Products for the Lactating mother

I often wonder how lactating women survived without the modern conveniences we have now! I can't imagine what they had to suffer without having a breast pump or lanolin nipple cream! It makes me cringe to think about it. I took full advantage of that very small section at the drug stores that offered breastfeeding mothers' products. You can find these squeezed at the end of the shelf next to the hundreds of cans of formula.

First and foremost:

Double Electric Breast Pump

I used the Medela Pump In Style. I was the third owner (that I know of). These things are hella-expensive but a friend gave me hers because she was done with it and she bought it from a second hand store. Brand new, they're over $200.00 but I have seen them occasionally at 2nd hand stores and garage sales for much cheaper. Having a double electric breast pump is ESSENTIAL for breastfeeding success as a working mother. Of course, having one regardless of working outside of the home is super beneficial. I spent countless hours in a freezing cold utility closet at work for 15 months pumping and if I didn't have a double electric pump and hand to hand express or do a single manual pump??.... that would be a full time job right there! In addition, it is also essential that you get a hands free bra. You can buy these (Medela makes one) so you can attach your shields and then still do other things while seated (other than have to hold those darn things), like go through paperwork, attend to your baby, putz around on FB, reach for the remote, etc. A very clever lactation consultant recommended I take an old bra and cut holes in the cups and use that instead of buying one. Brilliant!

I purchased my own bottles, flanges, cords, shields, etc at a baby store, a medical equipment store or Target.



 

Nipple Cream

I tried a couple different ones. The Lansinoh brand - it was like beeswax. Super sticky - not pliable, not conducive for application. Ultimately, I found the nectar of the Gods: Medela Lanolin nipple cream. It's an all natural product to soothe sore, chapped nipples and is safe for baby to ingest. If they sold it at Costco, I would have bought a bonus pack.

Breastmilk Freezer Storage Bags

I tried a LOT of these. Lansinoh, Nuk, Medela, Target brand, Walmart brand. Conclusion: Lansinoh hold at least 8 oz and a very tight 10 oz, are cheaper, and the only brand I actually could find coupons for. Having said that, the bags are thinner and I had about 12-15 bust open over the course of probably a couple hundred of these bags. So I tried to leave those as a last resort option. But because of the previously mentioned attributes (price and capacity), I ended up buying them more than I'd hoped to. Medela could only hold about 6 oz but were decent bags. My favorite (for the price, capacity and strength of bag) was the Nuk, with the Target off brand a close runner up. They held a good 8 oz and were very sturdy and laid well when frozen.

Medela Quick Clean Micro-Steam Bags

Because I'd pump 3-4 times a day at work, in addition to night time pumping, washing the parts became tedious and downright annoying. A friend told me about these and I was elated! One bag can steam clean at least 4 parts with just a couple oz of water in the microwave and you can reuse it 20X!! I still washed my parts but would often use this at work just for the ease of use and so I could get right back to work. Downright amazing!


Medela Quick Clean Wipes

Along that same line are the Quick Clean Wipes. I liked to keep a package of these up in my bedroom after night time pumping sessions.


Thera-Pearl 3 in 1

I discovered these at Lewis Drug while trying to find a good bottle/nipple for Oliver since he wasn't liking the bottle much after I'd gone back to work. I heated these up in the microwave for about 15 seconds before I pumped in the utility closet at work. The closet had to be kept at 60 degrees because of the electrical equipment so it was FRIGID while being topless pumping. These were a lifesaver for me. I'd heat them up then place them on top of my breastshields and kept nice and toasty. You can also freeze them. One of my co-workers actually went and bought these when she was going through a masectomy after I told her about how amazing they were. She found it to be quite beneficial since the pearls form around your breast and are not a typical freezer pack or heating pack. I also found them to be soothing while cold on my thrush-filled breasts.


Bottles for the Breastfed baby

Finally, I struggled profoundly looking for a bottle that Oliver would be able to make relatively easy transitions from breast to artificial nipple while I was at work. I tried Avent, Nuk, Medela, Tommy Tippee, Lansinoh, and then (per recommendation of another wonderful lactation consultant), the 1st Years Breastflow. I found that even the 'slow flow' nipples with most brands were incredibly FAST!!! They practically poured out! And because breastmilk is thinner than formula, it really was pouring out of those nipples and drowning poor Oliver. I was only able to find the 1st Years Breastflow online on Amazon or at a baby store and they only had a starter pack. The flow is a bit slower than any others I found and the nipple was much more pliable but (annoyingly) collapsible. Nonetheless, due to the flow, I just stuck with these ones.


I also got the Lansinoh Momma 'boob bottle' that my mom used occasionally with him. The bottle is shaped like a boob, so I guess it's supposed to be an easy transition. It was.... meh.


Maternity bras and nursing pads

This topic still kind of perturbs me. When I was in the throes of thrush, I was advised to wear 100% cotton bras. Do you know how hard it is to find 100% cotton nursing bras?! Impossible! I went to Motherhood Maternity, Target, online, you name it. Most are made with Lycra and silk. For real??!! What mother wants to wear a silk bra while her boobs are leaking and her nipples are bleeding? Eventually I found a couple mostly cotton at Target that fell apart after about 4-6 months. My favorite, though was the Medela Bravada bra. It was 95% cotton and a basic racer back with a wide band around the chest and easy to snap and unsnap cups. All the other 'cute' maternity bras with underwires and 'lift' are worthless and uncomfortable. I came to the conclusion that while I was nursing, I would never wear a 'cute' bra. I got over it pretty quick.

Along with that are nursing pads. I remember my mom always used reusable cloth ones and that seemed to work for her. They are quite popular with the 'crunchy mamas', especially the ones that cloth diaper, etc. Out of convenience (and as a mother I think we all truly do appreciate that), I usually used the Lansinoh brand disposable nursing pads. I did try Medela and Nuk but found that they didn't stay in place in the cup and were super thick and bulky. Lansinoh was the 'panty liner' of nursing pads, while the others seemed to be the 'overnight pads'.

Bottom line: Breastfeeding products are difficult to find and discouragingly expensive. I had to find a lot of these items online or at a medical equipment store and most were pricey. Target carried a lot of these items but were often out of stock. These hurdles hinder breastfeeding mothers, especially low income mothers. I do know that WIC helps cover costs of breast pumps, and most insurances help cover those costs, too. Also, if you're working, you can start a Flex account to try and help with some of the costs. I do know that the sanitizing cloths qualify for flex reimbursement. Unfortunately, the steam bags, nipple cream, and storage bags do not. Having said that, these products are still astronomically cheaper than formula feeding. This post is only to relay what I found to be most conducive/helpful for my needs and Oliver's. Unfortunately, these were all trial and error but if it helps any of you, I am happy to be at your disposal!