My Top 10 Products for Breastfeeding

Before I had Luke, I didn’t realize what a big deal breastfeeding would be. It takes a lot of time; depending on your baby’s age and how well he/she feeds, you’re feeding your baby every couple hours, which means you need to find a semi-private spot (unless you want to wrangle a cover, which proved very difficult for me, especially in the heat of summer, when Luke and I were already hot). You’re spending several hours a day doing something you’ve never done before, and it’s a big adjustment, at first. I remember wanting to give up a month or so, in. You plan your outings around it, and you find ways to make it work—which often means the passenger seat in the car, or the backseat, or the toilet seat in a public restroom (until your baby starts being too observant and curious to nurse when you’re out and about…aka Luke right now!).

Of course, mamas stop breastfeeding for many reasons—return to work, lack of supply, wanting the convenience of a partner or caretaker being able to help with the feeding of baby, etc.. Luke and I have kept at it, however, and I will say that after we adjusted (and my supply regulated), the moments I spend with Luke breastfeeding are some of the sweetest we share. I love looking down into his little face, seeing his eyebrows rise, his eyes close, as he sucks away and his hands drift up and down, his little fingers grazing my face.

I’m sure not an expert on breastfeeding products, but from what I have tried, here is my list of essentials:

#1. The Haakaa manual breast pump  

Since I have mixed blessing of being an over-producer, I made produced more milk than Luke needed for the first several months of his life. Usually a woman will regulate to what her baby needs 3-4 weeks into nursing, but for me, it took about 3 months. This, combined with the fact that Luke was colic-y and gassy, meant that I was doing a lot of pumping (usually manual pumping/milk-catching with my haakaa hand-pumps) before and during nursing, so as not to overwhelm him with my letdown, causing him to cough and/or take in too much air, which would result in gas, which would result in a sad Luke. 🙁

I could not have survived without the Haakaa Breast Pump. They are inexpensive, easy to take anywhere, and easy to clean. They can be rinsed in hot water after use, hand washed with a bottle brush, or thrown in the dishwasher for easy cleaning. In my over-producing days, I’d use these before I nursed Luke, to dispense with some of my extra milk so the letdown wouldn’t be so forceful for him and I wouldn’t be spraying him in the face. 😉 I’d also often use one of my pumps during nursing on whichever side Luke wasn’t sucking to catch extra milk.

They are easy to wear around the house (if you are home alone! Ha!) with a pumping bra to make sure they stay suctioned. Otherwise, you will end up with lots of spilled milk, which I have learned the hard way…several times. I ended up buying two of the Haakaa Gen 2 Silicone Breast Pump with Suction Base and Leak-Proof Silicone Cap, 5 oz/150 ml, BPA PVC and Phthalate Free 1 Count since they filled up quickly for me, but there are lots of versions, such as this cheaper, 4oz version with lid. You can also find the Haakaa manual pump in the nursing aisle at Target! (Before I realized that the Haakaas came in different sizes, I ordered a few New In Box off of Mercari. Feel free to use my link to get $10 off your first order! Go to https://merc.li/m97H7Tb5b and use the code VJGNTM)

#2. Good nursing bras

As with many other items in your nursing journey, you will need more of these initially, because you may be leaking all over the place, requiring frequent loads of laundry. I recommend having 4 nursing bras to start with. I’ve tried several from Kindred Bravely, including their…

• Sublime® Hands-Free Nursing & Pumping Bra (I still use these each morning for pumping–I found several used on Mercari–use this link to get $10 off your first Mercari purchase!).
• Sublime® Support Maternity & Nursing Sports Bra, which has been my favorite nursing bra for its supportiveness and quick-drying.

