Moms who breast fed (or tried)..come in..

dbertagni · February 2009

Ok. I am on the fence with what is a must have NOW, or can wait until after I see how breast feeding goes:

More than 3 bottles

Bottle drying rack

Bottle warmer

Breast Friend pillow

real nursing bra, instead of sleep bra's and tanks.

MrsHughesNC · February 2009

I don't think you'd need any of that, until you see how BFing goes, and see what works for you, etc... I know I could have quite a bit of $ on some stuff if I'd have known that BFing was not going to work out for us..

kateland3 · February 2009

i'd 100% get some sort of nursing pillow, be it boppy or MBF. i think that might increase chances of BFing working out. i'd not bother with a drying rack, bottle warmer or real nursing bra. 3 bottles should be fine.

jenhum · February 2009

I'd definitely get a nursing pillow- I agree with kateland, that can definitely increase your odds for being comfortable and successful.

We are FF now and I still don't have a bottle drying rack or warmer, so I'd skip those. I would get one nursing bra and one sleep bra- maybe just cheap ones but I think those are important to have.

Even if you only BF for a month, and you spent $40 on nursing bras, you probably would've spent that money on formula anyway, so it all works out. And you can always resell a nursing pillow.

MRSGOLABONTE · February 2009

I knew, come hell or highwater, i was making BFing work. with that said, what I wish I had had within the first week: a breast pump. You can buy one but just don't open it. I also didn't sterlize anything until the moment we needed it, and that turned out fine.

I had four bottles [playtex drop ins] but they were all free. Looking back, I really just needed a few extra nipples and I could have gotten away with one bottle.

The drying rack came a month later, so defiinitely not a requirement.

Do NOT waste your money on a bottle warmer! What worked for us is to get a big plastic cup [like from a sporting event] and fill it 3/4 with water. When it's bottle time, we nuke it for 1 min and then put the bottle in there to warm up. Works perfectly.

I had a boppy, but we also have a billion pillows. I haven't used the boppy a ton, esp for BFing, but I've heard others that have. It serves so many other functions though, so I'd recommend having that on hand in the beginning.

I have 2 nursing bras from Target [the sports bra kind] and 5 tanks. I started with one of each. I did NOT have enough in the beginning and had to make 2 more trips along the way to get more. I am not liking the bras as much as the tanks, so i'd recommend a few nursing tanks from somewhere.

alchris · February 2009

I'd go for the My Breast Friend. The rest can wait. Three bottles may be all you ever need, and you don't need a separate drying rack or bottle warmer at all. I recommend waiting on the braat least until after you give birth.:)

beshan · February 2009

More than 3 bottles: that should be plenty for the early weeks since they're not supposed to have a bottle for 4 weeks.

Bottle drying rack: not necessary, but I do use mine a lot especially for holding my pump parts

Bottle warmer: a cup of water works just fine

Breast Friend pillow: I think some sort of pillow is important no matter which one you have

real nursing bra, instead of sleep bra's and tank: The saleslady at Motherhood told me to wait 7-10 days after my milk came in to get sized for a real nursing bra so I'd wait on those. I bought 2 nursing bras from Motherhood and hate them. I bought 4 nursing tanks and 3 sleep bras and live in those most of the time. They're just much more comfortable and easier to nurse in.

MrsJones2005 · February 2009

Definitely a nursing pillow...I still use that to help hold Jeremiah when I give him a bottle. ?Plus its helpful during tummy time, and I know when the girls were learning to sit on their own, they would sit surronded by the boppy so that if they fell over they were cushioned.

Personally....I would buy the other things...however I would buy them somewhere that I know would take returns easily AND I would be sure not to open them. ?But, if for some reason you decided very early on that you needed them, it would be a lot easier to reach in a closet and open something then to run to the store. ?Just my opinion though.?

withoutshoes · February 2009

Hey dbert,

These are the things that I am glad I had immediately.

Three bottles will be plenty at first. I didn't need the bottles until after 4 weeks. However, I was blessed and did not have any problems BF. If you happen to have problems, then you would need the bottles.

The Breast Friend Pillow is awesome!! This has been my absolute favorite item I bought. It made BF so much easier.

I bought one nursing bra, but I honestly didn't need it immediately. I prefer the BF tank tops and bought 3 of those.

One thing I'm glad I had immed. that you do not have on your list is Lansinoh disposable nursing pads. I personally leak like crazy (sorry if TMI), so these things have been a life-saver.

dbertagni · February 2009

Thanks ladies, I have a pump, I have 2 nursing tanks and 2 sleep bras, I also have the lansinoh nursing pads and a boppy. I have 3 bottles as well. So I guess I am as prepared as I can be. I really want the Brest Friend pillow, but my Target doesn't carry them. I don't know if I can stand another trip to BRU!

MRSGOLABONTE · February 2009

i go through those breast pads like they're candy! ;-) Do you have any nip cream?

The"Q" · February 2009

I think everything can wait except the my breast friend pillow, I highly recommend it!

raceyrae · February 2009

I can't live without my boppy -- I still use it. ?I also use washable nursing pads which have been wonderful -- saved me so much money and much less waste in the trash.

I agree with others -- the amount of nursing bras/tanks you have is probably fine for now until you see how large your breasts get.

One thing that always worries me on all the boards is that a lot of women go into starting BF thinking it might not work for them. ?This is rarely the case (from a medical standpoint) -- our bodies are meant to do this. ?If it's something you want to do, you will more than likely be successful at doing it. ?It's rare that a mother has BFing issues or a baby has latch, etc. issues that can't be worked out in a few days (this is different from choosing to not BF or to stop BF). ?Good luck!?

futureJHL · February 2009

I was like mrsG- I was going to BF no matter what. Nora had major latch issues, so I couldn't have lived without my pump and shield to get her latched. I also love the drying rack for my pump parts.

I am also like Jones- I would rather have it and then take it back if I didn't use it than to have to go out and buy everything once the baby got here.

I've only had 2 nursing bras this whole time and that has been enough for me.

Definitely have lanolin nipple cream! I would have died without it!

Moms who breast fed (or tried)..come in..

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