16 Products that Make Breastfeeding & Pumping 10x Easier - Mama Bear Bliss

May 15,2024

Being a first time mom comes with a learning curve! There are many challenges to overcome, including breastfeeding. Although I didn’t have extensive complications, breastfeeding is still incredibly demanding and exhausting – both mentally and physically. My experience has been enjoyable, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t small hardships on this journey. In my personal experience, preparing everything needed for breastfeeding, including having all of the “equipment” on hand before baby is born, the less urgent it all is down the road. I compiled a list of products that were beneficial to me when it came to both breastfeeding and pumping. Without these products, my experience would have been daunting (sad, but true). Ask any mama – a specific brand of nursing bra, the most suitable pump, breast pillow, nursing pads – having breastfeeding gear on hand is necessary. Breastfeeding is a tough job! I hope these products help you in this journey as much as they’ve helped me. 16 Products that Make Breastfeeding & Pumping 10x Easier 1. Medela Pump In Style Breast Pump – Most insurance companies will pay for the pump, so make sure you pick a good quality one! Read reviews. When given the choice, ALWAYS choose a double pump. You’ll save yourself a ton of time. Medela Pump In Style is extremely convenient for an on-the-go mama. The pump comes in a separate pack than the large, microfiber tote. I can’t say enough good things about my Medela Pump In Style. When I was home, I could use the small, portable portion of the pump. Another thing about this pump is it has a lot of power for a small machine. Always start on low power, then gradually increase as needed. Expert tip: never use your pump at 100%, it won’t extract any more milk than if it was at 50%. Just because it appears as if the milk is letting down quicker, doesn’t mean you’ll end up with more by the time you’re finishing pumping. I generally always pumped at around 50% power.2. Milk Cooler with Contoured Ice Pack– Mine came with my Medela pump, I swear by it. Honestly, the contoured ice pack saved me a ton of space. Four bottles (along with a couple frozen bags of milk) and the ice pack fit perfectly in the cooler. I will say, a small to medium size cooler is almost necessary if you’re traveling anywhere since breastmilk is only good for a few hours at room temperature. As Deklyn got older, she drank more. We ended up purchasing this Skip Hop Baby Grab and Go Insulated Cooler as well to hold the additional breast milk bottles. You’ll learn pretty quickly that having extra everything is key to surviving the newborn stage. 😉3. Vehicle Lighter Power Adapter – On-the-go mamas, working mamas, travel mamas, or any mama who spends a decent amount of time in your vehicle – this one product alone will save your life. The Medela Pump In Style breast pump takes a 12-volt. Other pumps may take a 9-volt, but make sure to check the pump manual before purchasing. Us moms need to make breastfeeding and pumping as convenient as possible! 4. Nursing Pillow – I own two different pillows. It was difficult for me to choose a favorite because I absolutely loved both brands, so I’m going to list them both. The first one I tried is called a Boppy Nursing Pillow. I do think the boppy is fluffier, more comfortable, and most similar to a standard pillow. The second is My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow. My Brest Friend is a more flat and firm type of material for better support – similar to memory foam. In my opinion, either product is going to give you more support than nothing at all, it just depends on what works best for you. 5. Nursing Bras – The toughest part about buying nursing bras for me was deciding what type of support I needed. A bra with an underwire is frowned upon because you generally want breathable, comfortable material that’s loose fitting (avoiding mastitis). The MOST comfortable nursing bra I’ll ever own is the Gilligan & O’Malley’s seamless nursing bra from Target. The material is nylon and spandex. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Victoria’s Secret bras, but I’ve considered looking for a standard bra with this brand. (Shh, I wore this nursing bra weeks after I stopped breastfeeding because it was that comfy). 6. Nursing Tanks – These iLoveSIA Nursing Tank Tops have the same type of comfort and are made of the same material as the Gilligan & O’Malley bras. Ahh why can’t they make general women’s clothing like this?! Or am I just not looking in the right places? 7. Nursing Cover – Some mamas say when in doubt, use a nursing cover; others say screw it all together. This is YOUR call. I bought one for my own security (and I like to be prepared, regardless of how I think I’ll feel later on). I got lucky and it ended up working in my favor. Before I had Deklyn, I signed up for a 12-month magazine subscription for $2.99 at Motherhood. Without knowing, I began receiving vouchers for free products – the only thing I had to pay for was shipping and taxes. I received a free Udder Cover voucher and purchased this mint colored Jordan Pattern for around $16! They have too many cute patterns to choose from. I contemplated patterns for WAY too long, then I found mint and instantly fell in love. 8. Nursing Pads – At my baby shower, I received SO many different brands of nursing pads. Everyone was making sure I was covered in the breast care category (thanks friends and fam!) I’ve tested nearly every brand of nursing pads and the one brand I would recommend above all is Lansinoh. You can buy a 100 count box for $10 here! Lansinoh nursing pads cup your breast to lessen the chance of leakage and are double the thickness of Medela or Nuk brand! Trust me on this one (I’ve tried them all), it’s not […]