Breastfeeding Essentials

If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, please read my Affiliate Disclosure. All opinions are my own and based on my personal experience with the product or service unless otherwise stated. Thank you for supporting my small business!

As I finish my breastfeeding journey with my last baby, I can’t help but think back on the time I have spent breastfeeding my two little ones. Little A breastfed until she turned one, and Baby J until 11 months. This translates to having spent about 2 out of 3.5 consecutive years of my life breastfeeding!

I feel fortunate that I was able to breastfeed because it simply does not work for every Mom and baby. And nope, I did not exclusively breastfeed! Both of my babies were a combination of breastfed, bottle-fed, and formula-fed for their first years.

All set with supplies? Good for you Mama! Click HERE to check out my 8 Breastfeeding Tips!

Looking back on my breastfeeding journeys, I used the same items with every feed, every day. I gathered these items into the following list of Breastfeeding Essentials. Feel free to click on any links below to go straight to the product information on Amazon, because let’s be honest, not only was my Baby Registry there, but I think I ordered something every day of Baby’s first year!

Boppy

I may be the world’s biggest Boppy fan! It went everywhere with us, from the hospital when the kids were born, to family and friends’ houses, and even on airplanes when I traveled with the kids while breastfeeding. I registered for one Boppy with Little A and it lasted beautifully through both kids.

I learned early on that my babies nursed best when we were both comfortable. The few times I breastfed without the Boppy I was uncomfortable and Baby did not feed as well, likely due to the combination of their discomfort and mine.

You can get a “Bare Naked” Boppy without a cover so that you can choose or make your covers. Or you can purchase a Boppy that comes with a cover, which I did then grabbed some additional covers.

Extra Boppy Covers

Purchase extra Boppy covers. I would advise at least 2 extras. New babies spit up a lot, and always find a way to get it everywhere! Also, if you are bringing the Boppy outside your home, especially to the hospital or an airplane or hotel when traveling, you will want to change and wash that cover as soon as possible.

There are water-proof covers available for the Boppy. I never had one and didn’t feel like I needed it. As long as a regular cover was on the Boppy when the baby spit up and I changed it quickly, the Boppy itself never got wet or smelly from the spit-up.

Comfy Chair

I knew that I would be spending a lot of time in whatever chair we picked out for the nursery. Between breastfeeding, reading, and rocking Baby to sleep it was very important to me to have a comfy place to do it.

Thank goodness I splurged on a comfortable chair for the nursery!! Little A did not sleep so I spent hours in that chair every day and night, as did my husband. We continue to use it every day, almost 4 years later, and it’s held up beautifully.

Our chair isn’t overly large which is nice because it can be moved from room to room. This has proven handy as we’ve moved it between both kids’ rooms and our room where they started as newborns. This is not something I thought about in advance, we just got lucky!

Burpy Bibs

For my first Baby Registry with Little A, I registered for the cute little burp cloths that came with a bunch in the package. I quickly realized that they were very thin and any spit up went straight through them onto whatever they were supposed to be protecting.

Luckily, at my baby shower for Little A someone gifted us these amazing Burpy Bibs by Aden & Anais. They are double-layer thickness, very soft burp cloths that also snap into a bib. I brought these everywhere with us in our diaper bag.

Haakaa aka Manual Handheld Breast Pump

These are often known as milk-savers and they sure are! I used this on the opposite side that the baby was nursing on. These soft manual handheld pumps are made of food-grade, BPA-free silicone and attach via suction to your breast. Left on for a few minutes, it catches the letdown on that side that would otherwise end up wasted in your nursing bra! I don’t remember hearing about these while breastfeeding Little A, but I grabbed one with Baby J and was amazed.

During my maternity leave with Baby J, I never used my double electric pump, only the Haakaa as I nursed him. I was still able to build up a stash of breastmilk for when I returned to work. Total life changer not trying to pump between feedings with a newborn!

It’s important to remember supply and demand with breastfeeding. If you leave the handheld pump on for too long it will increase your supply like any other pump. I found that leaving it on for the initial 3-5 minutes of a feed would catch the letdown and give me anywhere from 1-4 ounces of breast milk to store for Baby J. There are a bunch of manual handheld pumps available now. This NatureBond Milk-Saver is the one I used, and this is the original Haakaa. Below are a few others with great reviews, just click to head to Amazon for the product info!

