Breastfeeding prep - oh, the stuff you will need!

As you read these breastfeeding posts, you will probably think to yourself, “Why is this girl telling me this? Doesn’t she have any boundaries?” The answer, my friends, is no. I no longer have boundaries. And guess what?  If you're planning on breastfeeding or even just becoming a mom in general, pretty soon, neither will you.

Seriously, though, I wanted to put this together because I had so many questions about breastfeeding and really had few people to ask. I ended up spending hours researching on the internet and I wanted to save you from a similar fate. There is no way I could write down everything that I’ve learned, so if you have any questions along the way, just email me (teachlearnmama@gmail.com). E and I will gladly help you through whatever may come your way. 

So, let's get started. When I first contemplated breastfeeding I remember thinking, "Yay! I have boobs, my baby will have a mouth, so we're all set!" Being the cheapest person alive, the prospect of not having to buy anything to feed Mr. E made me happy to the point of giddiness. Well, then reality hit and I realized that I did actually need some "stuff" to make this happen. 

Here are a few things that I bought or made to help us through the process. If you think I missed anything, let me know!

- Nursing bras: no underwire; my favorite “at home” bras are Lamaze sleep bras (I got them on amazon.com)

- Nursing tank tops (or any tank top w/ built in bra)- great for bed

- Lansinoh cream

- Gel pads (TIP: keep these away from your pets. Our dog ate one, which led to us having to call Poison Control. Apparently as long as they pierce the outer membrane and rip it into tiny enough pieces they'll be fine, but don't chance it!)

- Nursing pads

- Boppy (although I didn’t use it much & it’s good to get used to feeding without it unless you intend to drag it with you everywhere you go!)

- Nursing cover up (long/wide scarves also work great for this)

- Bibs (for some reason it didn’t really occur to me that he would need one while breastfeeding, but in the beginning it can get pretty messy, which can lead to your little one making cheese in those cute, chubby little folds of his neck)

- Diaper ice packs: Soak a (clean!) newborn diaper in water. Pop it in the freezer and voila! You have reusable ice packs that are just the right size to stick into those super attractive nursing bras you’ll soon be wearing.

If you're planning on pumping, you will also need:

- Breast pump, containers, etc (usually sold as a set)

- Disposable bags for freezing/ storing milk

- Pumping bra for hands-free pumping (or make your own out of an old sports bra by cutting holes for the pump parts to fit through- super sexy)

- Bottles (more on this in another post)

Whew, that sounds like a lot. Thankfully for us cheap mamas, most of this stuff is pretty inexpensive. You can even rent pumps if you don't feel like plunking down hundreds of dollars for one. Let the feeding begin!