The first few days Sasha was home, I placed about 15 Amazon orders. While some things were for Sasha, most were for me and they all had to do with breastfeeding and pumping. There are so many things on this list of supplies that I never knew I needed until I was actually breastfeeding!
Understanding the tools you could possibly need is key to creating your breast feeding and pumping shopping list (or adding these items to your registry!) Plus, you can always get a gift receipt or add items to your registry and purchase them yourself and return for a gift receipt. On Amazon, if you add things to your registry and purchase them yourself, you can still return them for up to a year! You just have to call the Registry department of customer service if it’s outside the regular return window!
Breast Pump & Supplies
My favorite tool at the beginning of breastfeeding was the Haakka! I talk more about it in this post, but I kept two on hand just in case the first one wasn’t washed. This item is a must have on any pumping and breastfeeding list! Sasha was feeding on demand the first few weeks or so, so I always needed to have a clean one. I prefer the one with a suction bottom and lid! Also, this was HUGE in helping me start my milk freezer stash before I started pumping.
First, I needed a pump! Luckily, I got mine totally covered through insurance. Just had to pay an $18 shipping fee! I have the Medela Pump in Style with Max Flow. Later on, in my pumping journey, I ordered a wearable pump. I have the Elvie Pump! I also needed additional supplies for each of these pumps. For the Elvie, I have the Elvie Flanges in size 21 mm and Beaugen Cushions.
For the Medela, which is my primary pump, I have two full sets of extra supplies. This includes Medela Personal Fit Flex Flanges, Extra Connectors for Pump in Style with Max Flow, and Extra Tubing.
When I pump, I have extra milk I need to store or freeze. I bought an extra set of Medela Bottles and I have a few boxes of Medela Milk Freezer Bags on hand at all times. In the past three months, I’ve gone through about 250 of these bags.
Comfort
Without a pumping bra, I need to hold my pump in place. This just isn’t possible for me, since I always have something I want to be doing while pumping. These Pumping Bras are my favorite! I have two I rotate through.
When I got mastitis, I realized the importance of a breast massager. I chose the Frida Mom Breast Massager I still use this one when I feel my milk isn’t coming out as fast! It applies both vibrations and heat.
I keep extra Earth Mama Nipple Butter on hand because lubing my nipples with it makes pumping a million times less painful. I also used this following a nursing session prior to when I started pumping! In my opinion, it is so much better than regular lanolin! I hate how it makes my hands feel oily though, and I have long nails, so I use these beauty spatulas to apply it!
Sunflower lecithin is another essential of mine! I take one capsule every morning before my first pump and one every evening before my last pump of the day! It is known to clear clogged ducts and help prevent them!
Milk Supply
Breastfeeding and pumping make me SO hungry, so snacks are essential. I always have snacks on hand, along with hydration drinks like Gatorade and Body Armor Lyte! Oatmeal squares and goldfish are my personal favorite! Body Armor is known to help women increase their supply, as does oatmeal!
Feeding Supplies (If Both Breastfeeding and Pumping)
I’ve read a lot about how breastfeeding moms like the Comotomo bottles, but Sasha took Dr. Brown’s bottles without a problem. If I can get away with paying around $20 for three bottles, instead of $60 for four, I’ll go with the cheaper option! However, if she had preferred Comotomo, then I would have gotten those. I make sure to have enough bottles on hand to get through an entire day! It’s hard for me to find time to wash bottles while home alone with Sasha, so I usually have to wait until someone else gets home to clean! I wouldn’t keep as many on hand if I was breastfeeding, probably just one set!
Clean Up
Having a good dish soap that removes milk residue is so important! I exclusively use this one. It also comes in a travel size which I keep in my pump bag! This set of dish brushes helps me clean the small holes on my pump parts and lets me get deep into Sasha’s bottles! I also have two drying racks, one for bottles and one for pump parts – because exclusively pumping requires A LOT of supplies!
Travel While Breastfeeding and Pumping
When traveling or leaving the house with my pump, I require a few supplies. Other than a pumping bag, I always bring with a gallon size ziplock for dirty parts and some of these wipes to clean off my pump parts between uses! If I was to breastfeed in public, I would keep a cover with me too, but that’s just my preference! In terms of pumping bags, this one is a popular choice, but I just use this regular backpack from Lululemon!
