What do I need if I'm planning on breastfeeding?

[ryanreynolds]

I'm a FTM and due at the end of May. Have just started getting some shopping lists together in terms of what stuff we need to buy.

I plan on breastfeeding but would like to express and for DP to be able to feed once my milk supply is sorted.

What do I need as a minimum for when baby arrives? Do I need a steriliser? Should I buy bottles/milk just in case breastfeeding doesn't work?

Trying not to overbuy unnecessary stuff but can't see on this one what is necessary and what isn't!

Buy nipple creams, breast pads a feeding pillow, cognito cup, kindle and Netflix’s or other subscription and you will be sorted.

You don’t need to sterilise for breast milk. I would wait to buy bottles (your baby maybe fussy about brand) and breast pump after baby has arrived.

I think it is a good idea to buy this stuff when you need it. If you have all the bottle and formula lined up, then when things aren’t going well with feeding in the initial stages, it’s very easy to reach for a bottle.

In my experience, introducing an expressed feed in a bottle before 6 weeks can lead to nipple confusion and the baby subsequently refusing the breast.

There are people who manage mixed feeding successfully, but there are also a lot of people who found that once they introduced a bottle, breastfeeding either gradually or rapidly, went out of the window.

You will need feeding bras and maybe nighttime bras. But your size may change so it might be too early to buy now.

Thanks all, great advice - will add stuff to my shopping list!

@Boulardii interesting what you say about after 6 weeks, and that is might always not be the best thing. Do have some ante-natal classes booked so was going to ask there.

@MollyHuaCha how are night time bras different...? Not sure what to look out for, but yes agree it too early at the moment!

The only way I kept up with breastfeeding was by expressing for a few days when the pain was too much, I could hop back and forth between them until tongue tie and latch problems were sorted.
We now switch between formula and breast depending on the time of day, hes 5 months old.
Don't just push through the pain, it'll send you insane. Get help!!!! Ring for help, go to the groups, don't sit and cry and scream in pain!! It should not hurt.
I found lying down to feed helped massively.
Netflix is your best friend :)

Get a waterproof sheet for your bed. When baby is feeding you'll leak from the other nipple and ruin your mattress 😂😂😂 it's so glam

Feeding tank tops are amazing, coupled with cardigans or hoodies for the first few weeks when you are both still learning and need full boob access to get the baby on. Feeding-friendly pyjamas are not necessary but are wonderful - the Seraphine black bamboo ones are pricy but so so nice and soft on your and baby's skin and make feeding easy.

Water bottle(s) and a mini tea or coffee thermos for when you inevitably get stuck feeding somewhere and can't move.

Netflix subscription

Supportive partner

Lanolin cream is recommended by some but I've never liked it - similar with breast pads

I'd recommend not getting formula and bottles until later. We're from another country where the bfing rates are much higher than here, and nobody has formula in 'just in case' - even if you do need it, you won't suddenly stop producing milk in the middle of the night, you will be able to pop to the shops the next day.

Heading to a La Leche League meeting while pregnant can help get some advice.
Good luck, the first few weeks can be tricky but speaking as someone who has been ebf and eff, ifnit works for you both, bfing is so lovely and convenient too!

Night bras are softer and less supportive. Their job is to hold breast pads in place as nipples can leak milk. Not everyone needs them.

I loved the H&M crop top style bras. Bought some in the last few weeks of pregnancy in the size that fitted then, and a size up. They did me for the first while until things settled down and I still wear them at night.

I'd advise getting a manual pump. The Avent one I have was about £25 I think. I didn't pump until 9 months in, and regretted it. Ordered a fancy electric one when I got mastitis early on, but it was cleared before pump arrived and so I never used it. When I did go to use it later on, I didn't get on that well with it and the manual was so much easier to use. I'd recommend having it in the house in case of needing to clear a blocked duct (your baby will do this much more effectively, but just in case), the need to give top ups etc. At £25 I wouldn't have minded if it had gone to waste.

Also, I got in a set of the ready made formula bottles. Just in case we found ourselves in a screaming 3am emergency. I think knowing they were there gave me the confidence to keep going, and I never actually contemplated using them.

I'm in the same situation as you. I'm getting this product to avoid leakage from other breast while feeding from other breast. It has great reviews.

I am going to get pump and bottles but going to wait until we need them.

NatureBond Silicone Breastfeeding Manual Breast Pump Milk Saver Suction | BONUS Pump Stopper, Cover Lid, Pouch, Air-Tight Vacuum Sealed in Hardcover Gift Box. BPA Free & 100% Food Grade Silicone www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LZ2ZVCY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_a.9CCbRQX7RRV

Again, thank you all. I think I now know 10 x as much as I did before!! Will look out a la leche meeting and add a breast pump to my list!

Hi Ryan,
I think it’s a really good idea to ask at the ante natal classes. I second getting along to a la leche meeting, or if you have a local breastfeeding support group run by the health visitors or midwifery team, do go along before you have your baby, I’m sure you will be very welcomed. It really helps to have some contact with other mums previously I think.

There is the classic la leche book ‘the womanly art of breastfeeding’ if you don’t mind reading American books!

If you do get a blocked duct (and you probably will) then remember to rotate the baby (or yourself) so that the latch is directly across from the blockage. Works like a charm.

Don’t be conned by cheap pads (the have cotton wool in rather than proper absorbing stuff so you have to change them much more often and they get lumpy and uncomfortable).

I bought nothing other than breast pads, nipple cream (lasinoh) and H&M nursing vest tops to begin with. I didn’t buy any formula because I didn’t want to be tempted to give up too easily on breastfeeding. I didn’t buy a pump in case breastfeeding didn’t work out.

