5+ Products Every Breastfeeding Mom Needs!
Disclaimer: Breastfeeding can be such a beautiful journey, and everyone’s experience is so different! I am not a medical professional and everything in this blog is based on my own opinions and products that worked for me personally. I got help from a lactation specialist and it helped me so much, and if you are having trouble please always consult your doctor.
How to Tackle Breastfeeding Pain
Breastfeeding can be very hard on your nipples, especially in the beginning so it's important to make sure you are using products to nurture them.
I had really bad cracked nipples and love the Earth Mama Nipple Butter. It was one of the only things that really helped to heal and prevented the cracking from getting worse. It's a natural product so you don't need to worry about it harming your baby either!
In addition to the Mama Earth nipple butter I would use the Lansinoh Soothies Cooling Gel Pad if I really need some love.
How to Increase your Breast Milk Supply
It can be very stressful when you are dealing with a low milk supply, and a few things that SAVED me in this department were the body armor drinks, munchkin milkmakers location cookies and believe it or not a nipple ruler.
A lot of people recommended coconut milk to increase my milk supply but personally I couldn't stomach it, and so I tried the body armor drinks and they not only taste amazing but dramatically increased my milk supply. It helped that they are very hydrating and made me feel much better all around.
The Munchkin Milkmakers Lactation cookies really appealed to me because who doesn't love cookies and they are Fenugreek free. If you're not sure what Fenugreek is (I wasn't either) it is a popular ingredient in supplements and food/drinks that are marketed to increase milk supply. While Fenugreek works wonders for some, it can also have the adverse effect of drying up some women's milk supply all together. I wasn't willing to see what effect this has on me so I stuck to these cookies that were free of Fenugreek.
An often overlooked culprit of low milk supply is using a breast pump that isn't the correct flange size. If you are using the wrong size flange it can impact your milk flow and even damage your breast tissue. There is also a higher risk of getting clogged milk ducts which can be extremely painful.
To be sure you are using the correct size flange I would highly recommend a nipple ruler to measure and confirm what size you actually need. I have also linked some breast pump inserts that I used because it was much cheaper than ordering the new flanges.
The Best Breast Pumps
I have tried over 7 different breast pumps and my absolute favorite is the Spectra S1 Breast Pump. I cannot say enough good things about this breast pump because it changed the game for me when I was just about to give up. It’s very easy to use, clean, and most importantly features technology that allows comfortable suction levels that mimic the experience of natural breastfeeding as closely as possible. Once I switched over to this pump my milk supply doubled.
There are two Spectra pumps, the Spectra S1 which is blue and the Spectra S2 which is pink. I originally went for the Spectra S2 because it is cheaper but it does require you to be plugged into the wall and there isn't an option for you to charge it for on the go. I ended up gifting my Spectra S2 and upgrading to the Spectra S1 because it can be plugged into the wall but is also rechargeable allowing you to use it on the go. I believe there is a $60 price difference but in my option it was worth it to have the flexibility to bring it with me on the go.
Tip: I would strongly recommend ordering two sets of flanges because it will make your life so much easier and not have to wash the one set after every use.
Even though my Spectra pump was able to come with me on the go, it isn't discrete at all and I preferred to use the MomCozy S9 Pro Wearable Breast Pump or the Elvie Stride. I love both of these breast pumps and it was so much easier to have two because when one was being washed I could still have the other to use. Here are some differences between the two:
Elvie Stride Wearable Breast Pump
Pros:
Much slimmer and more discrete even with the tubes
Fit so well inside a nursing bra making it so much easier to move around and get things done without worrying
Almost silent motor
It comes with an app that you can use to control the pump, track your pumping history and save your preferred settings
Cons:
I didn't love the tubing, and wish that it held more than 5oz per collection cup
Pros:
Holds 6 oz of milk per collection cup
All day battery life, allowing you to use it about 4 times
Quiet enough motor
Handsfree
Over a hundred dollars cheaper than the Elvie Stride
Cons:
Can be a little bulky in your bra if you have larger breasts
Because of the size it doesn't fit into nursing bras as well making it hard to move around and get things done without them shifting
A few other breastfeeding and breast pumping essentials are these dapple breast pump wipes, this gold mama's breathable nursing cover and the MomCozy insulated baby bottle bag.
These breast pump wipes are perfect to have on the go to quickly wipe down your breast pump when you aren't able to get to a sink.
My son and I absolutely loved the gold mama's breathable nursing cover because it is so pretty, and most importantly breathable. My son and I would get so warm while nursing that he would often push other covers away but with this one he had no issues and appeared to be very comfortable.
I tried a few different bottle bags to keep my milk cool while on the go and the Momcozy bottle bag is my favorite. I liked that it is a larger capacity but isn't too big, it can be used as two separate seconds or the middle divider can be removed making it one larger section. It did a really great job of preserving my milk, and is very easy to clean.
The Best Nursing and Pumping Bras Every Breastfeeding Mom Needs
The best pumping bra I've used is hands down the Kindred Bravely all-in-one pumping and nursing bra. I love this bra because it did a really good job of holding the flanges in place when I needed to pump but also had an extra clip that opened all the way allowing you to comfortably nurse as well. The material is very breathable and soft, but thick enough that it was great to hold the wearable breast pump as well as absorb a small amount of leaking milk.
A nursing bra that made me feel wonderful is the Momanda Lace Nursing Bra. This bra is beautiful and made me actually feel sexy again. It's definitely not as comfortable as the Kindred Bravely bra but it is still very comfortable as it is wire free and very soft. The clips in the front made it very easy to nurse.
