Confession: even after three babies, I’m far from a breastfeeding expert. Like a lot of women, my experience was… less natural and more painful than I had anticipated (to say the least). I’ll save the deep dive into my experience for later… but for now, there are a few essentials I can say without a doubt helped me to be as successful as possible. These would be great to toss together as a shower gift (Mama may not be registered for all of these!) or to stock up in advance for yourself.

1) My Breast Friend nursing pillow AKA the literal holy grail of nursing pillows. I cannot say enough positive things about this pillow! It is absolutely essential for practicing a latch while in a less-than-mobile state (because you likely have stitches somewhere on your body) with a brand new human.

2) These double layer camisoles … Honestly I still sleep in these every night. But they were first purchased early in pregnancy as things started to, ahem, expand and become sensitive. Early during postpartum, I wore them nonstop, and actually chose them over all the “breastfeeding friendly” bras / tanks / tops because they were so supportive yet comfortable and easy to pull up for feedings.

3) Nursing pads to slip right into the above camis. Essential for both comfort and leakage! I also had these washable and reusable nursing pads and loved them as well.

4) Nipple cream – absolutely necessary. They provided little packets of it at the hospital, but once I got home I was on my own. This was by far my favorite brand!

4) Manual breast pump – this was great for moving things along as milk came in and allowed me to be a bit more in control than the hospital-grade electric pump (which was great for a new mom). I also used this during a hot shower both as milk came in and later during a nasty course of mastitis.

5) Hot / cold compress pads to slide right into the camis above. The first couple weeks, I would use these warmed before each feeding. They were also vital during the unpredicted mastitis. I don’t think I ever used them cold, but I can certainly see how that would be soothing.

Breastfeeding is HARD. Nothing I can say could prepare you for the challenge (or the reward!) of proving nourishment to a brand new human. Hopefully a few of these items make your journey a bit more comfortable and natural! Good luck mama. You can do hard things! 🌿