My lactation consultant gave me these after she found me literally crying in agony from nursing. Colette couldn’t latch and it was HORRIBLE- like injury horrible. I began using these so my nipples could heal and so she could actually latch and EAT and they literally saved my life. Before I ran into the same thing with Griffin, I just started using them. With both kids, I used them to nurse for about 3-4 months which was how long it took my body to adapt to nursing. Was it easy? No. Was it annoying to clean them? Yes. Was it difficult to wean them from this? No. Either way, they are cheap so have a set on hand JUST IN CASE.
4.) Bottles- When I had Coco, I wasn’t sure if I was going back to work so I began pumping around 4 weeks to boost my supply in case I needed to have some on hand. These were the bottles ALL of my Mom friends recommended and even though I never personally got there with my kids, I wanted to share!
5.) Nursing Bra– I never invested in a “fancy” nursing bra. Frankly, I didn’t see the point, lol! Comfort was and still is key so I loved and lived these!
6.) Nursing Tank– I slept in (and spent many days in, lol) these comfy tanks!
7.) Storage Bags– If you’re planning on pumping, you’ll want to make sure you have these on hand for storing and freezing your extra mils!
8.) Breast Pump- For Coco, I used the Medela Pump In Style and for Griffin I used the Freemie. I preferred the Freemie because you could hands free pump with any bra but I found both to be easy to use and effective!
9.) Nursing Cover– This is a must have for when you’re out and about and need to nurse in public but not flash everyone. I was much more discreet with Colette but by the time I got to Griffin, I cared much less about nursing in public. There’s just less time to care about everything with two, lol.
10.) Lanolin– this is great for sore nipples and crucial to have on hand for those first few weeks- heck, I still use it today!
I hope this helps! Please DM me with any questions and feel free to forward this onto any Momma friends that may need find it useful! As always, thank you so much for following along.
*In partnership with Walmart, all opinions are my own.
Shop The Post
