The Breastfeeding Mom's Arsenal

As a new mother, I had a lot of questions. As a new mother who had never breastfed before, I had even more. I diligently scoured the internet for solutions, help and tips for the first few days, looking for things that would help me be the best breastfeeder I could be.
Lets face it, breastfeeding isn't easy. Luckily, there are a plethora of products out there designed to make nursing less dificult and help mothers reach their breastfeeding goals.

I was infinitely lucky that Buggy seemed to catch on easily. I mean, she came out rooting for the boob, so I knew that she would be okay nursing. I just wasn't sure if I would be. So, I added these few products as part of my breastfeeding arsenal, and let me tell you, they all helped tremendously! I thought I'd share.

One of the first items I acquired for my arsenal was the Boppy pillow. My best friend B had used it with her little girl, so she handed it down to me, like passing the Olympic torch. I accepted it, thinking that it probably wouldn't get much use, but boy was I wrong. I use this thing all the time. Honestly, it's probably the best thing I own.

The second and third items I used right off the bat were my Lansinoh nursing pads and the lanolin cream. Let me tell ya, the nursing pads saved many a shirt in the early days of engorgement and leaking. Honestly, I didn't even know the amount of milk that would seep out. I'd remove the pads and they would be soaked. I like the Lansinoh pads the best becuase they suck the moisture away from your skin, so you stay dry. Other pads, I found, didn't do it as well.

Also, the lanolin was a lifesaver. About 2 weeks after I had Buggy, I noticed that I was really dry and starting to crack. While I was lucky and didn't have any super bad cracking and bleeding, the cream did help to soothe my poor battered and bruised nips and whats even better, Buggy didn't seem to mind it. Bonus.

The final items that every breastfeeding mom should have in their arsenal are a good nursing bra and several nursing tanks. I'll admit, I'm pretty well endowed, so I had to go to an old lady shop and have my bras helicoptered in from the land of the large boobed, but soooo worth it. A good fitting bra is a MUST. You don't want one with underwire, because that can cause clogged ducts which can turn into mastitis, and you don't want to have that. Also, the nursing tanks are all so super comfy and honestly, I will probably wear them even after I wean Buggy off the boob. I love them, and I live in them. I have so many in several different colors. My favorite and preferred are the Gilligan and O'Malley Tanks from Target. They are a little longer, and seem to fit the best. The other's all kind of rode up on my belly, which well, with a post partum belly, you don't want anything riding up. Trust me.

What else is in your breastfeeding arsenal?