Building a Breastfeeding Survival Kit for Real Moms

I sat in the rocking chair of my room in the maternity ward, a pillow propped under my elbow to help support the baby's head as he nursed. His beautiful little cheeks worked as he fed, and he made tiny squeaking noises. My mother quietly walked into the room. "Oh, you're nursing! Is it going OK?" she asked.

I nodded and she came over to peak at the baby's little angel face. "Oh Jessie, I'm almost jealous," she said looking at him in enchantment. It was one of the sweetest moments of my life, and there were many to follow.

Nursing created a close bond between me and my baby. I have a friend who's little boy is only a couple of months older than mine, and my son received much more physical contact and cuddling than hers who was bottle fed. I have seen the lasting effects of nursing my son as at nineteen months he is a much more secure little boy than the other. He has been weened for several months but still likes to sit in my lap and cuddle, which I relish.

If you are planning to nurse your new baby, I say in advance, congratulations. It will be a beautiful experience. Now pregnant with my second child, I wait in anticipation to enjoy that delightful part of motherhood again. However, breastfeeding isn't all sunshine and roses. The first time I attempted it, I struggled in frustration to get my newborn son to latch on correctly. In the early weeks my nipples became sore, my breasts engorged, and I often woke up soaked in milk. Sometimes, even though I enjoyed the closeness with my baby, I was just tired. Before I began pumping milk, it was difficult to leave home if I couldn't get back before his next feeding. When I returned to work, I had a hard time maintaining my milk supply and eventually my son weened himself.

There were a handful of indispensable helpers that got me through the more difficult parts of nursing. These are my recommendations for your breastfeeding survival kit.

Whether you're working, every mom should have the convenience of pumping milk in case she needs to go run errands or spend a night out with her husband. If you're only going to need milk occasionally a hand pump will work just fine and I recommend the Ameda One Hand Breast Pump (amazon.com). This simple pump doesn't have the bells and whistles some other pumps do, but that's what makes it so good. There aren't a hundred little parts to misplace or damage, and it's quite sturdy. Easy to put together, take apart, and clean, this little pump will serve you well. If you're working though, pumping by hand just isn't practical. You could rent an electric breast pump, but if you plan to nurse for more than a few weeks, buying one of your own would serve you better. The Medela Swing Pump (motherhood.com) is reasonably priced and lightweight so it's easy to carry to and from work.

In the beginning you may have more milk than you need. You'll appreciate a heavy duty nursing pad. I prefer to stick to disposable pads rather than the reusable cloth ones, and during those early days of nursing and for nighttime wear I liked the Gerber Premium Contoured Nursing Pad, Heavy Flow (drugstore.com). When you're milk begins to level off you may want a less bulky pad for the daytime. My favorite pads were Lansinoh Ultra Soft Disposable Nursing Pads (drugstore.com). These pads have a contoured oblong shape rather than the more common round shape and actually fit more naturally,are less noticeable if you wear an unlined bra, and offer better comfort.

For sore nipples a lot of sources recommend pure lanolin. However, lanolin is very thick and goopy. I found another remedy that actually worked better without leaving sticky residue on my skin. Mama Rose's Naturals Nipple Cream (birthandbabyorders.com) is an organic balm that contains ingredients like chamomile, mango butter, and jojoba oil, among others. It's so soothing and it's safe for your baby.

When nipples are sore, friction from nursing pads can irritate them even more. Playtex soothing gel pads (drugstore.com) relieve that minor annoyance and help your nipples heal faster.

When your milk first comes in your breasts will likely feel engorged. This condition can range from mildly irritating to very painful. Gerber Breast Therapy Warm/Cool relief packs (drugstore.com) really helped relieve this symptom for me. I tried just using a cool or warm washcloth but it didn't seem to really be effective and wasn't as convenient.

At about six weeks it's time to start pumping some milk. It's not recommended that you do this any earlier as is necessary to firmly establish breastfeeding. When I pumped I much preferred storing milk in bags rather than in the bottles that came with the pump because they took up less room and I could store more milk without spending money on extra bottles. Lansinoh Breast milk Storage Bags (drugstore.com) work great and are reasonably priced.

For feeding baby, my favorite bottles are Playtex Drop Ins Nursers (babysrus.com). You can buy both slow and fast flow nipples for these bottles and you can start right off with the 8 oz. bottle because the drop ins are available in both 4 and 8 oz sizes. I like to save a little money by buying Parent's Choice bottle liners (available at Wal-Mart).

The Playtex Fridge to Go Cooler (amazon.com) is a great accessory for your nursing or diaper bag. Take it with you to work in or attached to your nursing bag to store pumped milk. Use it with your diaper bag to keep bottles of breast milk cold when you and your baby are on the go.

When I had my son, I bought one regular nursing bra and two sleep bras from Motherhood. I never liked the regular nursing bra and instead wore a wireless bra that was easy to lift up. It worked better since I didn't wear nursing tops anyway and so had to lift my shirts up too. I did love the sleep bras though because they were soft and comfortable and had a faux wrap design so I never had to worry about clips (motherhood.com). I also recommend nightgowns or pajamas with a faux wrap design for easy nighttime nursing.

With a few basic items to make breastfeeding run a little smoother, it can be a beautiful and memorable part of motherhood. Remember, what worked for me may not work for you, but I hope that at least some of this information makes your nursing experience easier so that you can focus on nourishing and bonding with your baby.