I started expressing just after 3 weeks so that my partner could give an evening bottle and I could have a break. It worked well until 10 weeks but then my son started refusing a bottle. To begin with he would take some of it eventually but now he will cry and refuse it completely. I actually don’t miss expressing as I no longer have the hassle of pumping, washing bottles etc. every day and stopping has made absolutely no difference to his sleep. I will be trying to reintroduce the occasional bottle soon though so that we can go out from time to time!

I bought nothing other than Lansinoh, breast pads and eventually a nursing bra for the very early days. I figured that having the 24 hour supermarket nearby was good enough for if I felt I needed to use formula.

I found it much easier with DC2 compared to DC1, if only because I knew that cluster feeding was completely normal, and necessary for my milk supply, and I knew better than to try and stick to a feeding schedule. I was totally unprepared for that with DC1 and it was very mentally taxing and made me doubt my milk supply. DC2 - I knew about and expected cluster feeding, and night feeding (hormone changes mean night feeds are important for supply), and I knew that it was perfectly ok to feed on demand whether that was in the form of fewer long feeds, or lots of short feeds (as dictated by the baby).

Online support via La Leche League, KellyMom and other breastfeeding mothers was invaluable.

You need only one thing and that’s a subscription to Amazon prime. I’m so so glad I didn’t buy a bunch of random breastfeeding products in advance. It was a tough battle between competing urges but I’m SO glad my hatred for extra stuff/waste beat out my instinct to nest and prepare. We have a smallish place and we don’t have money to burn, but most of all I just can’t abide having extra stuff around. It was amazing to know I could just order what I needed when I needed it and it would be on my doorstep the same day or the following day. If I had bought what was on my list in advance I would have wasted a LOT of money and still not had the exact things I needed. This is definitely a case where just because something worked for someone else doesn’t mean it will work for you. (Case in point — a PP said don’t bother with an electric pump, while I would say spring for the best pump you can afford. But either way you probably won’t need it right away so you’re better off to just see how your baby feeds and what your needs are when the time comes.)

Get a big black marker and strike through your diary with it for the first six weeks so you don’t plan anything. Obviously you can add stuff in as you get used to feeding but starting with an expectation that you’ll be doing nothing but feed, change, sleep, repeat for a while will be very helpful.

Washable breast pads are fantastic, I definitely preferred them to the disposable ones, but if you do go disposable I liked the lansinoh brand ones. Lanolin nipple cream, a decent nursing bra (I like ‘lucky sew and sew’ handmade to measure ones but there’s loads out there), plenty of good books and an insulated coffee cup with a lid

The only thing you definitely need is boobs!

I stocked up on nipple cream, pads etc but didn't actually use them. My nipples didn't crack and the pads floated off any old which way so I ended up just stuffing a muslin down my top instead. I also didn't bother with nursing tops, just pulled my top up or down and after a while stopped using maternity bras either and hoiked my boobs over the top instead. It ruined my bras but I've got big boobs and maternity bras are not up to the challenge!

I'd say have a feeding pillow of some sort, then scout out where your nearest shop is that stocks things you might need, so you can go or send someone else if need be.

I'd play it by ear on the expressing, quite a lot of the mums I know planned to do the same but the baby didn't take to it or sterilising proved to be too much faff.

I also liked the Food of Love book by Kate Evans - comic book style, full of pics to easier to read when you're sleep deprived and very human. Has lots of tips for what to do if you have problems at any point. Find out where your nearest support group is too, if nothing else they'll give you free tea!

Unless you live in a very remote area, 24 hour supermarkets and Amazon Prime will cover any emergency needs. There isn't any real need to have any bottles or formula in advance.

If you do decide to express for your DP to do a feed, make sure your partner understands the extra work that involves and that they are prepared to do the leg work. So washing/sterilising the pump/bottles etc, dealing with the baby whilst you're expressing, giving you an opportunity to catch up on the rest you miss whilst expressing and so on.

I'd second all the advice to go to a breastfeeding support group before your baby arrives. The more information you have and the more confident you are in the ability to breastfeed, the easier it is to succeed I think. I found there was often contradictory information from midwives in the early days (give her a bottle, give her a dummy...) and I felt happy telling them that I didn't want to and wanted to exclusively breastfeed.

I think having the number of a breastfeeding counsellor/lactation consultant to hand is also crucial if you need support in the early days.

Other than that, I didn't bother with bottles or anything like that and didn't have any formula in the house. A good breastfeeding bra, a breastfeeding cushion and the support of your nearest and dearest are the best things to have!

I don’t think you need much... H&M do good vest tops that unhook easily, even if you don’t have success breastfeeding they are just normal tops you can wear all year round.

My boobs have grown even since I gave birth so I wouldn’t buy a pack of bras as you’re likely to change.

I have good kindle books on my phone for in the night as it can be a challenge staying awake.

Something that hasn’t been mentioned is a nice big muslin, not one of the small ones if you want a bit of privacy feeding. We had tons of visitors first few weeks and in some cases I wasn’t comfortable flashing boob (father in law and partners male friends etc)

I didn’t find I leaked so badly in the night as I’m feeding very regularly. I usually put a muslin under my boobs too as in the night my little one gets greedy and it all spills back out his mouth!

As PPers said... I think positive mental attitude does play a part to a degree so I wouldn’t buy formula in case- just go with it and if you need to get some it’s easily done.

Essentials:
Breast pads
Nipple cream
Lots of pillows
Large bottle for water
Soft sleep bras (mainly to hold pads in)
Schedule of your local breast feeding support group

Optional:
Breast pump
Bottle with newborn teat
Storage cups or bags for milk

Not needed:
Steriliser

You don’t need much in comparison to bottle feeding but good buys are;
A feeding pillow
Lanolin (I put this on breast pads and left on my boobs between feeds for the first few days)
Lots of water!
Snacks!