All Kindred Bravely’s products are high quality and build to last. The bras are expensive, but if you wait for a sale—The Sublime® Support Maternity & Nursing Sports Bra is on sale on their website right now in pink for $24!–or figure out your size and then purchase one used on Poshmark, Mercari, etc.—you can get them for $30-$35 or so. (If you’ve never purchased on Mercari before, use my referral link to get $10 off your first order! (Use code VJGNTM when you sign up with my link: https://merc.li/m97H7Tb5b #mercari )

Of course, Amazon is always an option, too; you can follow this link to order the Kindred Bravely Sublime Support Low Impact Nursing & Maternity Sports Bra at Amazon Women’s Clothing store if that is easier (sometimes they will have some of the bras on sale; right now they have a 20% off coupon you can apply to several sizes! Just make sure to check out Kindred Bravely’s website/size chart first to make sure you are buying the correct size!)

What do I love about this bra?

• Great support (it’s described as having “medium support”—so it’s not intended for high impact, though it works pretty well, in my opinion).
• Moisture-wicking and quick-drying—essential for summer, and great for air drying when you are washing these all the time!

Target’s nursing bra is decent (and less expensive). The quality is definitely not as good as Kindred Bravely’s, but I needed something to wear with dresses and tops that was NOT a racerback, so this suits that purpose (just don’t try to run in it!) Women’s Nursing Seamless Bra – Auden™ : Target

#3. Nursing Pads

These were an early essential for me, especially before my milk supply had regulated. I’ve tried…

• Kindred Bravely’s Organic Bamboo Nursing Pads (I ordered mine on Amazon) as well as
• this Bamboobies Reusable & Washable, Ultra-Absorbent Overnight Nursing Pads set.

Though I used and needed both (I would recommend having 6 or more sets on hand for the first couple months–at least 12 pads in all), I preferred the Bamboobies ones, as I felt like they were not as thick or hot in the summer and were slightly larger, preventing a little more coverage, especially overnight.

#4. Snacks

ALL THE SNACKS.

I have never been as hungry in my life as I have been nursing (especially in the first few months–I’m sure being an over-supplier contributes to this!). Some of my favorite nursing snacks were homemade protein balls. I tried several recipes, but my favorite variation is the good ol’ chocolate chip-peanut butter-oats-flax-chia seeds version (I use the recipe on the back of the Trader Joe’s ground flax bag, add some salt to it, decrease the amount of ground flax, and sub in some chia seeds). My mom recently made these Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls with Chocolate Chips from the Real Food Dieticians to excellent effect. (I sent her and Dad home with some homemade balls shortly after Luke’s birth, and they loved them so much she got the recipe to make some for her and Dad’s trip out to Utah for Dad’s few days of riding the trans-continental trail by bike!)

This recipe for No Bake Coffee Banana Energy Bites from Aldi (of all places) looks intriguing, also, and I’m curious to try it!

The trick is to find things that are healthy and don’t take forever to prepare. Often, that’s meant easy-to-grabs like yogurt, peanut or almond butter, and looooots of granola bars. Of course, protein bars are ideal, as they are more filling and fill a dietary need rather than simply adding carbs and sugar to one’s diet. Recently, I have loved Dave’s Killer Bread Protein Bars, which are sold online as well as at Giant/Martins. They’re pretty expensive, but Giant has had several coupons for them available through their app, and the ingredients sure are better than a lot of other bars.

I’ve also enjoyed Target’s Good and Gather brand no-added-sugar, 4-ingredient bars, such as these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Nutrition Bars (insider’s tip: if you download Target’s circle app, they frequently have a 15% off coupon for their Good and Gather products that you can apply). Their Good and Gather protein bars (one of my faves are the Cashew Butter Chocolate protein bars) are also healthy and filling, if slightly less tasty (a bit drier). They are pretty much an RX Bar knock-off for a cheaper price.

At some point, I want to start making my own granola bars, so if you have a favorite recipe, please leave a link in the comments below!