Water Bottle

It is so easy to get dehydrated when breastfeeding. I drank an entire 8-ounce glass of water at every nursing session and still found myself constantly thirsty. If you are dehydrated, it will decrease your milk supply so stay hydrated Mama!

Unfortunately, as an exhausted new mom, I was constantly knocking over my glass of water. After a few spills, it was time to invest in a good water bottle/cup with a lid. The main things I looked for were BPA-free, held at least 24 ounces of water, could be opened quietly with one hand, and had some kind of insulating feature to keep the water cold. These Tervis brand tumblers check all of my boxes and come in adorable prints and colors!

Nursing Bras

A good nursing bra can be a lifesaver when you are breastfeeding. It makes the process so much easier and more convenient. I chose nursing bras with removable, laundry-safe, pads in them. I appreciate the extra safety layer in case of leakage and felt more comfortable. It is reassuring knowing that the padding is secure within the bra and not going to move or shift around.

All of my nursing bras from Motherhood Maternity lasted for 3.5 years without having to be replaced! I wore them through my entire year of breastfeeding Little A. I also wore them throughout my pregnancy with Baby J and our 11-month breastfeeding journey. They are machine washable. I did choose to air dry them, but when they accidentally went through the dryer they were fine.

I grabbed a couple of these neutral-colored nursing bras, from Amazon, while nursing Baby J to wear to work. They made it through the 11 months of breast-feeding Baby J without any issues at all.

Nursing Pads

Although I used nursing bras with built-in padding, I utilized disposable adhesive nursing pads at all times, as a backup. Leakage was more of an issue with Little A because I produced more milk with her. She ate more often and her feeds were longer, so my supply was larger to meet her demand.

It is much easier to toss the disposable nursing pads and replace them if you leak having to change out your entire soaking wet bra. This is especially true if you aren’t at home. Other than at night, I never leaked through my clothing. I think that was largely because my nursing bras had built-in padding for extra protection.

I tried a few different brands of disposable nursing pads, but my favorites were these nursing pads by Lanisoh.

Lanolin

Lanolin is something I did not realize I would need until I was in the postpartum unit with Little A. The lactation consultant, as well as the nurses, advised me to use it after every feeding, so I gave it a try.

The Lasinoh Lanolin Balm is amazing! I used it after every feed and every pumping session for the entire 12 months that I nursed Little A. I am relieved to report that my nipples never cracked or bled. While a large part of that is a good latch and positioning, I do also attribute some of it to the excellent skin protection from the Lanolin. Little A fed for 45-60 minutes every 2-3 hours in the beginning so a large part of our day was spent nursing.

Support

Speaking of a good latch and positioning, take advantage of every available resource and support system you have, especially while postpartum in the hospital. Contrary to popular belief, breastfeeding doesn’t always just happen perfectly right off the bat. Getting proper support can help you and Baby to have a positive start to your breastfeeding journey. The hospital I delivered at had lactation consultants, but I did not have the best experience with them my first go around. Instead, I learned a ton from my postpartum nurses.

Postpartum nurses are angels! Their knowledge of breastfeeding blew my mind and saved us with both kids. They are there in the middle of the night when you are exhausted, crying, and can’t get a good latch. Ask them for help, their knowledge is based on thousands of babies and moms, and I bet they would be happy to help. As my nurse sweetly reminded me “That’s why we are here, we want to help you succeed!”

Our pediatrician also has a Certified Lactation Consultant on staff, who has been an incredible resource with both kids. If I ever had questions about breastfeeding or even supplementing, she was a phone call away. She also observed me breastfeeding at our first visit post-discharge to check the baby’s latch and was an incredible asset throughout my breastfeeding journies.

I truly hope that these Breastfeeding Essentials help you and your baby on your breastfeeding journey. Are there any other must-have supplies that you loved during your journey that could help other moms? Please share!

Head over to my other post for Breastfeeding Moms- 8 Tips for Breastfeeding Success by clicking HERE!