By: Yara Elhemaily

Exclusive breastfeeding is not only the best alternative for your baby; it is the best for your health as well.

Breastfeeding provides the baby with the ideal nutrition and offers them all what they need from vitamins to proteins and fats to grow up healthy. Research has proved that breastfeeding babies are less vulnerable to diseases, as they possess stronger immunity, apart from the fact that breast milk can be easier to digest than formula. Moreover, chest doctors confirmed that breastfed children were less susceptible to asthma, allergies, ear infections and other respiratory diseases. And last but not least, psychologists confirmed the strong, positive correlation between breastfeeding and IQ levels of babies.

As for the mother, breastfeeding helps her burn calories and lose the extra weight she gained during pregnancy. It also helps the brain to secrete oxytocin hormone that makes the uterus return to its normal size and improves the mood. Moreover, breastfeeding reduces incidences of breast and ovarian cancer. But above all, breastfeeding creates a strong bond between the baby and the mother.

And because Yaoota cares about your and your baby’s health, today we present you the most important 17 products that will help you breastfeed. If you like any of them, you can check its best prices on Yaoota, order it and have it delivered to you as fast as possible.

*Prices listed in this article are the ones provided at the time of its publication, and are subject to change according to the supply and demand of the market.

1. Nursing Bras

Nursing bras support breastfeeding moms and provide easy access for the baby for easier breastfeeding. It is also important in case of pumping outside the house.

You can check out a collection of nursing bras here. And here.

2. Ice Packs

You have to put ice packs inside the ice box or the thermal bag to maintain the milk.

Check out the ice packs here.

3. Baby Bottles

If you intend to store and leave some milk for your baby, you will need to bring baby bottles to store the milk so that the baby can feed through them. Generally, plastic bottles are more practical than glass bottles, because they won’t be easily broken when defrosted. Certain baby bottles are suitable for breastfed babies, as their teats mimic the breastfeeding process.

Check out baby bottles here.

4. Breast Pumps

If you are a working mother or if you have to leave your baby for more than two hours, you will probably need a breast-pump to store the milk and offer it later to your baby through a bottle. You will also need it to avoid a drop in your milk supply, as the milk may drop with the decreased frequency of breastfeeding or pumping. Therefore, you will need to pump every two hours or every time your baby feeds.

Breast pumps come in two types:

1. Manual: This is only suitable if you do not use it frequently.
2. Electric: Very suitable if you are a working mother or if your baby refuses breastfeeding and insists on a bottle. This one has two types: single and double. The double is, naturally, faster but more expensive.

In order to see different types of breast pump, check out this link.

If you made up your mind and decided to buy the electric pump and you know you are going to use it outside the house, you will probably need to get batteries, especially if you are pumping in a place with no electricity source. Some kinds use rechargeable batteries and others do not. If you choose to purchase the former, you will need to get a charger.

You can check out electric breast pump here.

5. Milk Storage Bags

Instead of using bottles for storage, you can use milk storage bags, which are cheaper than bottles but can be used one time only for each bag.

Check out milk storage bags here.

6. Breastfeeding Pillow

The baby is put on this pillow to help you find the ideal breastfeeding position. You may also buy it during pregnancy and use it while sleeping if you feel that your tummy is too heavy. This pillow is a must for C-section mothers, as it helps keep the baby away from the delivery scar.

Check out a collection of nursing bags here.

7. Nursing Cover

Do not let breastfeeding prevent you from going out with your baby or from leaving them with someone and having some me time. With the high frequency of breastfeeding, it becomes hectic for the mother to search for a nursing room every two hours if she’s out. In that case, the solution is to use a nursing cover that has a transparent part where she and the baby can see each others. You can also use it if you need to pump in public. Do not forget to take with you the nursing cover to the hospital during delivery, in order to be able to nurse in the room in the presence of many guests.

Check out a collection of nursing covers here. 

