I never thought I’d need so much STUFF to breastfeed. I assumed I’d need some nipple cream and a boppy and that I’d be set. Over the course of my year nursing Piper I accumulated a lot of stuff – much of wish I had purchased while I was pregnant so I’d be better prepared for what can be challenging to start! So, as a follow up to all of my registry essentials I’m now sharing all of the breastfeeding essentials you should stock up on if you plan on nursing your baby!

1. The Womanly Art Of Breastfeeding: By far my favorite book on breastfeeding, I read it cover to cover and referenced it many times throughout my time nursing. Highly recommend all first time mama’s who want to nurse read this while they are pregnant!
2. Bobby + cover: Though ultimately the Boppy didn’t work for me, I think it’s worth trying (maybe borrow a friend’s if you can). There are so many pretty covers available on Etsy, too!
3. My Breast Friend Pillow: This is the alternate to a Boppy pillow with a different design and I really wish I would have tried it! I didn’t know about it for a while and wish I did. I think it would have really helped with positioning and latching early on.
4. Mother’s Milk Tea: This tea really worked for me!  In fact I wouldn’t recommend drinking it until your supply is established.
5. Booby Tubes: These were a savior when I was engorged and really the first few months of nursing! You keep them in the fridge or heat them up and stick them in your bra when you need relief.
6. Lanolin: I found Lanolin to be the only ointment that provided the relief I needed the first 3-4 weeks of nursing. After my nipples recovered (seriously) I used the below more regularly.
7. Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter: I loved this for more routine use.
8. Hand pump: So wish I had a hand pump way earlier!!I found it to be so convenient when going out to eat, traveling and for working weddings. I pumped in some pretty crazy places (taxi cabs, closets and more)! It gave me the freedom I craved in early motherhood.
9. Pump brushes: Again, not sure why I missed the memo on these and struggled for months cleaning all of my pump parts! These made by Munchkin worked wonders and made cleaning much easier! I also swore by these sanitizer bags for my pump parts.
10. Extra bottles: You can never have enough bottles – we waited months before ordering enough to make our lives easier and I don’t know why! I used these to pump in and to store in the fridge — and Piper also drank from them.
11. Pump & Save bags: These bags worked great for storing milk in the freezer.
12. Hands Free Pumping Bra: An essential that you need in order to be able to pump.
13. Breast Pump: Pumps are getting more advanced, quieter and user friendly every year. Be sure to do your research to find the pump best for you and call your insurance to see if they’ll cover it. Mine was 100% covered!
14. Re-usable Breast Pads: I found these to be really helpful at nights with leaking.
15. Disposable Breast Pads: During the day I preferred disposable breast pads if I was going out. I tired a few brands but ultimately thought these Munchkin brand ones worked best for me.
16. Baby Wrap: Once you get the hang of nursing using a baby wrap enables you to walk around while your baby feeds, I found this invaluable! I loved the Solly wrap.
17. Nursing bras:  I suggest getting a few different nursing bras. A thin, easy to use one for sleeping like this  (I actually found these nice to use while I was pregnant when my breasts were sore) and a more structured (but wire-free) option for daily use.
18. Nursing Cover: I highly suggest starting to use a nursing cover early on so your little one is used to it! I used this Covered Goods one and it was really soft and easily fit in our diaper bag. It also works to cover your carseat!
19. Nursing Nightgown: Having a few nightgowns that make late night feeds easier is always a good idea! I loved this one from Amazon.

More breastfeeding articles:

10 Ways To Make Breastfeeding Easier, Suzanne & Erik’s Breastfeeding Journey  and The Best Online Resources for Nursing