5 Tips To Make Breastfeeding Easier & More Successful
Soft baby skin—there’s nothing sweeter. Photo courtesy Bady Abbas from Unsplash.
Are you a nursing mother or soon to be one? Awesome—congrats! It’s an amazing, exciting time. But it can also be overwhelming! Now that my son is two and I can look back at what products genuinely helped me on my breastfeeding journey, I am sharing them in the hopes that they will make your breastfeeding experience smoother as well.
Read on to discover the simple, affordable products and ideas that can make nursing easier and more enjoyable for both you and your little one.
Knowledge is Power
Before I tell you the products I used, I also want to mention something that helped me as a nursing mother: taking a breastfeeding class.
In addition to a more in-depth class on childbirth and childcare that spanned a number of weeks, I took a one-night class specifically about the ins and outs of breastfeeding while I was late in my pregnancy. I would definitely recommend having your partner or someone who is going to be helping you take the class with you (if they welcome plus-ones).
The nursing class gave me confidence and know-how that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. So, if you have the opportunity to take a breastfeeding class, do it!
the power of mindset
Another thing I want to call out as important (and not something you need to purchase) is mindset. After I had been marinating myself in all that could go wrong nursing-wise and thinking of the negative nursing experiences of some of my friends, my mom said something along the lines of, “Sometimes it’s actually really easy.”
Assuming that breastfeeding would come naturally, backed up by education, was so beneficial. Though we can’t will away inverted nipples or other issues that may make nursing more challenging, we can decide to believe that our nursing experience will be a positive, smooth one.
That said, I will share the five products I found most helpful while nursing:
1. Back Pillow
Most of what I read or saw about nursing as a pregnant woman showed women nursing in a chair. Personally, if I had to get up multiple times a night and sit in a chair to nurse, I think I would have nursed my son for a shorter length of time.
Instead, I nursed while reclining in bed, which was more comfortable and also allowed me to doze during those particularly rough three a.m. feedings (they get easier, by the way).
I simply kept a back pillow (purchase a similar one here) behind my regular pillow and, when I was ready to nurse, I propped up my regular pillow on the back pillow, which gave me the adjustable support I needed. As I wasn’t co-sleeping, this was a great alternative to being forced to sit up in a chair the middle of the night. I highly recommend it to nursing mommas.
Clip-down nursing bras make breastfeeding easy, comfortable, and discreet.
2. Wireless nursing bras
Underwire bras are not a good idea when it comes to nursing, at least in the early months, as they can lead to clogged ducts and mastitis—and they’re just uncomfortable too. I used Motherhood Maternity bras as my nursing bra of choice, but any wireless bra with adjustable shoulder straps and modesty cups would have worked. I like the Motherhood Maternity nursing bras because they give you a good shape under clothing, are easy to clip and unclip while nursing, and are quite comfortable.
Buy the Motherhood Maternity nursing bra here.
3. App to Track Nursing Sessions:
As your baby gets older and you get more experienced at nursing, tracking nursing sessions likely won’t be necessary. But as you are just getting started, it is important to keep track of when your baby last nursed and how much/for how long. Using an app is ultra-convenient as you will likely already have your phone in hand or nearby.
The app I used was Hatch Baby, initially because it connected to the changing pad we owned (my son since outgrew the pad). Overall, I was happy with this app, though I would look around and try a couple to find the one that best suits your needs.
I used Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter in the early days of nursing and Lansinoh Soothies Cooling Gel Pads a little farther into my nursing experience.
4. Nipple Patches & Nipple Cream
Nipple patches and nipple cream are not products you will need the majority of the time while nursing, but they are essential some of the time.
At the beginning of nursing, it was great to have the cream. I used Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter. When shopping for products, I always looked for something that was as natural as possible, as it could be absorbed into my milk and my baby could ingest it. You can also rinse any product off prior to nursing. Read the instructions on whichever product you are using, as they specify whether you need to rinse prior to feeding.
Later on in nursing, when my son was older, I occasionally needed to use the more intensive nipple patches as they had more serious healing power. One of the over-the-counter products I used were the Lansinoh Soothies Cooling Gel Pads.
Either way, if your pain does not subside within a couple of days, something needs to be fixed—you should not be in pain while nursing. There is a solution and you can find it!
Buy Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter here and Lansinoh Soothies Cooling Gel Pads here.
5. Reusable Nursing Pads
Like the nipple cream, nursing pads are not necessary during the majority of nursing. I believe they are really only necessary during the first few months and weeks when your body and milk supply are adjusting, when you may experience leaking.
I also used the disposable variety of nursing pads, but I like that the reusable pads feel more natural and don’t contribute to the landfill. Have one or both on hand!
Buy reusable organic nursing pads here and disposable nursing pads here.
I hope you found these tips and tricks for how to make nursing smoother and more enjoyable for you and your baby helpful, and that they provide you with ideas and inspiration.
I also want to recommend the book, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. It was a deeply helpful book on every step of the journey and it is great to begin reading before you even start nursing.
Best of luck as you prepare for this awesome (and fleeting!) time. And don’t forget—you’re pretty amazing! Reach out with any comments or questions, I’d love to hear from you.
