Let me start by saying that it’s amazing how much effort goes into feeding such a tiny little being. And then follow that with as long as the baby gets fed, it doesn’t matter how you feed him/her.
I am fortunate in that for the most part breastfeeding came easy – not to say that it was natural at first or that we didn’t have our problems and don’t have our own quirks. My reasoning… mostly because it’s cheaper and I’m lazy. It’s cheaper because you don’t have to buy formula or a ton of bottles. It’s lazy because, in my opinion, there’s nothing easier than offering a baby a boob at 3am or when she’s screaming her head off over God only knows what this time. There’s no having to make and heat a bottle and all that jazz.
Ok, so if it’s that easy why do you still have to buy stuff? Cuz you do. Just the way it is. Or at least that’s what we’re all lead to believe.
Feeding Pillow
I asked for and received a Boppy. And… I hate it. I don’t know if it’s because I’m short waisted or if it’s just too firm and rounded or what but I hated feeding with it. I think it may have to do with it being too rounded because I have to admit that I was jealous of friends who are on their second kids and their Boppys seem to be much flatter – not sure if that’s just from use or because they’ve changed the design. In the end, I gave it up for 2 reasons: 1. it wasn’t comfortable for me and 2. she got diagnosed with reflux and I ended up having to feed her at an angle (so that her head was higher than her tushy) which really wouldn’t work with the Boppy or any other breastfeeding specific pillow. So I just used regular bed or couch pillows under my elbow for longer feedings and now I don’t use anything though I’ve found I’m a lot more comfortable if I put one knee up towards me.
But we’re keeping it and will be putting it to work for all its alternative uses which we pretty much ignored with Miss Pea.
Pump
I fully intended to go back to work sooner than it’s turning out that I will so I got a pump early on. I went with the Medela Pump In Style.
Why this one? Honestly, I can’t remember how I picked it. I ended up buying it on sale in Target. It’s been great. I ended up having to pump fairly regularly for about 6-7 months because even though she’s a good eater, I was still having over production issues. The only issue we’ve had is that I had to get another set of valves and connectors because we have had problems getting the parts apart after use and kind of damaged one. When we have given her bottles (which has been infrequent), she’s taken pretty well to the standard wide nipple bottles that come with the pump. Based on some internet reading, I did choose to go with the Lansinoh storage bags. Word of advice – store them as flat as possible until frozen and then they’re easier to pack into your freezer and thaw when needed.
A few other things
One thing that I got from a friend that I found invaluable and an absolute lifesaver were the Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads. She sent me a set and suggested that I bring them to the hospital which I did thankfully! Even if you are just going to give it a try, these would still be handy. I’m currently seriously debating breaking out my leftover pair – the girl’s got some teeth!
Seriously. I can’t stress enough how amazing these are!
I found a nursing cover to be helpful. I personally don’t care that it’s a right to be able to breastfeed in public – I still don’t think you should do so without covering yourself. My girl likes to take a break and look around and that would just leave me exposed without a cover. I trolled Etsy before making my choice.
It’s just helpful for making you and everyone around you just a bit more comfortable. I know you can just use a blanket but for those early days when the feedings are long, it’s easier with a cover. I can’t say that I’ve used it in a while since she feeds so quickly and is so interested in the world around her that I just it easier to feed her in the car or in the Nordstrom women’s lounge.
With the reflux, burp cloths became a key part of our wardrobes. My mom made most of the ones we used. White terry cloth on one side, white flannel on the other, and edged in white eyelet.
We probably went through 3-5 of them a day! It got better when she was about 6 months old and the reflux got better. Now we might pull out 3-5 in a week. We also received a package of your regular old Gerber cloth diapers which came in handy for many, many things but also for when we just couldn’t get the laundry done fast enough – there were another 12 burp cloths!
And lastly, nursing bras. I read this post on BabyCenter yesterday and I couldn’t believe how many commenters said that they didn’t need nursing bras. I’d be curious to know how they did it but for me – nursing tanks and nursing bras all the way! I only have one bra that I spent any real money on – it’s from Nordstrom and they fitted me for it (I won’t admit to the size because I was beyond shocked!) and I was exchanging a failed attempt at a strapless bra in hopes of getting into a pre-pregnancy dress for a wedding. It’s really nice but I certainly won’t buy another. I do however save it for when I’m going to be out in public for an extended period of time ;-) Ok, I have two Bravado! seamless ones that are a little bit more expensive that I got in the hospital – those are great for boring around the house use because they’re super comfy but do nothing for the “girls.”
Mostly, I bought less than $20 nursing tanks and bras. All but one of my nursing tanks are Gillian & O’Malley basic camis. They’re great! Very comfortable and provide easy access. I could even buy my pre-pregnancy size and they fit with room to spare. They’re great for under dresses in the summer, for when you just don’t want to show off your stomach, and under sweaters when it’s cold. My only beef, made obvious by the fact that she was born in the spring, is that they only come in white, black, grey, navy and dark purple. I wanted a bit more variety of color for spring/summer. I did buy one other tank that’s supposed to be fancy (I got it on Zulily) and I don’t care for it.
Most of my bras are also Gillian & O’Malley. I ended up hating the soft cup ones with a passion so they’re all in the basket to go to Goodwill right now. The sleep bras are fine – I just didn’t need them for that long. I have a couple cheapy Gillian &O’Malley lace underwires that are fine (can’t seem to find them online) and get worn regularly. And since those don’t come in nude, I also have a couple from Motherhood Maternity. If you use nursing pads, you can probably get away with more than one wearing between washing but otherwise, they get a just a tad gross on the inside and I would suggest only one a day.
I was going to do everything for feeding the baby all in one post but, um, this got long. oops. And it’s taken me like 3,000 years to write it so instead… baby feeding for the first 4-6 months!
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