Preparing for breastfeeding...what do I need?

[dozyjosie44]

I'm due in a few weeks and I'm hoping to bf. I haven't bought any feeding equipment yet. No bottles, steriliser, breast pump, nothing. I guess I wanted to see how I got on with breastfeeding before spending lots of money on things I may or may not use.

But as time goes on I'm feeling a bit under prepared. If you bf did you buy anything in advance or can it all wait until your feeding preference becomes clearer?

Breasts.

Sorry, couldn't resist!

The only thing I got was breast pads & maternity bras. Don't bother buying other crap till you know what you're doing. I have an unused perfect prep machine, a steriliser I used a handful of times & countless bottles that were unused as she never took to them.

@Ineedastyleicon haha this made me chuckle, ask a daft question....

@Tee20x exactly this. If I can't bf for any reason I'll have wasted money on a pump. If I can bf then I won't need bottles immediately and I can get them later. I just feel woefully unprepared!

I think it’s fine and good not to buy anything until you know what you want.

I ended up needing to pump as my DS was poorly but the hospital sorted me out a pump and then I bought one later once I knew what I wanted and what we were doing.

I did have a little emergency pack of pre made formula with ready to go teats just in case for my own peace of mind. These days though with 24h supermarkets and Amazon you can get anything really quickly and I know some people think doing this is setting yourself up to fail. I’m still breastfeeding my 2.5y old intermittently.

If you are getting anything get yourself a nice water bottle that you can drink from lying down (Camelback or something) and a nice mug that will keep your tea warm. Breastfeeding is thirsty work!

I've prepared to breastfeed my second she is due any day. I breastfed my first. Here is what I've done:

• pregnacare breastfeeding tablets
• bras and reusable pads
• nipple cream
• National breastfeeding helpline and details of my local support group on kitchen notice board
• done some research (Emily Norris on YouTube is a good starting point)
• snacks galore throughout the house. My bedside table is full of brunch bars! I also have a good water bottle.
• multi mam breast compresses from boots as these were a life saver last time in the first couple of weeks! Great pain relief.
• paracetamol and ibuprofen stocked up

Good luck!

Muslins. Lots of them. More for you than baby.

I actually struggled but managed with shields and wished I'd had those earlier as could then have established breastfeeding properly.

Lanisoh, muslins, reusable breast pads (softer than disposable) and some cami tops to put under tshirts or jumpers.

Being as stress-free as possible. My breastfeeding was affected by stress.

Oh and always have a large glass of water ready as breastfeeding can make you very very thirsty.

I didn’t buy anything... maybe breast pads and nipple cream that’s all. Nothing like formula or bottles etc.

Don't bother with a pricey pump. Get a Haakaa (or the Aldi version which is a fiver!) which is like a suction thing that catches your letdown from one boob while you're feeding from the other. If you have a decent supply you'll catch loads of milk. I was the same as you when I was pregnant and hadn't bought anything, saw this in Aldi and bought it as I thought it's better than nothing. Forgot about it for about 3 months and wish I'd used it way earlier!

Also, I'd forget about pricey and fiddly nursing bras, just get comfy, non underwired crop top type bras that you can easily pull down (although I say this as someone with relatively small boobs so I understand this might not be enough support for everyone).

You will leak milk. Possibly quite a lot. Worth getting either a waterproof mattress protector (useful in case your water breaks unexpectedly in any event) or at least some puppy pads to lie on. Also worth getting some nipple cream even if you get nothing else because it can be a bit painful to start with while you get used to it (and it doubles as decent lip balm if you don't need it).

And if you intend to breastfeed to a schedule and you also want to be away from the baby a any point, get a breast point as it can be very painful to have full breasts and for the milk to have nowhere to go. It can also be less painful to express in the shower if you aren't intending to breastfeed soon or if you are finishing breastfeeding.

pump, not point.

