Milk Maids
Holy cow!
pun intended
One of the most brutal conversations I've had is around milk.
There's just too much "should"-ing and judgement
and as parents we need to cut that shit out. Whether you breast feed or bottle feed,
I'm just so happy that your babies are healthy and getting some much need calories and nutrients.
Lets stop with the milk-shaming and start with some milk celebrating.
As you can tell, I did it all.
Here are the things I used and loved
from breast to express
and bottle to full throtle
eeesh. its time for a drink!
Nursing Bras
When your breasts start to get bigger when you're pregnant, the best thing to do is shop for nursing bras. Whether you've made the decision or not around breastfeeding, these easy bras give you the flexibilty to choose without a full round of bras that you won't need in a few months.
I had some cheepies, but my my absolute favorites are these because they are magical and do 3 very important things.
1. They are nursing bras. I know, duh.
2. They are pumping bras! What? yes, pumping bras, so you don't have to switch in the future to a separate pumping bra if that ends up being part of your journey.
3. They make you feel good! They are lacey and beautiful, and you can feel like your normal self instead of wearing the bra equivilent of granny panties. Not that I'm hating on granny panties. I really love my matching granny set. But after carrying and then caring for another human being or a few, this extra boost of thought can make a huge difference.
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Philips Avent Glass Bottles
I'm partial to a glass bottle. I also had a hard time getting into all of the different bottles available at all of the fancy price points. So I thought, lets start with the cheapest option and go from there. So we bought these Philips Avent ones and we love them. They worked great and I only ended up breaking one of them in all my time and use with both kids. I've also heard that they have "sippy cup" tops if you want to use them to transition from formula/breast milk to regular milk.
My Breast Friend
"What are you gonna float down the lazy river?" - my husband's uncle.
I lived, and I mean lived, in this for the first 3 months of my kids lives because I tandem breast fed. This model is intended for dual feeding, but they also have a single version. The added height and back support made this the easiest way for me to feed my babies. Despite the urge to burn it by the end of that phase, I now have enough perspective to know that it was a lifesaver. It really was, my breast friend.
The Kiinde System
Smart. Pump directly into the pouch, and feed your baby directly from the pouch. The system comes with adaptors that fit on any breast pump so I would pump directly into these pouches. I labeled them with how many ounces and threw them in the freezer. The warmer brings it to just the right temperature. The warmed milk pouch then snapped into a bottle so you never had to worry about transferring milk in and out. I flew a ton while pumping, and this system allowed me to easily transport milk. At one point I came home with 40 frozen pouches of breast milk!
Grass Counter Top Drying Rack
If you have bottles, this grass counter drying rack is a must. It looks really nice and is the best place to put all of your bottles parts and pieces without getting them mixed up with your normal dishes. It has sweet accessories like flowers or this butterfly featured in the image for things like the nipples, tops, etc. Nice to look at and perfectly functional; what a dream!
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Packit Freezable Uptown Lunch Bag
This is one of those smart products that should be marketed to mamas. This was my travel pump bag. The walls of this entire bag is ice packs, so you literally put the whole bag in the freezer to get it all nice and cold. I had watched some youtube videos of a working mom who gave me the tip that if you keep all of your pumping stuff cold, you don't have to wash it after every single use. Now, I don't know if the medical community would agree, but it was the technique I used when I was at work. I would put all my pumping stuff, including the machine, into this freezer bag and take it to the office. During the day I would pump and put everything back in this bag and put the whole thing in the freezer. At the end of each night I'd throw my Kiinde pouches in the freezer and clean the pump system. It worked great!
Bebe au Lait Nursing Cover
I used this as a pumping cover not a nursing cover. I am not really in one camp or another here when it comes to breast feeding. If you want to feed your kid with your boob out, go for it. If you want to cover up, thats also cool. No shame, no judgement, lets just all let each other do what makes sense for our bodies and our families. Personally, I enjoyed having this nursing cover for when I needed to pump and I couldn't find a private space to do it in. This cover allowed me to pump away and still be able to see what was going on under there, with the handy wire portion on top that stays open. It comes in many different prints and colors that you can really choose what works for you. I liked the black so that I didn't draw too much attention to myself when I was being milked by a machine.
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