Preparing for Postpartum & Breastfeeding | The Products

Following the success of my post on Preparing for a Newborn I thought I would put together a similar list of some of the products that I have for myself once Ernie is born. A lot of these will be breastfeeding related and also there are just some general postpartum items on here that will hopefully be useful to someone reading this. It’s so important to remember to look after yourself when you’ve just had a baby. Yes, your priority will be on the baby, but be kind to yourself too. Your body has just undergone one of the most traumatic experiences and it’s important to take care of yourself as a priority too. So these are some of the things that I am hoping will ease me into postpartum life:

Boppy Nursing Pillow

For some reason I never got around to getting a nursing pillow when I was breastfeeding Darcie. Looking back, it’s ridiculous how long I spent having to awkwardly prop her up on an assortment of cushions in order to feed her comfortably. It took us a long time to get to a stage where feeding felt easy and comfortable and I don’t know why I didn’t treat myself to a nursing pillow to speed up that process. This time around I have a Boppy Nursing Pillow, and I am very much looking forward to how much difference it will make. The pillow is a lot firmer than I was expecting so I can see that it will give us both a lot of support, and therefore comfort, in those early days and weeks of feeding. They’re actually really affordable too and are usually sold for around £25-£30 which is a bargain considering how much use I’m sure I’ll get out of it.

Carriwell Organic Belly Binder

I was SO intrigued by these when I was pregnant and post partum with Darcie. Again, it’s something I never quite got around to buying but when Carriwell offered to send me one to try I jumped at the chance. The idea is that they help encourage your belly to go back to it’s original shape. It’s not just a vanity product though as the Belly Binder also gives you a lot of support for your lower back and improves youir posture while helping to tighten your stomach muscles. I’ve had a lot of back pain throughout this pregnancy which I don’t think will dissapear overnight and so the support element of the product is something I’m really looking forward to. Of course I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t mainly intrigued as to whether or not this will speed up the process of tightening my stomach muscles and shrinking my tummy back down. I’ll be doing a full review once I’ve tested it out and I’ll be able to compare my progress to how it was after my first pregnancy too.

Lansinoh Single Electric Breast Pump

Another item that I didn’t invest in the first time around! For someone who breastfed for 16 months I sure didn’t make life easy for myself! Last time when I was feeding I had a manual hand pump, it did the job but as I’m planning on expressing a lot more this time around I definitely wanted to have an electric breast pump to save myself the agony of hand cramp. As this is my second child, it’s a lot more important to me that he will take expressed milk from a bottle. I want to be able to split myself between the two children and I won’t be able to do that to the same extent if I don’t express. This is another item that I’ll be doing a full review of when I’ve had a chance to try it out but from the box and the reviews I’ve read it seems great. The Lansinoh Nipple Cream was my lifesaver whilst breastfeeding Darcie and so I trust the brand to have got this product right as well. The pump can be mains or battery operated too which will make it even more convenient to use wherever I am.

The Mother Sucker Manual Breast Pump

A very different kind of breast pump to the one above. The Mother Sucker (how amazing is that name anyway?!) is a silicone one-piece breast pump that you simply suction onto the other breast while you are feeding the baby. It works by catching the natural let down that would otherwise just get absorbed by a breast pad and go to waste. I’ve heard amazing things about these sorts of pumps and so I’m looking forward to trying it. The lazier the way to express, the better in my opinion! I’ll be using both breast pumps at different times and I think they’ll be the perfect combination to have to hand depending on the occasion. The pump is dishwasher safe and made from food grade silicone which means it is BPA free. The pump comes highly recommended by lactation consultants and I’ll be sure to give you my opinions on the product once I’ve tried it out.

Carriwell Seamless GelWire Nursing Bra

I mentioned this bra in My Maternity Favourites, it has been my trusty go to bra during this pregnancy and I’m sure I’ll appreciate it even more once I’m breastfeeding. It’s currently packed in my hospital bag as I want to have it to hand immediately after giving birth as it is absolutely the comfiest bra I own. The GelWire gives me so much support but is also really comfortable to wear and the bra un-clips easily for feeding access. This is another one I’ll be doing a full review on when the time comes. But if you’re about to have a baby, let this be your reminder to get yourself a seriously comfy bra for postpartum, especially if you’re going to be breastfeeding.

What were your postpartum or breastfeeding essentials?

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