A good book on bf - now is a good time to read. The food of love is a good commonsensical and reliable read. If you want the a-z of the whole thing with chapters on the first few stages and lots of troubleshooting chapters in case needed then try the lll book ‘the womanly art of breastfeeding’.

Reading up really helped me not panic when I wondered if things were normal or not!

A couple of really soft stretchy bras for the first week because you have no idea what size you will be. My size changed dramatically.

Money set aside to buy bras once you have an idea what size you will need. This is true even if you don’t breastfeed. They may not return to pre-pregnancy size .

The number to a good lactation consultant or even better a local service that has coverage 24/7. We had this and they saved us. Called them in the middle of the night and they talked us through and then we saw someone in the morning.

Some money set aside in case you end up needing any particular supplies.

Forgot to mention I do have some disposable breast pads for hospital (plan to get reusable for home) and some Lanisoh nipple cream.

I've heard of nipple shields but not entirely sure what they are for

@Blossom64265

A couple of really soft stretchy bras for the first week because you have no idea what size you will be. My size changed dramatically.

Money set aside to buy bras once you have an idea what size you will need. This is true even if you don’t breastfeed. They may not return to pre-pregnancy size .

The number to a good lactation consultant or even better a local service that has coverage 24/7. We had this and they saved us. Called them in the middle of the night and they talked us through and then we saw someone in the morning.

Some money set aside in case you end up needing any particular supplies.

lactation consultant? Is that the equivalent of a midwife/health visitor in the UK?

I agree with others, don't worry about buying pumps or equipment for bottle feeding you can get anything you need afterwards when you see how you go. I think like a previous poster I did have a small pack of ready to go formula just in case but no more than 4 bottles I think.

Practically the other things you can get are:
Lansinoh nipple cream
Water bottle for you to keep hydrated
Snacks for you
Create a feeding area for yourself mainly for the night feeds where you have everything at hand; changing stuff, nappies, spare change of clothes for baby, snacks for you, TV remote, water bottle, nipple cream.

The other thing I would say is have the helplines at hand already. Work out who you call when it's not going well. If you're in hospital for the birth make sure you ask, ask and ask again for someone to check you feeding. Those first 24 hours are key to getting off on the right foot so make sure you ask for help every time baby latches - ring that call buzzer. Don't feel embarrassed to ask.

It takes a good few weeks to establish feeding so be prepared for a lot of you basically sitting down and feeding baby and not a lot else.....and that's ok! It does get better and it will stop hurting but inevitably it's sore to start (that's where the Lansinoh cream helps)
Good luck!

The number of a good tongue tie practitioner, the details of a lactation consultant, muslins and a load of stretchy vest tops from Primark

Some nursing vests - I got mine from H&M a few years ago. They had the inbuilt support which held the breast pads in the right place, but were comfy enough to sleep in. I know some people just sleep in button down tops, and I moved to that eventually but for a while I would leak a lot (just generally, and from the non-feeding breast while DD was feeding on the other side) and needed a top to hold the breast pads against me properly.
Other than that, plus breast pads and nursing bras, I didn’t use anything. I think I bought nipple cream but never used it, and never needed a shield either. I was quite lucky, breastfeeding never caused me pain.

I’d really recommend doing some courses! I learned so much and definitely had a successful journey because of it (how to prevent problems, what’s normal, a good latch etc)

mybabyacademy.co.uk/free-online-breastfeeding-workshop/ Something like this or have a google! Also followed lots of lactation consultants on Instagram! Best of luck! I hope you enjoy it!

Sounds like you have everything you need already, pads and creams. I wouldn't waste money on anything else until you know if you need it. Was a long time ago but fed three, none ever had a bottle and I didn't get on with a breast pump but only tried when weaning as trying to use breast milk for their cereal.

I beast fed all of mine and never had a thing apart from disposable beast pads. Shields and creams are only necessary if the latching on isn't great but if that's right, you won't need anything 🙂