This post is in collaboration with Walmart® – All opinions are my own
National Breast Feeding Awareness month was declared by the USBC on August 6th, 2011. The purpose is to help drive awareness and support to mothers breast feeding all over the country. There are many organizations that support NBM in a big part of online actions and conversations. When I was in the hospital after I had my first born, I remember being surrounded by an onslaught of nurses, doctors, and breast feeding consultants who were extremely supportive in help me to breast feed my daughter, and left me with all the tips and resources they could give me as I started my breast feeding journey.
The truth, in my opinion, about breast feeding is that for many mothers it is very, very hard. It not only is uncomfortable at first, but it is hard to get a good latch and that can be emotional for a mother who so desperately wants to feed her new baby. I know this feeling all to well, and to this day I am sad about how hard my breast feeding journey was. It was really difficult for me to be able to keep up my supply. For both my first and second daughters, my breasts stopped producing milk at or around 6 weeks. 6 WEEKS! In my opinion that is not enough time at all. Aside from that I suffered D-MER as well. If you are not familiar with D-MER or think you may have it, you can check out my recent blog post HERE sharing my personal experience and a detailed explanation of what it is.
With that said, producing enough milk can be another very hard part about breast feeding, and juggling emotions on top of it…well I am sure you can imagine! Being prepared is SO important, and one of the least important parts of becoming a mother that women focus on. You don’t really know what you will need until you need it!
In honor of NBM Walmart® is recognizing these issues and providing support to mothers by providing customers with discounts and deals that have lasted all month long and continue to roll into the next week. As a mother of now two, I am able to share some of my favorite breast feeding supplies with you, and why I think they are important. See a break down of my personal descriptions below, and you can use the shopping widget at the end to go directly to any product page that may catch your eye.
I tried two different types of breast pumps, and Medela was my favorite by a long shot. I also liked to pump one breast at a time and not both, so I truly believe that this single pump breast pump is all any mother needs.
A good nursing pillow is a must, but they always end up getting used for so many other things. This nursing pillow comes with a safety strap for your baby. It saves you from having to hold the baby constantly, and serves as a safe way to prop your baby up without sliding.
I did not realize how much breast feeding hurt in the beginning. Until your nipples get used to it, they can get dry, blistered, crack and bleed, or even develop mastitis. These nursing pads help with leaks while providing your nipples with a cooling gel pad that is reusable for those more painful days.
I had to use lactation supplements A LOT when I was breast feeding. These help your body to produce more milk when you need to increase your supply. Because I started to dry up, I used lactation supplements to boost my milk production and for many weeks it worked extremely well for me! At one point I even had a freezer full of milk that I had stored to use later!
Breast Milk Storage Bags and Bottles
You can never have to many storage bags, this is a great deal for a lot! I also really loved having the extra storage bottles so I could put them in the fridge to warm up later for others to use to feed the baby.
This cover up is amazing because it is so universal, this will be your favorite item by far. Not only is it a cover up for breast feeding in public, but it also doubles as a car seat cover, shopping cart cover, high chair and seat cover…. Plus it is super soft and breathable. Love this!
Organic, Washable, (and cute) Nursing Pads
Once you get to a point where your used to breast feeding, washable nursing pads are a great way to save money. These ones are not only super pretty and affordable, but they are organic too!
The ice pack and lanolin are self explanatory. I used the ice packs way more than I thought I would because I always had to take extra bottles with me on the go, or I would have to store milk I pumped while out and keep it cool until I got home! Lanolin is the best thing you can do for your nipples, and I put it on after every single feeding.
SHOP THIS POST
