BCB promises to provide you with the best resources to support your parenting journey and the decisions that you make for your family.  Breastfeeding is no exception.  Since BCB began ten years ago, we have worked with our friends and Resident Lactation Experts, Lactation Partners.  Joan, Judy and Liz have worked with THOUSANDS of you to support your breastfeeding and feeding journeys, no matter what they have looked like.  Make sure to join BCB and Lactation partners on Thursday, May 14th for one of our most popular talks: Breastfeeding 101.  In the meantime, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite essentials for breastfeeding success. 

Breastpump if you’re planning to breastfeed. Do you know that you can get one for free?

You may not know, but if you contact a DME (durable Medical Equipment provider), they will do all the legwork with your insurance company to get you your pump FOR FREE.  Ashland Breast Pumps is one of our favorite DME’s and the one we at BCB has been working with for years. They make the process of getting a free pump so simple.  Some of our favorite breast pumps covered by insurance include the Spectra S1 and Medela Freestyle Flex, both of which are closed systems. Another closed system favorite that you can find at Target.com is the Evenflo Double Electric Breastpump.

Feeding Support Pillow

Whether you choose to breastfeed or not, you want to make sure that you are supporting your back and body.  A good nursing pillow is a safe bet, and can be used for both nursing and bottle feeds.  We love the classic Boppy. PRO TIP: If you can have a couple of them, especially if you have multiple levels in your home. Keep one on your main living area and one in the baby’s nursery.  It’s one less thing that you will have to bring up and downstairs between feeds.

Nursing Tank Tops

From post-delivery to the days when you go back to work, a nursing tank top can be worn on its own or under anything allowing easy access for feedings or pumping. Some of our favorites include Glamourmom and Bravado for Target. Make sure you also check out Latchpal, a great, mom-invented products, which allows you to make any top nursing friendly.

Nursing Pads

Whether you decide to nurse or not, you are bound to have some leakage when your milk comes in.  Make sure you’re prepared on day one or day one hundred.  Some of our favorite nursing pads include Bamboobies, who make both machine washable and disposable nursing pads and Evenflo Nursing Pads.

Nipple Cream

Don’t forget that this is the first time that your nipples have been “exposed” to sunlight like this. They are serving a new purpose and cracks and discomfort are bound to happen.  Make sure to have a good nipple cream at home.  One of our all-natural favorites is Motherlove. 

Some other great items to have on hand:

• Bottles:  Make sure you have a couple for when you are ready.  Some of our favorite bottles that promise a breast like experience for baby include Dr. Brown’s, MAM and Tommee Tippee.
• Sanitizing/Sterlizing Products: Your pump comes with a lot of parts. Once you start using it, you will want to be able to clean it quickly and efficiently between pumps.  We love Medela’s Quick Wipes and Sterilizing bags which make for a quick and easy clean until you can wash it all at the end of the day.
• Drying Rack:  Speaking of all of those parts, make sure you have a good drying rack to put next to your sink for all of the pump and bottle parts that come with feeding your baby. This will help to keep your stuff organized and ready to go for the next use.
• Nursing Cover:  If you choose to cover up you can use anything from a muslin blanket to a more formal product like Covered Goods, a four in one product that turns into a nursing cover.

Don’t forget to check out all of our virtual events for expectant parents, and RSVP for our FREE Breastfeeding 101 webinar on May 14 at 8pm CT!

Make sure you’re following us on Instagram and Facebook  for more ideas as we navigate both COVID-19 AND parenthood together.  Stay tuned for for more the Bump Club and Beyond Team.  We’ll be providing you many ideas for things to do over the next few weeks when we’re home with our kids right here.   We’ll be updating our ideas for you and your family daily.