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As with any situation in life, there are the must haves and the nice to haves. My current life role consists of being a working breastfeeding mom. As such, there are some things I truly could not comfortably live without.
A nice to have is a bottle warmer, but putting a frozen bottle in hot water to thaw will also work. This list won't include such luxurious or the superfluous items; we are talking the essentials of working breastfeeding motherhood.
Since time is generally a luxury in motherhood, lets get down to business.
1. Freemie Collection Cups
Honestly, I don't know how I survived without these with my first two babies. These are hollow cups that you can put into your bra to pump breastmilk.
If you have ever used an electric pup before you know how awkward it can be. You have these giant antennae shooting out from your chest with baby bottles hanging down. While you can get a special bra to hold them in place, its awkward to do pretty much anything.
With the Freemie, the cups are easily inserted into your bra. No giant antennae. You can actually do things like type at the computer or make food, or pick up your baby with out having to hold everything a foot from your body. I am able to comfortably drive while pumping!
There is a Freemie pump associate with the cups, but the cups are compatible with most Medela pumps you might already have. They also sell adapters to make the cups compatible with several other brands of pumps.
Let me tell you, even if you have to buy a whole new pump cause yours is not compatible, it is totally worth it.
2. Breast Pump Car Adapter
Along with the Freemie cups, another pumping related item that is essential is the car adapter. I love using it to pump during my commute. I mean I am sitting alone in my car anyway and with the discrete Freemie cups, why not use that time to pump?!
You can also using it for when you go out without the baby and miss a feeding. Just plug it into the car outlet and pump on your way back home. This allows you to not waste batteries when you pump in your car.
Related Post: Tips for Dressing Your Breastfeeding Body
3. Sprout Baby App
OK, this app is the best for tracking everything about your baby. You can document milestones, track growth and development, track diapers and immunizations, and learn about what to expect.
Best of all, you can track length and timing of feedings along with which side you fed on last. You can also track your pumping and bottle feedings. This allows you to keep track of your pumped milk supply.
I love being able to check how much milk I have stored up as well as track how often baby girl is eating. By tracking diapers I get an idea of how well she is eating and whether she is getting enough.
4. Udder Cover
Some people are super comfortable whipping out their boob in public whenever their baby needs to feed. Others not so much.
At home, I will freely whip out my boob to feed baby girl when she needs it. But when non immediate family members are around, I understand that we both can get uncomfortable. So I picked up an Udder Cover before I had my first baby and I have been using it ever since.
This light weight fabric has a strap to hold it around your neck and then you can drape it over your baby while they are eating. It also has wiring at the neck line so you can easily look in on your baby and not have the cover rest directly on their face.
I just roll it up and I can easily tuck it into the diaper bag with it taking up hardly any space.
5. Nursing Sleep Bra
When you are breastfeeding, it can be uncomfortable to go to bed with no bra and at the same time, uncomfortable to go to bed with a bra. With nighttime feedings waking us up, we don't want anything else disrupting our sleep.
A nursing sleep bra is built kind of like a sports bra but with stretchier breathable fabric. It allows you to feel a bit of support while also allowing you to easily and quickly feed your baby.
These bras give you a place to stick your nursing pads if your boobs are prone to leakage as well. Plus, it can save your pjs from getting milk stains.
What item can you not live without as a mom? Let me know in the comments.
Cheers,
Emily
