Breastfeeding has come a long way since our mother’s time. There are tons of new products and accessories available out there for the breastfeeding mommy, but how do we decide what’s best for mother and child? The following are a few tips and tricks that I’ve learned along my breastfeeding journey and the tools that helped me along the way:
Breastfeeding Aids and Helpful Breastfeeding Tools
When it comes to support while breastfeeding, a firm breastfeeding pillow helps during feeding time by making mom and baby more comfortable.
Breastfeeding bras are a lifesaver. They’re convenient to just snap on and off when baby needs to feed! Choose the ones without wires to avoid clogged and plugged ducts.
While breastfeeding, sore nipples could potentially start bothering you. A remedy for this can be applying breast milk topically and leaving it to air dry to soothe the irritated skin. Other nipple soothers such as virgin coconut oil or plant based organic nipple cream are also quite popular. Lanolin based nipple soother could work as well, but it’s best to find other alternatives to lanolin if you have sensitive skin.
For moms who are looking to increase their breast milk production, lactation cookies, lactation treats, milk boosters, and malunggay capsules are popular options that are said to help out with milk production! Although these things may be nice to have, keep in mind that they’re just optional and not completely necessary. It’s still best to eat a healthy, balanced diet, snack on fruits and foods that make your body feel good, and hydrate by drinking 2 liters of water a day.
Breastmilk Expression
Expressing milk could be a tasking sacrifice but lots of moms do it successfully.
A gentler, more natural way is by hand expression, a useful skill when an electric outlet is unavailable or pump parts are missing. It also decreases the chances of painful oversupply and saves money, time, and energy because we don’t have to buy, wash, and sterilize the pump and its parts!
Electric Breast pumps, manual breast pumps and milk catchers are available in the market as well.
Tips:
- Do a gentle self breast massage before expressing your milk.
- During maternity leave, do feed and focus on your baby. A small reserve stash is all you need. Too much and you might end up with clogged ducts, painful mastitis or an overactive letdown that would cause you a lot of stress.
Bottles and Pacifiers
Bottles and pacifiers are not necessary and could cause nipple and flow confusion especially during the early days.
However, for some who need to go back to work and do not see cup feeding as an option, wait for six weeks before you introduce the bottle to pace feed. You need to establish a strong breastfeeding relationship first to reduce the risk of baby preferring the bottle.
Whatever happens, know that you are strong and capable. Breastfeeding is a beautiful journey and a once in a lifetime chance to love and hold your baby that way!
Katrina Ambion a.k.a Mommy Kat is a full-time mom to Liane and Zuri and wife to Tagaytay Vice Mayor, Raymond Ambion. She is a trained breastfeeding peer counselor, babywearing and cloth diapering advocate and founder of Tagaytay Moms, an online mom and baby support group based in Tagaytay City that help families succeed in breastfeeding.
She is the Mompreneur behind Mommyfide PH and Katwalk. She is a skincare and beauty enthusiast. She loves travel and milk tea.
