What equipment do I need to get for breastfeeding?

[AdalbertWaffling]

Hi everyone, I'm pregnant with my 1st so have no experience and don't have my mum around to ask her these types of questions. I would ideally like to breastfeed if I can, but I do realise that lots of people end up not breastfeeding for various reasons, no matter what their intentions when pregnant. So my question is, should I buy equipment now while still pregnant in preparation for breastfeeding, or should I wait to see if it works for me first?

And I guess my secondary question is what equipment will I need?? Would I definitely need a breast pump? Should I get bottles just in case I can't/so DH can top up with expressed milk? But then does that mean I also need a steriliser?

I don't want to waste money on things I don't/may not need, but equally don't want to be woefully underprepared when I have a newborn so want to be my future friend as much as possible!

Breastpads and a cushion, like a horseshoe. Brings baby up to your breast so you’re not hunching, but also useful for baby to sit in when a little older. I never got on with pumping, when are you planning on going back to work?
Good Luck!

If you live near a Boots or large supermarket then I'd just wait and see how it goes. I didn't buy anything at all in advance, breastfeeding went well after a shaky start. At one point I decided I needed to pump to encourage supply and my husband popped out and got one in 20 minutes. And likewise if it hadn't gone well and I decided I needed formula he could get some equally quickly. I barely used my pump/bottles/steriliser in the end.

FTM, DD is 5 months and EBF.

During the early days, my best friends were a travel mug and a 3m long phone charger. I used my pregnancy pillow as a feeding cushion.

A haaka is a brilliant yet cheap buy. Stick on one boob to collect excess milk, store in sterilised bags (I get mine from Amazon) and freeze.

I did treat myself to an Elvie pump which is 100% worth the money. DD will now take a bottle from Daddy whilst I ride my horse a few times a week and I pump whilst walking the dogs/doing the laundry/cooking etc.

Good luck. There's loads of help out there, just ask!

The cushion is the main thing that helps me. Aldi's is very good as its a lot softer than some of the others!

Breast pads
Nipple cream

Perhaps a little back of pre made bottles with teets just in case but some people dont like to buy formula in case it makes them give up.

Anything else you can buy off amazon etc. Our hospital had an amazon locker!

It is tricky the first few days/weeks but you can't do much until you try! Good Luck xx

Oh yes to the phone charger! I also used my Kindle loads when feeding (well with my first, with my second I had to entertain a nearly 2 year old whilst feeding the baby...)

Hi OP, I have BF one child and FF the other, when I decided to switch to formula with my first it was so easy to get hold of bottles and a stereliser at the last minute, so unless you live in the middle of nowhere I wouldn't worry. BF in the early days can be hard (Especially cluster feeding!) and I think if I had bottles and formula in 'just in case' I can think of several times where I would have decided to stop. Having to pop to the shop to get stuff makes you really think if stopping is something you really want to do. With a pump, it's not recommended you pump in the first six weeks while you're supply is establishing, my first had to go into the neonatal unit but they had decent hospital pumps there. I barely ever pumped because I do not respond well to a pump, some women don't. If I had tried to use one early on I would have doubted my supply, the best indicator of a good supply is lots of wet and dirty nappies.

Necessity wise, I would say breast pads and just a couple of stretchy bras, it's better to save buying nicer bras when you know what size you will be a few weeks after birth. I had the Emma Jane ones and they were so comfy!
A nice to have item would be a large good water bottle. Breastfeeding makes you so thirsty and you will spend a lot of time on the sofa feeding, having lots of water nearby is a must! I also treated myself to a couple of nursing tops so I felt a bit more confident nursing out and about. The nursing vests from H and M are very good, it's all I wore at home in the early days. They have a little shelf so I didn't bother to wear a bra at home!

The best thing to do to prepare is to join some BF groups on Facebook just to familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of BF and maybe read a book like The womanly art of breastfeeding (although some bits are preachy!). Good luck OP and congratulations!

Lansinoh is by far the best nipple cream - slather it on liberally

A pillow for baby to lie in the right position without you needing to hold them up all the time.

I also used nipple cream (Lansilol - or something spelt a bit like that was very good). Just apply a little after each feed.

Breast pads. I preferred reusable ones.

A pump was handy when I got a bit over full and needed to relieve the pressure.

I did also use nipple shields for a little while when I got a bit sore when we were establishing feeding. Baby fed well through them and it was comfortable for me until they became less tender. I'm not sure I would have been able to continue to breast feed if I hadn't used them for a while.

Second the suggestions of the cushion.

I didn't bother with dd but did with ds & it makes it so much more comfortable!

Also the poster above saying about the premade formula with teets. It takes the pressure off & the more relaxed you are the more milk is produced. Well so my HV told me. It's about £8 for 4 bottles from a large boots or a large Tesco. My milk hadn't come in with dd & she was starving. Bought again for ds but my milk came in so much quicker 2nd time round. R

Water bottle.
Flap jacks. I read somewhere oats help with milk production plus it helps the hunger. The tubs from M&S are good.

And with dd I used a feeding cape (Amazon) for feeding in public or answering the door. DS I haven't bothered & I think every delivery driver has just seen me with the top hoisted up 😂

A travel mug - I like contigo, so you can safely drink hot coffee whilst trapped under a baby😂

Literally you need breasts but everything above is also helpful plus a sling so you can do it on the hop

Breast milk collection shells. Wear one on the side baby isn't feeding from as in the early days especially you can collect a lot and store it

All I had were breast pads and suitable bras. My chair in the living room was comfortable for feeding, so no need for special cushions.

