My 'Must Haves' for Nursing

 I decided to share with CDA readers what I have found to be helpful to have around as a nursing mommy. Micah is now 9 weeks and nurses like a champ {He LOVES to eat}!


The first item is Lansinoh milk storage bags. Obviously as a nursing mommy you need something to keep milk in that you pump. My favorite bags are the Lansinoh ones although there are so many other great options out there. I like that these come in a little bit bigger bag that also has the ziplock feature on it so you can easily get the bags out. It also has a perforated hole in it so you can just open it and pull the bags out though the hole.

 My next must have item is a hand pump. I will honestly say I have only used this a couple of times but it has been a life saver during those times. When I go out on Tuesdays to do all my shopping and errands sometimes Micah just feels the need to sleep the whole time which results in me having a massive amount of milk ready to explode out of me. I honestly don't want to walk into Meijer and all of the sudden have wet spots all over my shirt so I will just grab my little pump and express some milk to relieve myself of soreness and the possibility of a wet shirt. I have the Evenflow SimplyGo hand pump. I choose this one simply because it was the cheapest one at the store.

 I have a very good supply of milk and a heavy let down when Micah eats which results in milk getting spit and sputtered all over the place. So I defiantly need spit rags. We go though these pretty fast so its nice to have a little pile handy to just grab and go.

 We currently have a temporary changing station in our room on our dresser for Micah because he is still sleeping in our room in a bassinet. I keep a small green basket on the dresser next to the changing pad filled with nursing pads and nipple cream.

 I have a tube of medela lanolin cream. I can be lucky enough to say that I haven't had to use this once because Micah had a great latch right from the beginning and I didn't have any issues with cracking or dryness. However its kept close by in case anything does happen. I used this stuff most with my 1st son who was a horrible nurser and it helped out a lot with my cracked spots.

 While nursing Zeke (our second son) I got sick of spending tons of money on disposable nursing pads so I gradually built up my stash of washable ones. My favorite were the Knickernappies nursing pads and that is all I have now in my pile. They have a water proof backing to help prevent leaks but if Micah has gone a longer amount of time than normal in between feedings I will occasionally leak though.

 Nursing tops are a must as well as dresses. Micah will have attended 4 weddings in the first 3 months of his life which means that I need dresses that are cute but nursing friendly. I was able to find some nice ones on clearance at Target!

 A Hair Tie. Yes that is correct. I MUST HAVE A HAIR TIE for nursing...why? Because I have three boys and for the life of me can not ever remember what side I nursed on last! So I simply hook a small hair tie around my bra on the side that is due to be nursed on next and I am good to go. I mean really what mother who just had a baby and has had no sleep at all can remember what side is due to be fed off of?

 I also am glad I have my Medela Pump In Style double electric pump. Our hospital sells pumps there at a discounted price to moms which is so awesome. We got this pump after having our first son and now it is being used on our third. I can honestly say that I hate, hate, hate pumping and give thousands of kudos to the ladies that do it every day for their baby's because for what ever reason they can't nurse, or have to work etc. Bless their hearts. However I don't need to pump a ton but this bad boy is handy to have!

 Kindle- a must have to keep you awake while nursing or entertained in the least. I also find that I am able to nurse Micah longer when I have something for myself to do so the Kindle is great to have! (However my almost 4 year old snatched this while I was nursing and that quick he stepped on it and broke it! So I know have the kindle app on my phone but can't wait to save up enough money to buy a new actual kindle)

 DVD's...what in the world am I thinking right? WRONG! I know I would never make it though the night with out a DVD to keep me awake while nursing. I always am afraid I'm going to fall asleep while nursing and drop him or something so I started watching movies at night while nursing Micah and it helps greatly with keeping me awake and alert. He nurses for about 20-30 mins at night so it takes a couple nights to watch a movie but thats alright!

 A nursing cover. This one I made myself and I have only used it a couple times. Now Micah and I are pretty good with discrete public nursing and I just use my top shirt to cover myself so no one can see anything.

 My boppy pillow has been a life saver. With having a c-section your lower torso is really sore so having a boppy to help hold your baby up as well as provide a little bit of protection for your incision is nice.

 A comfy place to sit while nursing...a must!

 A cute hungry baby...a must! (However he isn't hungry in this picture but he was just to cute sleeping away with a full tummy.

 Cloth Diaper Addiction on the phone...a must!

What are some of your must have items for nursing?