Hellobee Boards

Pumping Bra for sure!!! I can't remember the name, but I am sure someone else will chim in.

Boppy! I know a lot didn't use it but I used it the whole time. It wasn't comfortable for me otherwise.

Too start, I needed a nursing pillow (I prefer My Brest Friend to the Boppy, personally, and still use it at almost a year), nursing pads for leaking, nipple cream (I alternated between the Earth Angel Mom Nipple Butter and Lansinoh Lanolin), and I had a pair of Lansinoh Soothies on hand for when it got really sore about 2 weeks in-they are gel type nursing pads that you can stick in the fridge while you are nursing then put them back on after and the cold hurts so good. Those plus a few nursing tank tops (cheap Target ones for the first few weeks, much easier for me than dealing with a nursing bra AND a shirt) and a big unbreakable water bottle with a straw. I knocked that thing over many times, basically I needed an adult sippy cup.

In addition to those basic supplies, the thing that helped me most was having few plans and few visitors in the first few weeks so I could just focus on healing from birth and establishing our breastfeeding relationship, with loads of topless time. So much topless time.

I wouldn't worry about a storage system right away so you can see what works for you after baby is here. The Lansinoh nursing pads come with a pack of freezer bags, though I guess having an extra pack of those would be good if you are looking to build a freezer stash.

This is what I use: Bottles, storage bags (I always keep a few with my pump just in case I forget storage bottles...like today), lanolin, nipple cream, breast pads, burp cloths. For my pump, I like having multiple sets of parts so I'm not washing all the time, enough storage bottles for three days, and multiple ice packs.

Oh, and lots of nipples for the bottles.

nursing pads! (reusable ones) a couple of nursing bras, freezer bags if you want to build a supply.

my pump came with extra sets of bottles!

For nursing:
- Nursing Pillow (I used Boppy)
- Nursing tanks and/or bras (I preferred to just use tanks for the most part)
- Nipple Cream (Lanolin and if you can, get a prescription for All Purpose Nipple Ointment (APNO))
- Breast Pads (I used the disposable Lansinoh ones)

For pumping:
- Pump
- Correct sized Flanges (I went through 3 sizes before I found the size that works for me)
- Bottles (I used 8 regularly, 4 to send to daycare and 4 to pump in)
- Storage Bags (I used Lansinoh)
- Backup pump parts (especially those white membranes for the Medela)
- Hands-free Pumping Bra (Simple Wishes was what I used)

A few musts:
- Pillow of some sort
- Nursing bra or tank
- Storage bottles or bags. (I highly recommend the Lansinoh and NOT the medela bags).

Other suggestions:
- Lanolin cream or some sort of nipple cream
- Breast pads (I never really leaked so I just had some disposable ones, again Lansinoh NOT Johnson and Johnson).
- Hands Free bra if you are pumping while trying to do something.
- Extra set of pump parts if you don't want to wash every day.
- Small cooler to transport milk in when needed

@Mrs. Jump Rope: You have a few options.

I found I only put them in the bags if I was going to freeze in them. So I had like 4-6 of the small medela bottles that I would pump into and then set in the fridge. If I already had a lot in the fridge, I would pour into a Lansinoh bag and freeze.

When you take it out of the freezer, I just set the bag in the fridge overnight and then pour into your bottle of choice.

@Mrs. Jump Rope: i liked the target bags because they laid flat in the freezer. I never pumped directly into bags...i pumped into the medella bottles and then poured into bags when i had a full 6 ounces.

And like @T.H.O.U.: said, i only used the bags when i was going to freeze. I used the bottles for fridge storage. I kept a full days worth of milk in the fridge, and when i saved up more than that i would freeze.

@Mrs. Jump Rope: Spare parts probably aren't covered but you can pick them up if you need them.

@Mrs. Jump Rope: Probably not, but the Medela PISA comes with spare white membranes! So at least if yours rip or something, you'll be able to replace easily enough.

Also, these are awesome for storing in the freezer: http://www.target.com/p/sterilite-white-ice-cube-bin/-/A-13797819 You can lay flat to freeze and then store upright in these bins. The Lansinoh bags fit in here perfectly! I ended up buying four of them for my freezer.

@Mrs. Jump Rope: I 2nd @Adira: storage system. It was so much easier, and less space when I started doing it this way.

I pumped directly into bottles for the next day, I bought the Tommee adapters, but then Friday's, I would pour into bags and freeze. Then Sunday take out older bags to thaw for her Monday bottles.

When I pumped at work, I put all the parts in a ziploc bag and in the fridge with the milk. So I just washed once at home. I never had spare parts.

I don't have much add, other than know that all the bags have inaccurate measurements! If you want specific amounts to freeze, make sure to measure in bottles first. And I could pretty much never have enough bottles to pump into and spare pump parts.

I am a big fan of the Medela steam bags for sterilizing pump parts and the little 5 oz bottles that came with the PISA. If I pumped more often, I'd probably have a good dishwasher routine, but these bags sterilize with just a few minutes in the microwave and I love it.

If you're going to be a frequent pumper (e.g., pumping at work) here's what I have: (I also have the PISA).

1. hands free pumping bra
2. 4 sets of parts (one for every day I work to reduce washing constantly - but if you leave them in the fridge, you can use the same ones for a few days) The PISA comes with one set of parts, tubing and a few bottles. I also have some extra membranes and valves, since they tear/get eaten alive by my dishwasher sometimes.
3. 20 bottles or so (I use 4 bottles at work to pump into, 3 of those end up being bottles for the next day) Luckily, the bottles my DD uses fit on my pump (Gerber FIrst Essentials) since they're cheaper then Medela bottles
4. Freezer bags (Lansinoh ones are my favorite but the oz are off, so always go by what's in the bottle!)
5. car adapter in case I need to pump on the go
6. battery pack so I don't have to be tethered to an electrical outlet
7. cooler bag with ice pack (got a free enfamil one from my hospital that's perfect for pumping at work, which I also enjoy the irony that it's from a formula company!)

At work, I don't wash or even rinse pump parts. I just put everything in the cooler bag then in the fridge in between pumping. (only downside is cold pump parts on your boobs is not that much fun!) I pump into empty bottles each time, so as to not mix warm/cold milk. Then combine into one bottle after each pumping session, which limits the amount of bottles I need.

Also, spare parts aren't covered under my insurance, but extra tubing is.

Pumping aside, for breastfeeding, get some lanolin (I personally like lansinoh and medela. I hear great things about EarthMamaAngelBaby Nipple Butter though.), breastpads, nursing bras. That's pretty much all I used. I never found a nursing pillow necessary, regular pillows get the job done.

Good luck!

My only advice beyond the many great suggestions above is to wait to get too many bottles or parts for bottles. My BFed baby was picky so we had to try several different types before we found one that she would take. Then we stocked up on extra bottles, caps, and nipples once we knew which type she liked.

@Mrs. jump rope: This was mentioned above by Adira I think:

"Nipple Cream (Lanolin and if you can, get a prescription for All Purpose Nipple Ointment (APNO))"

That apno (also sometimes called newmans nipple cream was the only thing that salvaged our nursing relationship.