1. Practical Baby Shower Gifts for Breastfeeding

+ lots of awesome unsolicited advise! Planning to breastfeed? Or know someone expecting a baby that plans to? Then have I got a list for you! This is my personal journey through breastfeeding and the products that saved me. {…and the “ladies”} Each one of these things are amazingly practical baby shower gifts for breastfeeding moms, or at least those who plan to breastfeed.

My Journey with Breastfeeding

I am a pump and feed mom:

• My first never learned to latch. I know what you’re going to ask. EVERYONE did. Yes, I worked with the nurse, my doctor, and a lactation specialist. Nothing worked and we were both so miserable I gave up and starting pumping and bottle-feeding, but needed to supplement with formula after 2 bouts of mastitis reduced my milk supply. I had to let go of “ideal” and moved on. We had a very rocky {and painful} beginning but I pumped for 5 whole months {which is an eternity in pump time} and still feel good about my effort, regardless of the cutting remarks of “well-meaning” individuals.
• My second baby breastfed well until meningitis landed us in the hospital for 10 days, at just a week old. A bottle was the only thing he’d accept during his illness and sadly he never went back again. I pumped and bottle-fed exclusively for 6 months this time.
• My third child nursed well until he lost interest at eight months and I pumped the remainder of his first year.

Breastfeeding products that saved my bacon

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on a link and purchase anything, I might receive a small commission, at no cost to you. All ideas are my own and I would never recommend anything that I wouldn't use myself. Please see my disclosure page for any questions. Thanks for supporting Halfpint Design so we can continue providing awesome party ideas!

I personally relied on each of these products and share my finds with those of you wondering, “what on earth should I do?” Breastfeeding is a wonderful thing but it’s complicated and doesn’t always work the way you envisioned. Prepare all you can but the final decision for what’s right is between you and your baby.

Breast Pump:

Even if you are planning to stay home with baby a good breast pump is essential so you have the freedom to leave your baby for more than 4 hours at a time and I don’t know, maybe go on a date and get to know your husband again! A pump is also really important to help clear clogged milk ducts. The best pumps on the market are from Medela but there are a few different options depending on your needs.

Medela Freestyle:

This pump is awesome for moms on the go. If you have to get back to work or just have a busy lifestyle this pump is small and allows for easy pumping just about anywhere. I used this pump for all three of my children and loved it. There are reviews for a side-by-side comparison with the Medela “Pump in Style” that rate it lower for power and suction. The other negative was a battery reset lasting for a full 24 hours but I’ve never had any problem with my batteries or needing to reset. I like that it works with a battery or plugged in so you have options. I have used it just about everywhere!

Medela Pump in Style:

This pump is great for Mom's who will be pumping exclusively, but is more bulky and you need to carry the whole bag. It rates higher on power and suction but needs to be plugged in which means you’ll need a room with an outlet instead of a bathroom stall or your car. This lack of mobility was my deciding factor.

 

Medela Harmony Manual Pump:

A manual pump is good for moms who don’t plan to pump often and aren’t away from their baby long. You may still need to pump when baby doesn’t finish a feeding, or you produce more milk than baby needs. I never had that problem but some people do, and it’s a lot more comfortable to have a pump when you need it.

 

Breastpump Bra:

The Meleda pumps come with a ridiculous hands-free option that you will end up throwing away. This Simple Wishes Handsfree Breastpump Bra is a lifesaver! With my compact Freestyle pump I was able to {carefully} go about my day with two free hands. Without some kind of hands-free option, you either have to pump one side at a time or you don’t have the hands to even turn the pump off without making a mess!

 

Lansinoh Salve:

To quote one mom, this is a “boob-saver” for sure! Breastfeeding is not comfortable for the first few weeks and you’ll be glad you have Lansinoh Breastfeeding Salve for the first month. This is really one of the only products you can use that is safe for baby and actually does anything to help your tender skin. I recommend you put it on after EVERY SINGLE feeding as a preventative. You can get a full size tube or 3 travel sized Lansinoh tubes that you can stash in the diaper bag, car, or anywhere you might nurse and want to have it handy.

 

Nursing Pads:

If you are reading this while pregnant, please don’t freak out. You too will get through it and probably do a much better job than I! You will need nursing pads in the beginning. You leak milk, it’s not sexy, but it’s the truth. It doesn’t matter which brand you get but these are my personal preference. I really wanted to like the reusable ones that I could wash and feel good about not creating more waste. I really did. But I could not. They were ok for the first use but after washing and drying they get bulky and no longer stay flat and defeat the purpose of a “discreet” pad. I was not about to iron them and they took too long to air-dry. If the cotton or bamboo pads work for you, that’s awesome. But these Johnson's Disposable Nursing Pads worked perfectly for me. They are cup shaped and have the most natural fit and feel of all I tried.

