Breastfeeding Essentials

This is me keeping it real for all the new moms out there. After many many hours of breastfeeding, these are the items I can't live without.

1. A smart phone. The first couple of months you will feel like you are constantly BF. That's because you are. You will get bored, you will need something mind numbing to do because you are too tired to concentrate on anything but you have to stay awake (Candy Crush was a great way to kill time). I always have my phone with me so I can text friends, read the news, play games, etc.

2. Water. BF makes you exceptionally thirsty. I have a small mountain of empty water bottles by my rocking chair. Funny that the photo shows a whole pallet of water because that's how much water I feel I drink every week.

3. Breast pads. Whatever boob your baby is not drinking from will leak. Make sure you have a breast pad in place to soak up the mess. You really don't want to get milk stains all over your nursing bras and have to do eatra laundry.

4. A sleeping nursing bra. I lived in these for the first couple of months. The ones at Target are really comfy and come in a pack of two. Target is now my favorite place to shop.

5. A nursing cover. I always make sure to have one in my diaper bag whenever we are out in public because you never know when baby will want to eat. I've nursed Parker in church, at resturants, at the park, etc. It also doubles as a good light blanket in a pinch. Gotta keep the girls covered up.

6. Baby wipes. Keep these handy for when baby decides to unlatch while you are gushing and gets sprayed in the face. Baby wipes are also good for wiping down your boobs, your bursing pillow and just about anything else you can think of.

7. Nipple cream. It's important to keep the milk machine well oiled so your nipples don't crack. One tube will last forever. Six months later, I'm still using the same tube I received at my babyshower. You can also use coconut oil.

8. My BrestFriend Pillow. Dumb name, great item. Our pediatrician recommended this to me after I told her about how much pain I was in trying to support Parker while BF. I had terrible carpal tunnel during my pregnancy and it didn't go away after I gave birth. This pillow saved my life.

9. A nursing bra. Invest in a 3-4 comfortable nursing bras. I like the Target (yay!) ones because they are affordable and wireless. Before giving birth, I also bought some You! lingerie bras and those are nice too when you want to spice things up. I also like the nursing bras available from Elle McPherson.

Breastfeeding Essentials by marychu featuring a Gilligan & O'Malley maternity