A lot of pregnant mothers will ask what they need in terms of preparation for breastfeeding. There's really not a ton that you need to buy ahead of time. You already have your breast and that's really all you need.
There are some very nice things that you can have, some accoutrements, that are great to have for the purpose of making breastfeeding a little more comfortable and convenient. In those cases, I would recommend always having some sort of pillow. Whether it's a My Breast Friend pillow or a Boppy, or even a pillow from your couch is absolutely fine.
Also being prepared going into it with a decent nursing bra. You do not want underwire bras. A bra such as this, which is very easy. It looks like a sports bra, it comes down very easily with just an easy snap, and they come in a million different colors. A good bra is a great thing to have. But don't go crazy prior to having your milk come in which happens day three, four, or five. You want to wait. Maybe buy one ahead of time and then you can buy more.
You also want to have a pump available. A double electric, a single electric, a manual pump, any of the above are fine depending on your circumstances. Usually they will come with quite a few bottles that you can use, usually four.
If you want to buy something extra in order to be able to store in your freezer or refrigerator, breast milk storage bags are great. There is actually a company called Mother's Milkmate that is great. It's a rack that goes in your refrigerator or your freezer. The first one in is the first one out. I believe they give you about 12 four ounce bottles, which is great as well. It's one less thing to think about. With other storage mechanisms, you need to date and sometimes finding the most recent date is a little bit of a hassle.
Another product to buy is some version of lanolin cream, or any kind of breastfeeding nipple cream, to be able to keep the nipples from cracking. And it actually heals beautifully.
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