Mom’s know best. Right from the start, my mom was by my side, cheering me on and making sure I was rested, fed and hydrated. When breastfeeding Luna as a newborn, my mom would always say “Toma agua cipota. Cuando le estes dando chiche a Luna, tu tambien debes de estar hydratandote” (When you’re breasfedding, you should be hydrating too). Not only that, but she’d also tell me to EAT while or shortly after breastfeeding. These were just a couple of her breastfeeding tips for me. Anyways, I’m now two kids in on this parenting adventure and it’s safe to say that I’ve somewhat got the hang of things! So, I’m sharing some of my favourite feeding essentials for moms.
Whether breastfeeding or bottle feeding, mom’s got to keep cool, but most importantly, comfy. With my first, I think I bought one nursing/feeding bra, and it was garbage after a couple of months. Seriously, it went in the garbage because it sucked. So I lived in sports bras. Anyways, this time (second) around, I wasn’t playin. I knew what I wanted in a nursing bra: easy to use, functional and well bonus points if it was cute. Because LAWD knows most nursing bras are just UGH-gly.
Dairy Fairy Bra
And that’s when I found The Dairy Fairy; the ORIGINAL and ONLY all-in-one bra designed for the specific needs of feeding and pumping. I love my Dairy Fairy bra for several reasons. First, it’s beautiful and makes me feel just that, beautiful and amazing. It’s dual functionality: I can use it for nursing and handfree pumping. And not only is it pretty, but it’s also comfortable too. Oh, and get this, it also adjusts to fit your fluctuating breast size. YUP. I get to wear the same bra when my boobs are super engorged and about to explode, and when they’re empty and feeling like some shrivelled grapes, jajaja. Don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Super easy and straight forward to use. So whether you breastfeed or pump, you’ve got to get a Dairy Fairy bra.
Feeding Friendly Shirt
In a previous post, I talked about how again, with my first pregnancy/child I never bothered getting some breastfeeding shirts. Like the nursing bra, I wasn’t going to commit this mistake again the second time around. Nursing wear just makes your life so much easier. There’s no need to be pulling up, pulling down, or even covering yourself because nowadays, nursing apparel is comfy and discreet. Most of the time, you can’t even tell when someone is breastfeeding while wearing a nursing shirt. Don’t believe me, just take a look at a couple of photos of me breastfeeding in a Milk Nursing Wear dress here. Or, a Momzelle sweater here.
Nursing Pillow
GAME CHANGER. Nursing pillows are saviours, less body pain (back, neck, shoulder, arms, you name it) thanks to these pillows. Breastfeeding pillows make feeding more comfortable, especially for mom. I still have a couple of my nursing pillows lying around and use them. You can check out My Breastfriend review here.
Feeding Essentials for Moms After Birth
Once I was in my second trimester, I felt like I was snacking and hydrating ALL. THE. TIME. And, it hasn’t stopped since, especially after birthing baby. One of the things my mom has always been on my case about is making sure I was fed and hydrated, especially during the newborn stage.
Pura Water Bottle
If you’re breastfeeding, it’s important to keep hydrated. My rule of thumb for keeping hydrated while breastfeeding is to have a glass of water everytime baby was on the boob. Enough to quench my thirst. I always made sure to have my Pura Water Bottle right by my side when breastfeeding. And if I didn’t, I’d definetly get an ear full from my mom about how important it is to keep hydrated.
Obvi, water is the best to keep hydatred. To change things up, throw some fresh fruit into your water bottle. Also, aguas frescas, yumm, so refreshing and thirst quenching.
Snacks
Just like keeping hydrated, snacking is just as important while breastfeeding. You’ve got to keep that fuel going while breastfeeding as it takes up so many nutrients. Some of my favourite snack while breastfeeding are:
- Lactation cookies
- Peanut butter and apple slices
- Almond butter and banana
- LaraBars/LaraBites
- Hardboiled egg with peanut butter
- Oatmeal
These are just a handful of my favourite Feeding Essentials for Moms who are breastfeeding or bottle feeding. These essentials will make feeding more comfortable and also keep mama bear fuelled. I’d love to hear what some of your feeding essentials were for breastfeeding or bottle feeding in the comments.