One of my absolute faves were these Munchkin Milkmakers Prenatal Iron Supplement Cookie Bites which I picked up at Target with some store credit. I was anemic during pregnancy, and after wanted to keep pushing iron with the blood loss I experienced during delivery, and, who doesn’t want to eat cookies—even better, chocolate chip cookies—to boost the iron stores? 😉 But seriously, these are really yummy. There is also a version that’s supposed to boost milk production (Munchkin Milkmakers Lactation Cookie Bites – Oatmeal Chocolate Chip) that taste pretty similar (I bought them once by mistake!) If you have a hard time purchasing because of the price tag, consider putting the cookies on a baby registry. I think it’s always special to buy things for mamas-to-be that are simply for them (not baby, directly) to enjoy. I think things like this help us feel a bit pampered or more human in those first few weeks (speaking from experience :), especially, when we are adjusting to so much new!

#5. Water (bottle)

Other than extra food, this is perhaps the most essential ingredient for sustaining breastfeeding. After a few orders from Amazon and subsequent returns, I settled on the Stanley GO The Quick Flip GO Bottle 24OZ(if you are wondering, no–this is not the popular version. 😉 ) I have really enjoyed it. Jeff liked my bottle so much that I bought him one in charcoal. Now we have matching water bottles, which is fun. 😉

Here’s what I love about it:

• Decent capacity (24oz)
• Sturdy—holds up well even if dropped (which has happened several times) and also doesn’t topple over like some options with narrower bases
• Insulated—keeps water cold, unlike you’re more typical Nalgene. In the summer, I enjoyed this aspect of this bottle a lot.
• Portable—easy to pick up with its sturdy, break-resistant metal handle.
• Color–Love the fun colors to choose from! (mine is in glass, Jeff’s is charcoal)😊
• Fun flippy lid–😊 there’s something satisfying about pressing that button and watching the lid flip up…
• Easy to clean–unlike some bottles (I’m thinking of Contigo…), this bottle has no funny bits or odd crannies to get into. And even though straws are fun, the absence of one in this bottle means one less thing to clean.

#6. Bottle drying rack

• I was gifted the Munchkin Fold Baby Bottle Countertop Drying Rack, which worked ok, but when I got a store credit to Buy Buy baby, Jeff spotted the OXO Tot Space Saving Drying Rack and thought it might be worth a try as it would take up less counter space. It’s become one of our most-used items! I enjoy its sleek design and its relative cleanliness/ease of cleaning: because it has less surface area than the previous rack, I feel like it doesn’t get dirty as easily (with less space for water to drip down) and when it does, you can put it in the dishwasher! I hang Luke’s bottles and my pumping flanges on the pegs that stick out and often use the top to store freshly-washed pacis or bottle lids.

#7. Bottle brushes

• I really enjoy the Munchkin Bottle and Cup Cleaning Brush 4 Piece Set with Key Ring a coworker bought me and have found the “u”-shaped brush to be very handy for washing out the neck of my breast pump flanges.
• I’ve also used the Munchkin Sponge Bottle Brush since I started nursing, which has worked fine, but since they don’t have a suction base or anything to anchor them onto the counter, I knock them over all the time into the sink. Next time I purchase, I’d like to try the OXO Tot Bottle Brush).

#8. Breastmilk freezer organizer

As an over-producer, I spent A LOT of time the first several months, especially, pumping, bagging, weighing, labeling, and freezing milk. I tried the lay-it-flat-on-a-cookie-tray-in-the-freezer method for about a month, until every time we opened the freezer door, we were attacked by breastmilk. This First Years Breastflow Breast Milk Freezer Storage Organizer proved a much better solution; it’s spring-load technology presses each new bag of milk so that they freeze flat, making them much easier to stack and store efficiently.

#10. High-quality nipple butter

Of course, how could I have a complete list without nipple butter? It was one of those strange things I’d seen women give other women at baby showers, but I didn’t really have a concept of why it was a thing. After giving birth to Luke, I quickly learned. 😉 I used this stuff after every feed once Luke started nursing, and it was very comforting to know that the product contained nothing harmful for Luke if he were to ingest some. I’ve only ever tried the Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter, but it worked well for me. (This organic balm made by Bamboobies would be a good option, too–my lactation consultant recommends any products made by Bamboobies). Definitely something I recommend packing in your hospital bag!

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