This is a list of
8 things I consider to be essential for your mommy journey, if...
1. you want to
keep it simple and
budget friendly
2. you want to
breastfeed
Once you're a mom - even for the shortest amount of time - you're newly pregnant friends, old classmates, instagram followers you haven't met in person etc. ask you for your advice on giving birth, breastfeeding and baby products. Since I'm not a delivery nurse or midwife or a lactation consultant at all I obviously can't give professional advice. I can tell you
what I used in those first six to eight weeks of baby limbo and beyond though! If you really need anything else you or better: somebody else could still get it later...
Remember that you need to
REST! That's the most important part! I'll repeat it!
REST and taking care of your baby are the most essential parts. Everything else can wait.
I knew this and still wanted to run around and be a "good mom" because I was so excited about having a baby and I was feeling great - until I wasn't. I'm also writing this for my future self!
REST, giiirrrlll!
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1. Comfortable Nursing bras
I decided to breastfeed because of all the health benefits but you should also consider the financial savings and the convenience. I've been a mommy since May 2019 and I've never made a bottle for my baby girl! I carry around the milk (mostly) sterile and at the perfect temperature all the time! That's why I need my boobies to be easily accessible. And I want to be comfortable so
nursing bras with no wires and thin straps is what I wanted and still wear.
I have ones similar to
these and also
these prettier ones by H&M with lace on them. But also how cute is
this one?
Check them out! Or click the image for the 5-pack! I really recommend those. It's so easy!
Some moms will say that you can just use any of the bras you already have (or no bra at all!) but I honestly find it way more comfortable to just unclick the bra and have a lot of room for my baby to latch on.
After a couple months of breastfeeding, when my breast stopped leaking all the time and I didn't have to wear breast pads anymore, I also started using my sports or lounge bras
like this one by Calvin Klein and
this shape by meUndies again. I do feel like they get wider from whipping out the boob though, so only use these if you don't mind.
2. Nursing pads
I've tried a lot of nursing pads but always went back to the Lansinoh ones.
Try them out!
I also thought about getting reusable and washable ones, which is obviously better for the environment but I honestly had so much laundry to do already and no dryer while I lived in Germany - so I ditched that idea fast. Maybe I'll try that with my next baby...
3. HUGE undies or the net ones from the hospital
(and Pads - a lot of them!)
I literally just bought underwear in XL (which I normally don't wear!) and tried to get a lot of fabric while still having undies which look somewhat cute. So I got undies similar to these:
Click the image if you're interested in them!
I don't know if that was naive because I didn't end up caring as much about how the undies looked on me as I thought I would while trying to keep a newborn and myself alive through these first weeks but whatever. I actually got them at Victoria's Secret when I could've just gotten simpler ones. But oh well... I stayed true to myself and my taste even through this phase of my life.
And don't forget the pads. Just get the biggest size you can get, preferbly without any plastic coating in or on them. Apparently plastic hinders the healing down there.
4. Lactation musli bars or cookies
(or just your favorite cereal bars!)
I got a bunch of lactation granola or musli bars for my baby shower and because I signed up for some store Baby newsletter programs in Germany. I don't know if they really helped with my lactation (my milk supply was great!) but they definitely did satisfy my hunger. I was literally ALWAYS hungry. I would say that I'm now often hungry. But in these first weeks I just wanted to eat ALL OF THE FOOD. So stack up on snacks. It would be cool if they were healthy but they should also be filling. And treats, so snacks you just like, to reward yourself for just having a baby. Obviously. C'mon.
5. Easy boob access tops & loose pants
I don't recall any mom ever telling me that it is annoying to keep your top up while you're breastfeeding when you're wearing a T-Shirt or Sweater or just any top without buttons or a zipper in the front. If I had heard that before I would've gotten more of them. Buttons and zippers are my best friends when it comes to tops these days.
You don't need tops specifically designed for breastfeeding but you can get them if you like them!
I like the nursing tank tops a lot actually.
Click the image to check them out :)
I love the
aah-mazingly soft boyfriend flannels from American Eagle outfitters so I already owned some of those. But also any other flannel or shirt with buttons in the front works. You can get them from any brand really. I also like wearing the tank tops which unclick under a zip-up hoodie or the buttoned shirts. You have to make sure all your layers are able to unbutton or unzip because otherwise there is no point in wearing them.
If you don't mind holding up a top or tucking it under your armpit, then don't worry about this essential. For me personally it's very important to this day though because holding my shirt up while feeding my hungry caterpillar is driving me nuts! By the way: I've heard of the
Breastfeeding clips but I just seem to be too forgetful for those. I can never remember to bring something like that, but I can remember to put on a shirt!
I only wore loose pants or a little bit tighter pants but a long shirt to cover my crotch for like 6 weeks after giving birth because of those the comfort and those HUGE PADS! I don't get how some moms wear leggings leaving the hospital - it just feels so uncomfortable (and you see the PAD!).
6. Easy bidet or Cleansing bottle
You might be asking yourself: What is that supposed to be?
Well, since we didn't have a bidet in our bathroom in Germany and I'm sure many people don't I got myself a so-called "Podusche" -
this one by HappyPo to be exact. You could also use one of
these Cleansing bottles I've learned you are given in hospitals the US, but to me it seems a little messier than using the Easy Bidet. The Easy bidet is held horizontally and still sprays upwards. It's very easy to use. I couldn't find it in the US but this
Frida Mom Upside down Peri Bottle, which comes pretty close to it, just doesn't look as stylish in my opinion:
Click the image if you want a clean and painless booty!
I don't want to go into detail too much. I'll just say that you use that after you use the bathroom instead of toilet paper and it feels waaay better down there! And it's very clean and hygienic!
7. Water & Lactation tea
Your baby wants to drink, so you have to as well! You obviously don't need fancy Fiji Water. I drank lots of water and all the tea my friends got me for my baby shower. I also liked drinking juices mixed with seltzer water - in Germany we call that Schorle. Generally I would recommend drinking any caffeine free drink that is not too high in sugar that you like. A lot of it! ;)
You could also treat yourself to a
pretty drinking cup to motivate yourself or put it on your registry!
8. Nipple shield & nipple cream
I wasn't sure if I should include those here in the essentials because not every new mom will need them. I only used the
Lansinoh nipple cream for a brief period. Actually just for two or three days.
In the beginning of our breastfeeding journey my baby girl had issues drinking from the left boob for some reason. I used a nipple shield on that side for around 3 to 4 months, mostly during the day, because at night she rarely had issues. I like the
Medela nipple shields because they come in a two-pack with a little case. You will most likely get sore nipples while your body gets used to breastfeeding and you could try these items to give you some ease.
I don't consider a breastmilk pump or a nursing pillow like the
Brest friend, the
Minky or the
Boppy an essential, just because I didn't use those products enough.
Remember: If you really feel like you need them, you can always
get them later!
I was very lucky to be able to be with my baby girl all the time because I didn't have to go back to school or work. I only had her godmother watch her a couple times while I was writing my thesis. These were the only times I used a manual breast pump to have some breastmilk for her while she's away from me. Otherwise I wouldn't have used it at all.
The nursing pillow I had, was useful while I was pregnant to prop me up while sleeping. I had bad acid reflux and was nauseous a lot. I also used it to lean on it while breastfeeding because I had already spent around 60-70 bucks on it but any other pillow could've done that job. Seriously.
It's so easy to get overwhelmed with product lists these days, so I hope you found this short list helpful.
Let me know what your essentials are or were!
Thanks for visiting my blog!
Mery