Practically every woman can breastfeed. It's not necessarily easy to start with but determination to do it can take you a long way.

I had my ups and downs with it but I really wanted to do it. I had a real deep seated view that it was best for my baby and for me. I'm also a cheapskate and didn't want to buy milk when I could make it.

Oh I forgot, if you do decide you want to pump a bottle, a haakaa pump is a fab little thing. You just pop it on the other boob while you are feeding. Even I would get an ounce or two from it and it was so much more gentle on your boobs than a traditional pump.

www.amazon.co.uk/Haakaa-Manual-Silicone-Breastpump-Breastfeeding/dp/B01F8W7CF0?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Your boobs,
Breastfeeding bra .
Breast pads.
Don't bother waisting money on special pillows the normal ones on your bed work fine.
Something to cover yourself ( if shy) a muslin or well positioned cardigan works fine.
That's all you need!
Do not fall for gimmicks if you are going to breastfeed you will be doing it everywhere and anywhere no special pillows or chairs.
( Breastfed 3 children all for well over 2 years)

A normal pillow works just fine to begin with, if you want to you can invest in a more expensive one later. A drinks bottle/travel mug is a godsend when you're stuck under baby. Lansinoh nipple balm. Disposable breast pads. I had a cheap manual pump (Tommee Tippee, it also comes with a box you can use to sterilise it in the microwave) but never really got on with expressing. I bought some little bottles of pre-made formula just in case and we did use them in the early days, I could've sent DH out to get some when we needed them but it was easier to have them in already, I guess it depends how determined you are to exclusively breast feed. DS is 7 months now and combi fed, he has 1 or 2 bottles most days. We use MAM bottles which can be sterilised in the microwave, and he never took a dummy so we never needed a steriliser although many dummies now come in a plastic case which can be used to sterilise them in the microwave.

You will definitely need breast pads. I highly recommend washable ones. Breastfeeding pillows are also good. Comfy Bras. And lanisoh. I think these are really the only necessary things.

I guess you would need a breast pump if you plan on pumping. Maybe with some sort of sterilisation equipment and bottles.

I highly recommend getting either a netflix subscription or a kindle and a covered coffee / tea cup though.

All you really need are your boobs.

Get 1 pack of breast pads and a tube of nipple cream. A Haakaa can be useful for enforcement. A starter pack of formula bottles for emergencies. Literally everything else you can get if you need it.

I don't leak so have never used breast pads. I don't express much so a Haakaa is all I need. When we needed bottles for DS we could get a kit with steriliser the same day. With DD she refuses bottles so didn't need anything apart from my boobs.

I've never used a feeding pillow.

One or two boobs.
A baby.
(only joking, I didn't manage to BF, and was sad, but everyone assured me it was easy, and I believed them, only to find it wasn't easy at all).
Good luck with it, I hope it works out well for you, and don't be devastated if you have to bottle feed, it isn't the end of the world, I found out the sky didn't fall in, and my baby grew and developed very well on formula).

Breast pads (disposable are good to start, if you plan to continue then look for reusable ones), breastfeeding bra and vest tops where you can clip and unclip the straps for easy access.

I don't think you need to buy a breast pump, but I would know where you can hire one quickly. I think NCT does hires and they ship them to you next day. Or local midwife team should be able to make a recommendation. The really good hospital grade pumps are very expensive and I wouldn't buy one unless I knew I'd have to exclusively express (and honestly, that's a PITA so I'd switch to formula instead). I did use my pump a bit with my first but didn't even get it out of the box with #2.

You don't need bottles. You can buy them in most big supermarkets or Amazon if you need them, but you can also cup feed as well, so they really aren't the sort of thing you need urgently.

A good flask for hot drinks and a cupboard full of snacks (dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, cereal bars, etc.). I would take snacks to bed so I could sit up and bf and eat the snacks from the bedside table.

Lanisoh - I couldn't have done without this.

Breast pads - you will probably leak.

A cabbage - day 3ish your milk comes in and cold cabbage leaves in your bra is soothing.

Soft nursing bras

Camisole tops that are easy to pull down.

Oh I also pumped but DS wouldn't take a bottle at all so that was a waste of money.

Do look up where your nearest suppliers of kit are, in case it's not easy for you, and your nearest support (often closed over half term, and obviously you know when that is as soon as you drop a sprog!)

And make sure your partner knows where they are so they can help get you there or go shopping. I packed DH off to go to Mothercare to buy every overpriced bit of kit they had and he went to the wrong retail park - but luckily got to the right one just before closing.

A breast pump was a godsend for me, along with a My Breast Friend cushion, and lots of Lansinoh cream. And I splashed out on a better smartphone...

You don't need a breast pump. Not until your milk supply is established. Baby needs to demand feed, which is pretty much on boob 24/7. You'll go up and down in supply and then eventually get in sync with each other. But if you pump you'll mess that up.

Musts are, breast feeding pillow. I had an adjustable one which was good. A foot stool. Somtimes it's easier if you have your knees up higher. Nipple cream. Painkillers. Drink bottle and tea thermos. A good place to do it at night. I found latching in the bed difficult at first so had a chair in the nursery set up for night feeds. A little light for night. I had a USB chargeable reading light.

And willpower. The first 4 weeks will be hard. Your nipples will hurt. You'll think baby is eating too much or not getting enough milk. This is all normal. Power through, from week 2 it will get getter and by week 5 you'll be glad you stuck with it, it will feel easy and natural and painless.

Good luck.

Nipple cream, breast pads and a cushion

You also need chocolate and cake to successfully breastfeed 😁