Boppy Nursing Pillow:

The Boppy Nursing Pillow and Positioner is so important for nursing or bottle feeding that it made BOTH of my lists of must have baby shower gifts. It’s more critical for breastfeeding moms because of the awkward angles you need to hold baby for a proper latch, but it helps save your shoulder, back, and elbows whether you feed by boob or bottle.

Great Nursing Bra:

What makes a bra great varies widely from woman to woman. I can't solve all your problems but I can tell you that I loved the bras from Bravado! Their Body Silk Seamless Nursing Bras are great. They have removable lining and no underwire. It's REALLY important that you get a bra without wires. I know that seems counterintuitive because you'll feel like you need all the support you can get, but the wires can clog milk ducts so it's really not worth it. {trust me!}

The Topwhere all cotton bras are more comfortable for nighttime wearing. They are like cross over sports bras {only not so tight}. You NEVER want to wear a sports bra that hugs you too tight. That can cause clog milk ducts, or worse, reduce your milk supply. Save the sports bra for weaning your baby, when you WANT to slow production.

 

Soothies Pads:

I can’t tell you how much these Lansinoh Soothies Pads saved me. They are farther down on the list but don’t let that diminish their importance. You won’t need them for very long but they are indispensible in that first week {or two} to ease the discomfort {ie: pain} of nursing. They are expensive and don’t last too long but when you can’t stand the thought of yet another feeding, they can save the day. {…or at least your boobies}

 

Breastmilk Storage Bags:

If you are pumping and are lucky enough to have surplus these Breastmilk Storage Bags come in really handy. I haven’t tried the new version that allows you to pump directly into the bag but it’s easy enough to pour from the bottle to the bag. Make sure you label the amount and date cause it’s impossible to know once you lay it flat to freeze. I used the milk storage bags with The First Years Breastflow Milk Storage Organizer for freezing that took much less space and kept the bags flat and chronological for easy identification and feeding. The only caution is that the bags can develop holes in them, which leak when thawing, if they slide back and forth so load new bags at the back.

Nursing Cover:

When nursing or pumping it's nice to be discreet with this 360 Full Coverage Nursing Cover. The poncho style means your back is covered and baby can't easily push it aside. This particular cover is multi-purpose and can also be used as a car seat and shopping cart cover. The apron style covers work well like the “Hooter Hiders” by Bebe au Lait, and many have a handy rigid neckline to hold it open so you can see baby, handsfree. They do not cover your back however and can be easily brushed aside, so it depends on what level of modesty you're looking for.

Nursing Nipple shield:

This Medela Nursing Shield is a tool that you might not need but comes in really handy if you are uncomfortably sore and dreading the next feeding. It can help babies that have difficulty latching. {except my daughter, of course} But the nice thing is that it gives your skin a layer of protection and can buy you a little extra healing time between feedings. I got one in the hospital, make a note to ask about it. *Here are some tips to avoid nipple confusion while using a nipple shield.

Mastitis Prevention:

DoTerra's Citrus Bliss and Lavender Essential oils work like magic to clear up my mastitis. I have finicky ducts as I said and didn’t know enough the first time around about what was even happening. I had two severe cases of mastitis, the first one when my milk was coming in. I’d read that it could be uncomfortable so I wrote off the pain, redness, and swelling as normal. Until it was VERY clear that this was NOT normal. I only had one mild case of mastitis with my second but lots of clogging and discomfort. I finally found the citrus bliss/lavender combination for my last child and it was a total game changer. Not only did it prevent any mastitis but also it took care of the flare-ups literally overnight. It was incredible. Amazing claims are hard to believe so I hesitated, but recommended it to a friend who was miserable. She praised my name the next day when her pain was gone and the duct had started to clear. She has now gone on to share it with all of her friends. So for our very last tip I needed to share it with you.

I do not sell essential oils and use several different brands but haven’t found a great replacement for DoTerra’s “Citrus Bliss”. The lavender you can get anywhere as long as it’s pure. I’m not a medical professional so make sure to call your doctor if your fever spikes or if the oils don’t make a noticeable difference overnight.

Ready for Baby

I got quite personal today and I hope you didn’t mind. This isn’t about having a great baby shower; this is about setting moms up to succeed. I’m a big fan of helping a momma out when I can. I hope these practical baby shower gifts for breastfeeding can elevate the newborn experience for yourself or a loved one. It’s not all rainbows and sunshine. It’s hard, it hurts, and not all the tears will be from baby. But I want to make it better, so please pass the word so I can try! Share on Facebook, Pin, or Tweet if there's anyone you know that could benefit from this list. If breastfeeding isn’t part of the plan, that’s ok, there are lots of other must have gifts ideas for mom that will help on the journey. If I've left anything out of the must have's for breastfeeding or for baby, let me know in the comments. I'd love to add them to the list.

Until next time,

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