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!

Breast pads (I haven't ended up using many but just in case). Soft bf friendly bras, stretchy tops / bf tops. Nothing else really.

Pillow is bulky and you might find your absolutely fine using normal pillow or cushions. Dont over do it on buying stuff

Second the chocolate!!

Hakka pump 100%!!

There is no need to buy lots of stuff. All you really need is your boobs!

Things that I found helpful (and can be bought at short notice thanks to Amazon prime) are:
Lansinoh nipple cream, breast pads (lansinoh disposable or large bamboo reusable), nursing bras and/or vests. That's it.

I bought a c-shaped nursing cushion but frankly didn't find it helpful. I just use a pillow in bed and a normal cushion in the sofa.

Breast pumps are not a necessity. Don't pump in the first 6 weeks. I'd wait until baby is here and you've been feeding a few weeks before thinking about whether this might be useful for you. Personally, I found pumping frustrating and time consuming.

No need to buy bottles but if you do want some to hand, then I highly recommend mam. The bottles self sterilise in the microwave so no need to buy a steriliser.

Muslins to catch letdown and spit up

Wow thank you everyone!!! This is all so helpful, and actually really reassuring to hear that you don't really need much, especially in the first 6 weeks. It sounds like I will definitely be investing in some lansinoh cream, nursing pads and a nursing pillow and just see how I get on! I don't have a microwave to sterilise things in so may need to get one of those too eventually

Seconding the suggestion of reusable breast pads. I find the disposable ones incredibly irritating - they get all bundled up and stick to themselves/your boobs!

Oh, also - although I personally do prefer microwave bags for sterilising, the cheapest and easiest sterilising backup to have available if you don't have a microwave is a packet of Milton tablets.

I didn’t actually leak at all so didn’t need breast pads! But worth getting them in case.

Lansinoh is SO worth getting.

I bought a pump in advance and then barely used it (I think for same reason as I didn’t leak - my boobs didn’t release milk easily - only a baby could get them to work!) so no need to invest at the beginning either as pps said.

I never used a breast pump. I think you can wait till after the birth to decide if your going to use one. I just bought a couple of tetra packs of baby milk and a bottle with a set of teats for the very rare occasion i went out.

I breastfed for over 16 months, here is what I bought / would recommend:

• some kind of feeding cushion
• big water bottle for u
• box by the sofa (or wherever you plan on feeding) full of snacks, magazine, other bits. I spent a lot of time sat on the sofa and watched an insane amount of tv! Maybe download some box sets in preparation?!
• bedside snacks!! Cereal bars galore!
• nipple cream but my advice - although unpopular - would be to use sparingly! A bf counsellor taught me this (the skin needs to breathe but by all means use it on cracked / desperate skin).
• a bf book so u can do some research. I bought bf for dummies.
• write the National bf helpline number down and put it on your kitchen notice board. A very helpful phone line, especially with the current situation as support groups might not be on when your baby is here.
• paracetamol
• comfy / baggy postpartum clothes
• bras (I liked new look)

That's it! I did buy a pump but never used it and had to give it away. We bought formula and bottles 'just in case' as my fiancé insisted but they were never used. It's up to u if you want to buy these things. Only you can decide.

Emily Norris on YouTube for info videos.

If you have a partner / husband it is crucial he is on board. While he is on paternity leave he really should be doing the majority of the nappy changes as those first couple of weeks of bf really are tough and he should be bringing you food and drink. It's important to have the conversation imo. I honestly couldn't have done it without my fiancé, at one stage he was literally placing pain killers directly into my mouth and handing my a drink!

Good luck. I found it extremely difficult and exhausting to begin with but it slowly got easier (I had to hang in there and there were tears) and then it was just wonderful and the best thing I ever did

Ooh and breast pads I forgot to add! I liked boots reusables.

You “need” very little. Breast pads are a must to avoid leakages.... particularly from the side you aren’t feeding from at that moment. Disposables for the early days and change them frequently, I wouldn’t bother with washable ones until you know if it’s going to work out long term.

Personally, I felt better knowing I had a pump, bottle and sterilisers ready before DD arrived, but didn’t use them until much later so you don’t NEED them. If you’re going to pump and freeze, you’ll want some bags to pump into - I really liked my Tommee tippee ones, but there are tonnes of different pumps/bottles etc. Having all in one brand was useful to me.

Make sure you’ve got a water bottle and some chocolate biscuits to hand!

Phone charger, sports water bottle, vast quantities of chocolate and flapjacks, kindle with light for night feeds, bras, stretchy pull-down vests.

You might not need loads of muslins unless you have a sicky baby but a few are useful; I really liked reusable pads. The pump and bottles I bought never came out of the packaging – DD fed relentlessly for the first 8 months and was a shit sleeper, there was no time to pump.

Don't buy too much in advance, would be my advice. I never used a feeding cushion, for instance, and the Lansinoh is still unopened.

Express manually a few weeks before you are due (lots of youtube videos to show you how). You can buy syringes and freeze your colostrum/milk, plus it means your milk is through so you and baby only have latch to figure out. My DS has a tongue toie so I have to use nipple shields. The one thing i would recommend is a nature bond pump or equivalent. It catches let downs on opposite breast while baby is feeding. Its helped me build a vast freezer stash