What do I need to BF?

JNCPro3130 · November 2014

Good morning! I am 20 weeks pregnant with my first babyand beginning to think about things I need for my son. I'm starting with the must-haves before moving to the cutesy things.

I am switching insurances, so I need to see what pumps they offer. I know I don't get that until right before giving birth. I'm curious about bottles (if you use them). What works well and allows your LO to transition between bottle and BFing easier? Also, do you use pacifiers? If so, is there one that is better than other? Again, I don't want the baby to have a hard time with BFing due to the pacifier. Is there anything else I will need that I'm not thinking of?

Thank you!

TheBorg7of9 · November 2014

You should only buy a couple bottles because you never know what kind your LO will like. Same for pacis. Buy breast pads, nipple soothies, lanisoh cream, and cloth diapers to clean up milk spills and spit up -- instead of burp cloths which are useless. That's all I can think of.
This is not bf related, but you should also get hemmeriod pads for your lady bits, ice packs and heat packs.
Good luck!

theredofhead · November 2014

It really depends on the baby! What works well for one, might not for the next.

All we knew when we started was that we wanted to use glass bottles, so found the cheapest ones and decided to try them first. (Evenflo from BRU). It didn't make sense to us to spend a lot on bottles if she was okay with the cheap ones! Our daughter took to them right away with no problem when we first introduced her before I went back to work.

Once I thought we figured out breastfeeding, we decided to introduce the paci, but again, every baby is different. Some will not use a paci at all! For personal preference, I decided to try MAM pacis, largely because the soothies creep me out! Again, our daughter took to them right away with no problem.

Other things I could not live without are the Boppy (not a popular opinion, but it worked for us), a tube of Lanolin, and the 3-in-1 pearl therapy cold/hot gels. The cold/hot gels were so relieving when I had blocked ducts (hot) and early engorgement (cold). ETA: Cloth diapers for burp clothes as well! They have been a savior for our happy spittter!

Good luck with your pregnancy and breastfeeding adventure!

TheBorg7of9 · November 2014

Eta: I gave DS1 a paci before he was a week old and DS2 a paci at the hospital and had no trouble with nipple confusion. I only gave it after he had nursed nonstop for an hour. I read an article that said it might not really be a problem except if the kid had other problems nursing anyway.

vvvvvfee · November 2014

we liked tommee tippee bottles. they are breast-shaped, and we used the lowest flow nipples the whole time DS was breastfeeding (this helps keep your LO from preferring the bottle over the breast). as PPs have said, don't get too many of any one bottle until you know what your LO prefers.

if you're going to be pumping regularly at work, i would definitely get a second set of pump parts so you can have one set clean while the other one is in the dishwasher. also, if you're pumping, you'll want to get breast milk storage bags to freeze extra milk, and a hands-free pumping bra.

i never leaked enough to need breast pads.

get some kind of balm for your nipples. coconut oil makes a great, inexpensive balm. i also liked the earth mama angel baby balm.

we tried to get DS to take the avent soothie pacifier (they are recommended for BF babies), but he never would. so i wouldn't get a ton of them to start out. maybe get one and see if your LO is into it or not.

i liked the boppy for a nursing pillow, but lots of people prefer the my brest friend pillow (it's a different shape and you can strap it onto your body).

definitely receiving blankets, washcloths, or some other kind of absorbent cloth to put underneath LO when they're nursing and to use as a burp cloth.

GL!

JNCPro3130 · November 2014

Thanks! I really appreciate your help!

[Deleted User] · November 2014

This was my list:

Washable Breast pads
Lrg Water bottle
Lactation cookies- I use this recipe and it is awesome: https://www.food.com/recipe/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-lactation-cookies-by-noel-trujillo-192346

Boppy pillow
Cloth diaper burp cloths- you can get ones people have added patterns to on Etsy that are cute if you don't want plain white ones.
Lanoish cream at least for the first month or two
Avent natural bottles is what DD settled on
MAM pacifiers- we had no issues with nipple confusion.

In bed cosleeper- this was a life saver. When she woke up I just scooped her out and either fed in bed or went to the nursery. It also allowed DH to stay in bed with us which I think was very important for bonding. It also helped with the transition to her crib as we literally put the whole thing in her crib to start. This is what we have:
https://m.target.com/p/summer-infant-by-your-side-sleeper/-/A-13680579?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=google_pla_df&LNM=13680579&CPNG=Baby&kpid=13680579&LID=9pgs&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=13680579&kpid=13680579&gclid=CIS36eDA68ECFUiGfgodmZoAiQ

Sorry for ugly links- mobile bumping.

Congrats!

CLLDLL · November 2014

Lots of good suggestions above.

My list was:

The Womanly Art of BF'ing
EMAB nipple cream
Lansinoh soothies
Nursing tanks
sleep bras
Bamboobies
MBF nursing pillow
Entertainment like a Kindle, DVD full of shows, etc.
freezer stocked with enough to get through the three week growth spurt
One each of tommee tippee, Playtex drop-ins, and Lansinoh Momma bottles to try. We ended up buying more TT and Playtex.
Nuk pacis- we didn't use until 2.5 weeks ish.
RnP so he could sleep right next to me.
Honey Suckle storage bags, an extra set of pump parts, and wetbag to carry pump parts for later when I went back to work.

bumpuser260585 · November 2014

Extra pump parts and bottles. My pump through insurance only came with 2 bottles and I use 4 every day at work.

A sleep bra - holds pads in place over night.

My Breast Friend pillow.

My LO wouldn't take a pacifier. We tried a few brands before giving up.

sarahandeddiejune212008 · November 2014

Everyone has given great suggestions. DD#1 used Dr. Brown bottles and a soothie paci (given at the hospital). She had no issues. DD#2 refused both bottle and paci - thankfully I was a SAHM.

Someone else mentioned bedsharing. This was a life saver for me. You quickly learn to nurse while sleeping. It really helped keep my supply up while I worked and I got extra sleep and snuggle time. Some also believe it can help decrease the risk of SIDS when done properly. So I would add a bed rail to your list. That way baby is only next to you - never in the middle.

Good luck!

mommatotwo2 · November 2014

Initially, just breasts and baby.

Helpful things for me were a boppy pillow, but I actually just used the hospital pillows and then my own bed pillow for the first few weeks. If you are returning to work, a pump will be needed and it's a good idea to get some bottles to try out, they should have slow flow nipples (and looked up paced feeding). I'd Intro the bottle sometime between 4-6 weeks. I would start with just one type and if those aren't working, it's generally not hard to go and get more, even Amazon can have pretty much any type of bottles to you, in 2 days.

I never had to use nipple cream, but a lot of moms do. My hospital gave me at least a weeks worth of sample Lanisoh. I just expressed milk, rubbed it into the nips, and let it air dry. A pack and play with bassinet, or a cosleeper, or some type of bed that baby can sleep in and be near you throughout the night is really helpful in those early days.

Best of luck!

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