I have 2 questions :)

Hector33

1- im a FTM and plan on breast feeding my LO but am after a recommendations for breast pumps as I plan on expressing so DH can do some feeds for me. I do want an electric breast pump but dont want to spend the $400 (I live in Australia).

2-What are the little items that were a life saver for you when your LO arrived? eg a bottle warmer

Kate0034

After research I decided to register for this one: https://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/products/698/pump-in-style-advanced-breastpump-starter-set

The company is highly recommended but this is one of the less expensive ones they offer. It's under $200 in U.S. but not sure about price in Australia!

But like you, I would love to hear recommendations from people who have used it (or others)!

dogperson11

I love me Medela Pump In Style Advanced. I breast fed and pumped when I went back to work when DD was 8.5 weeks old. She stopped nursing at 9 months and I pumped exclusively for 4 months after that so she was still getting breast milk. I would definitely get a brand that has items readily available close to where you live and work. You don't want a broken part that you have to wait days to replace.

As for a bottle warmer, we didn't use one. We fill a bowl with hot water and set our bottle in it for a few minutes.

Elsa1984

I exclusively pumped and use the Medela Pump in Style. LOVED IT! Especially since i was hooked up to it every two hours. 

I never had a bottle warmer. Someone got one for us at the baby shower, but I returned it. It said that it would heat the bottle to the correct temperature from room temp water. So really I would have to get the bottle from fridge temp, to room temp, before I could even deal with having the warmer warm it. At that point, I may as well just warm it on my own. I loved the Boon "Grass" (or now they have the "Lawn") because I could wash my pump parts and put them on there to dry. Seemed like the other baby drying racks, stuff was constantly falling off. I didn't deal with a wipe warmer because they dry out the wipes and I would rather my kid just be used to room temp wipes. I loved the Lansinoh TheraPearl Packs. Throw it in the freezer and put in your bra to help with swelling. Heat them up and put in your bra for plugged ducts. Noise machine....not a baby one, just a regular Homedics Sound Spa. We still use it and my daughter is almost four, it keeps enough noise in the room to lull her back to sleep, and also blocks out the noise that we make while she is sleeping (our kitchen is right next to her room). Glass bottles......throwing them in the dishwasher at the end of the night and know that they would be completely dry was awesome! 

dogperson11

I second the sound machine and glass bottles (Avent Natural)

bohemianlc

Definitely go for the Medela Pump in Style. I'm a stay at home mom so didn't have to pump much until recently because my son is about to turn one and likes to drink from a sippy cup sometimes. I had an Ameda Purely Yours and expressed less than half of what I was able to express with the Medela. I don't know how it works in Australia, but in the U.S., your health insurance company should cover a breast pump, so I'm not sure if that is something to look into there. My insurance only covered the Ameda, so I ended up buying the Medela out of pocket, but it was worth it to me.

I definitely second the sound machine and the packs that can be warmed/cooled and placed on the breast. I sent my husband out to buy both of these things when my baby was just a couple of days old. Here are a few other things I am really glad I had on hand as a nursing mom:

• Comfortable sleep/sport nursing bras. I would have several of these washed and ready to go, as you will leak a lot of milk at first. 
• Nipple balm or lanolin. I love The Honest Company Nipple Balm. I'm not sure if you have that in Australia but it is AWESOME!
• Plenty of nursing pads. Again, not sure what you have in Australia, but I really like the disposable Lansinoh ones.
• An assortment of clothing for baby in a few different sizes. Everyone told me that my son would skip right over the newborn size, but he wore them for almost a month. We ended up having to go out and buy him a bunch of newborn clothes because we only had a couple of outfits for him in that size and he was swimming in the 0-3 month clothing! Make sure you have it all washed before the baby comes, as you do NOT want to be doing more laundry than you have to do!

Hector33

Thanks Ladies! Does anyone have a link to the heat packs you put on your breasts?

Knottie1442268460

https://www.amazon.com/Lansinoh-TheraPearl-Breast-Therapy-Count/dp/B0070767DU/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1442882513&sr=8-3-fkmr0&keywords=Lasinoh+pearl