Hoping to breastfeed - What to buy!

I wouldn’t buy a pump until you know breastfeeding is working out for you and you actually want to pump (it’s a lot of work). I’d also not waste money on sterilisers and lots of bottles - I did and my baby never took a single one 😅 I’d stick with what you have, good nipple cream and then see where your journey takes you. It’s to easy to pop out for those things or order next day delivery if you require down the line. I also think having bottles etc in the house makes it easier to give up too early in the start. It can be difficult at the beginning as you and baby are learning a new skill but in the long run it’s a beautiful bonding experience and once you both find your groove so much easier and less to think about than bottles, sterilising etc x

The best thing you can do in advance for a successful journey is educate yourself! Lucy Webber on Instagram has some excellent resources. Research the fourth trimester and cluster feeding. Watch videos of the correct latch, common teething issues etc. You’ll thank yourself down the line! x

@Yasmin thank you thats super helpful to know, I was thinking the same about not wanting the expense in case it's not used (pump/bottles etc.) but wasn't sure if I'd be expected to bring those items to the hospital in case breastfeeding wasn't possible for any reason x

Silverettes for early breastfeeding pain. My nipples were in rough shape the first 2 weeks. Silverettes were a lifesaver. Also Haakka manual pump for once you’re milk comes in. It can collect milk from one breast while baby feeds on the other so leaking milk doesn’t go to waste. Also great for relieving clogged ducts with warm water and epson salt. Clogged ducts and mastitis are common in the first 6 weeks.

Also educate yourself on avoiding clogged ducts before you start breast feeding. They are painful and can screw up your milk supply.

@Hannah hospitals will provide formula if for any reason you aren’t able to breastfeed but if you wanted a backup you can buy ready to feed bottles with teats for hospital which you’d take even if formula feeding as there is nowhere in hospital usually to sterilise bottles etc x

I bought a ready made formula bottle to the hospital with me, they do have formula on the ward if you have issues with feeding but i wanted a vegetarian brand. You are given help as my milk wasn’t coming in straight away after c-section. I had midwifes helping me and they also bought me a breast pump to use while i was on the ward. i’d bought three bottles and milk freezer bags and an elvie pump which collected from the other boob not in use. i was breast feeding and also bottle feeding (breast milk) so my husband could help. im a planer so had to get everything so i felt prepared.

@Samantha thank you for your advice I'll take a look!

@Victoria thank you that's helpful to know, also a planner so feel a bit at a loss of just waiting to see what happens! 🙈

The best thing to guarantee breastfeeding is knowledge. Invest in a breastfeeding class if you can. The reason why women are unsuccessful BF is lack of knowledge not supply issues in reality. Cause the supply issues they have is due to not knowing what they’re doing. Waiting to see what happens is not the best approach at all. Learn about the golden hour, establishing a DEEP latch, what can interfere with breastfeeding, baby stomach size and needs, how demanding it is, cluster feeding, when to introduce bottles/pacifier and definitely make sure your pediatrician is breastfeeding friendly AND knowledgeable. A lot of them aren’t and can’t support moms so they offer formula quickly or make you supplement when it’s not needed. If you decide to get a pump: learn about how to use it. Flange sizing, getting the right settings, when to pump. Also you already have milk it’s called colostrum. Once you give birth colostrum transforms into mature milk 2-7days after birth. That’s what people

Call “milk coming in”. It can take days so if it does it’s not a problem. Colostrum is more than sufficient for baby. Also breastfed babies can lose up to 11% of their birthweight. That’s totally normal. But some doctors feel anything above 8% is too much and they make moms supplement. So that’s why it’s important to get a breastfeeding friendly pediatrician. Take babies up to 2weeks to get back to birth weight and that’s also within the normal range. Just make sure you educate yourself. It’s not a luck thing it’s really knowing what you’re doing or you can mess it up for yourself without knowing.

@✨Wis 🇭🇹 thanks I'll take a look at breastfeeding courses

I’d research a pump, steriliser and bottles that you can quickly buy if needed. Pumping ended up saving my breastfeeding journey as he wouldn’t latch, so I purely pumped with a bit of formula for 3 months but it was a complete faff and something I would never do again. However, at 7 months we are now EBF without a problem. I have read good things about silverettes and I would get those next time. It might not be something you want to do, but I wished I’d bought the ready made bottles of formula for the first few days. The night we brought him home he wouldn’t feed and the hospital said we had to give formula but all the shops were closed then and we couldn’t get hold of it until the next morning. Something I would personally definitely have in next time in case

@Harriet thank you that's good to know!

I bought a medela manual breast pump as it's only cheap and easy to clean etc not too many pieces to start off and just a few mam bottles because I'm a bit nervous to breastfeed in public but if you feel comfortable please please do because having to try and pump beforehand especially early on is such a faff and difficult too- hoping it'll get easier- I bought a cover haven't gotten any breastfeeding clothes so maybe that would help lol - Nipple shields could potentially be a good thing to buy just in case your baby struggles with latching /has tongue tie or something like that I found it useful earlier on when my baby was sometimes finding latching difficult xx

I'll probably get an electric or hands free one at one point but I feel like starting off it was a good choice for me xx

@Charis thank you I'll take a look at that breast pump and nipple shields

I disagree with the advice not to get a pump — it can be a really useful tool to help establish your supply and support breastfeeding. I had a pump but hadn’t cleaned/prepped the pump parts and also hadn’t gotten a flange measuring tool or the correct size flanges (thinking that my nipple size might be different after I was no longer pregnant) but I ended up wishing I had correctly sized pump parts clean and ready to go. It felt like forever to get them even with next day shipping and my mom to clean them for me and I wished I’d spent some time getting familiar with the pump I got before when I needed it

Definitely follow some really good breastfeeding accounts on Instagram like Lucy Webber and Olivia Hinge. They both also have books out which you can request from your library or buy! Also stock up on some snacks and have a good 'to watch' list as you're gonna spend a lot of time initially with a baby attached to you 🤣 I also got nipple shields which saved my feeding journey and just gradually weaned my baby off them once we had got position and actually going to the boob in place! Good luck ☺️

@Charlotte thank you! Do you recommend any particular nipple shields?

My biggest advise is not to buy things until you know you need them. For the first couple months, your focus will likely to be to get your baby on your breast as much as possible. We followed our lactation specialist’s advice as to not to introduce a bottle until 6 weeks. At that point I realizes breastfeeding was WAY EASIER for me than pumping, storing milk, washing bottles, so on. I literally used my electric pump once. I loved my haaka. It suctions to the opposite breast when you’re nursing and is a passive way to “pump” and store a stash of milk. Focus on your needs… set up some cozy stations for you to nurse in with water, snacks, burp towels. Get some paperback books to keep you company during late night feeds. Think about how you want to be supported in breastfeeding… can your friends/family set up a mealtrain for you? Can a partner take baby for you in the morning so you can sleep in after long nights of being away breastfeeding?

@Anne thank you that's super helpful to know

@Hannah I used the mam ones I think because they came with a sterilisation case and they took about a minute to sterilise after feeding but there might be better ones out there!

@Charlotte thank you