8. Nipple Care Creams

As soon as they start breastfeeding, some mothers encounter nipple cracking. In such cases, the solution is using nipple care creams that protect the nipples and heal any cracking. It is recommended to use these creams since the start of the ninth month of pregnancy to prepare the nipples for breastfeeding without pain. It has types that require to be wiped off before breastfeeding and others that don’t. 

Check out nipple care creams here.

9. Nipple Shield

In some cases, creams are not enough, and it is important for the mother to use a nipple shield as she breastfeeds. The nipple shield is a plastic or silicon cover that is used on breasts during breastfeeding to avoid cracking and pain.

Check out the nipple shield here.

10. Nursing Wear

You need these clothes if you are going to breastfeed in public and at home you will also need them as they are soft and provide easy access for the baby.

Check out nursing wear here.

These have been products to make the breastfeeding process easier and more comfortable for you and the baby. Here is some information regarding the foods and drinks that increase or decrease your milk supply:

Foods & Drinks That Increase Milk Supply:

• Water: Water is the most important thing when it comes to breastfeeding. A breastfeeding mother should drink at least 3 liters of water per day. Of course, she can substitute water with natural juices, if she wishes.
• Oat: You can check out oat products here.
• Fenugreek Seeds: Fenugreek drink is one of the drinks that really increase milk’s supply. Its only problem is that some people feel it makes the body smell bad.
• Spinach.
• Beets.
• Black Sesame.
• Carrot.
• Brown Rice.
• Apricot.
• Salmon Fish: You can check out smoked salmon here.

Foods & Drinks to Be Prevented When Breastfeeding:

• Chocolate.
• Spices.
• Sour Food.
• Strawberry.
• Kiwi.
• Pineapple.
• Onion.
• Broccoli.
• Cucumber.
• Pepper.

Additional Products to Make Your Life Easier

Ice Box/Thermal Bag

If you are going to pump outside the house, you will need to buy a small ice box or a thermal bag, as the expressed milk should not be kept more than 4 hours in room temperature. The milk, however, can be kept for a whole day in the icebox (given that you put an ice pack beside the bottle and that you do not open the icebox often).

You can check out a collection of ice boxes here.

And check out a collection of thermal bags here.

Deep Freezer

If you are willing to store expressed milk for a long period of time, Yaoota recommends that you use a deep freezer, where milk can be stored up to a full year. In that case, it is recommended that you write the date on each bottle, so that you don’t get lost and keep track which one should be used first.

Check out the deep freezer here.

A Big Pot

If you will freeze the expressed milk using a freezer or a deep freezer, you have two options to defrost it: the healthier option is to use a big pot to prepare a hot bath and put the bottle inside it until it is completely defrosted, while the other solution is to put the bottle you wish to defrost in the fridge the night before until it is defrosted.

Check out different pot sets here.

Sterilizer

You can use an electric sterilizer to sterilize bottles or you can resort to other methods, such as boiling water, using sterilizing capsules or sterilizing through the microwave.

You can check out Dr. Brown’s sterilizer here.

And in order to know more about the methods of bottle sterilizing and its tools, see this article.

A Mask

In winter, catching the flu is very common, and because the breastfeeding mother cares about her baby’s health and wouldn’t want them to catch a cold, it’s advised that she wear a mask if she’s sick in order not to be contagious for her baby.

Check out sterilized masks here.

Syringe

In rare cases, the mommy may have an inverted nipple, and even though it may make breastfeeding harder, it should not prevent a mommy from breastfeeding her baby. The solution to having an inverted nipple is using a syringe to breastfeed the child. It is indeed better to offer the baby the expressed milk through a syringe and not a bottle in order to avoid nipple confusion and breastfeeding aversion.

Check out the syringe here.

This has been a cohesive guide for the products a mommy may need to breastfeed her baby successfully. Apart from these products, she will need persistence, love and discipline, as many people today in our society are not very supportive to breastfeeding mothers. Others do not believe in the importance of breastfeeding up to two years, at least. If you made up your mind and decided to breastfeed, get ready for an adventure that is full of many challenges, but much more love!

*Some products may be currently out of stock, but they will be available again soon. If you encounter any problems with any product, please notify us in a comment or via our Facebook page.