Breastfeeding Must Haves with Kindred Bravely

I’ve been exclusively breastfeeding Kate for 6 weeks now (she’s 6 weeks old)! It’s seriously hard to believe that it’s been that long. So far, I’ve had a fantastic experience with it. I’m so thankful for that because I know that not everyone does.  So today, I wanted to share a bit about my experience thus far as well as some of the products that I’m LOVING.

Nipple Shields

During recovery after my C-Section, Kate latched almost immediately with a little help from the nurse, but once we got back to the recovery room, it wasn’t quite as easy as I’d hoped. She was so small and was having a hard time latching. And since I was new at this too, we were basically two lost chickens just trying to peck our way around. I was so thankful to the lactation consultants who help us navigate through this time.

One thing that the lactation consultant did do for me, is give me a nipple shield. I know there are mixed feelings out there about these, but I’m a huge fan. They are basically thin silicon nipple-shaped covers that help the baby latch. Here are the ones I LOVED. They help to stretch your nipple into the shield to activate the baby’s sucking reflex.

These were a lifesaver for us. If you’re having trouble with your latch, I would give these a try. It helps to secure them if you wet them a bit before putting them on, so grab a spray bottle from the ‘travel sized’ section at Walmart to keep by your bed or wherever you nurse.

The other great thing about them is that they protect your nipples from the initial pain that can come from the early days of breastfeeding. I didn’t have any cracking or dryness or bleeding and I really think that it’s due to wearing these the first few weeks. By the time we weaned off of the shields, Kate’s latch was great and my nipples had grown more accustomed to the strain of breast feeding.

My lactation consultant also said that if I did experience any discomfort, I could use the shield as a ‘break’ for my nipples by using them until your nipple have had a chance to heal. They can also be a helpful in teaching your baby how to latch on the silicon early to encourage bottle feeding in the future.

Weaning off of them was much easier than I thought. I would just offer her the breast without the nipple shield first. Sometimes she took it, and other times she didn’t. Eventually she was taking both breasts without it. I just had to be patient and not push her too hard! I still used it at night for a week or so after we day-weaned because we were both too tired at night to work really hard at our latch. But now, were completely weaned!

Nursing Bras

Probably one of the most important things when it comes to breastfeeding is finding great nursing bras. When I discovered Kindred Bravely, I knew I HAD to try out their Marvella Underwire Free Nursing Bra.  It’s spectacular, guys! I love that the thick band under the cups still provides me with enough support for my larger than usual boobs. I hate the idea of too much ‘bounce’ when I walking around and this bra holds me in securely while still making it super easy to breastfeed anytime, anywhere.

The clips that let down the cup are sturdy but easy to use. The cups stay down when you fold them as well which is fantastic. Nothing is more annoying than the cups folding back up onto your baby’s head when they’re trying to eat. Plus, it’s the most comfortable non sports/sleeping bra I’ve ever worn.

I also have several of these ‘around the house’ nursing/sleeping bras. With your tatas larger than ever before, and sometimes leaking milk, it’s pretty much impossible to go braless… like ever. These are your saving grace. They’re are so unbelievably comfortable. I wear them EVERY DAY, ALL DAY. Especially if I’m hanging around the house. I don’t really like to wear them out and about because they don’t have any padding, but I have worn them on quick grocery store runs (#whitetrash) and they did just fine.

If I had to recommend one thing you must have, I would suggest these bras. They are worth every penny and then some. I have 3 and will probably get more in the near future.

Kindred Bravely is an awesome company all about mom empowerment and they have TONS of other fantastic and helpful products. Check them out here.

Nursing Pads

I’ll be really honest with you guys. I don’t leak. Never really have. But I’ve been trying to increase my milk supply lately and so I keep these washable breast pads from Kindred Bravely close at all times. I’ve found them to be much more comfortable than the disposable ones FOR SURE. I can’t give too much info about their absorbency because I haven’t leaked much at all, but they look like they could hold a ton!! And they come with a super cute carrying case!

Breast Pump

After lots of research and watching review video after review video, I decided to go with the Spectra S2 breast pump. And so far, I’m extremely pleased with my decision. I won’t say that I love to pump, but when I do, I love that the Spectra S2 gets the job done with little to no fuss.

It’s super quiet for a pump so if you pump at night, this would be perfect for you. It’s also able to do single and double pumps as well if you’re in a hurry.

I haven’t pumped a ton. My milk supply seems to be JUST ENOUGH for Kate with little excess. She’s eating and gaining weight like a champ, but when I try to pump between feedings, I’m only getting an ounce or two and a time. My goal is to put away a bit of frozen milk for a rainy day (or when I need a break) and so I’m trying to increase my supply by pumping regularly and eating some lactation brownies!

Lactation Brownies 

You can order these from several companies that make them for you and ship them to your door. You can also try and make them yourself. This is what I’ve been doing. Its basically regular brownies with some brewers yeast and flaxseed meal. Here is the recipe that I use. I just typed lactation brownies into the Pinterest search bar! I went with brownies because all of the cookies seem to be oatmeal cookies and your girl doesn’t like oatmeal cookies!

Also, we couldn’t find brewers yeast or flaxseed meal at our local grocery, so I linked them for you on amazon.

Bottles

Like I said above, I’ve been trying to pump a bit to build up a supply but Kate has been pretty much exclusively feeding from the breast. We’ve given her a bottle with Breastmilk twice and she seems to love these ComoTomo Natural Feed Bottles. We haven’t really tried anything else, but we may not have to!

So all in all, breast feeding has been a wonderful experience. It’s one that I would encourage all moms to try! But I also want to make sure that you all know that if you can’t breastfeed and even if you just decide it’s not for you, that’s totally fine. A fed baby is best, ALWAYS! You have to do what’s best for you and your child and sometimes that is formula! Don’t let the mom-shamer’s get you down.

Speaking of mom-shamer’s.

Let us not be affected by them, but also let us not BE them. The mom shame comes in all shapes and sizes and often in the form of unsolicited ‘advice’! Kate is only 6 weeks old and I’ve already received some comments that have made me so angry and also hurt my feelings.

But I’ve also found myself judging other moms for the decisions that they made. Judging each other is what we are wired to do. It’s going to happen no matter what. But what you think inside of your own head doesn’t always need to leave your mouth (or be typed into your computer). Before you go giving ‘nice but slightly condescending’ advice to your mom friends, make sure you check your motivations. And even if your motivation is purely to help, stop and think about how you’re going to say what you’re wanting to say.

In most cases, I would say, keep it to yourself unless asked directly! Let’s keep our social media positive by encouraging and lifting up our fellow moms. Instead of telling a mom what she should be doing differently, encourage her by telling her what she’s doing RIGHT! When you see that toddler acting up or a new mom struggling with a baby, give them a thumbs up, a smile, and any encouraging ‘you’re doing a great job’!

Being a mom is a hard job. Let positivity win the day!!