Breastfeeding Essentials

Breastfeeding is the easiest, safest and most natural way to feed your baby. It's always available, always at the right temperature and it's free! All you really need to breastfeed your baby successfully are your breasts (and of course your baby) but there are products out there that lots of mums have found made the experience even easier and more enjoyable.

What you might need - The Basics:

Nursing bras (we recommend that you get measured in your third and last month) - the usual rule is down 1 back size and up one cup size from your maternity bra - this is not true for everyone! A loose guide would be that if your Pre-pregnancy size was a 36C, during pregnancy you'll most likely end up a 38D and while breastfeeding you will change again to a 36E.

Try and pick up at least one bra that makes you feel great, sometimes new mums can forget that there is a yummy mummy lurking under that baby-spit covered t-shirt! Have a look at our sexy selection from Hotmilk and Cake lingerie. For more practical day-to-day bras we have some great choices from Carriwell. It's recommended that you have at least 2 nursing bras as they can need frequent washing and changing especially in the early days if you leak a lot and need to wear disposable nursing pads.

The amount of milk leaked varies greatly from woman to woman with some almost never leaking and others needing to change breast pads regularly. Some women may experience pain or tenderness during this time and the Carriwell Breast Soothers are fantastic at releiving this asthey can be used either warm or cold. Breastfeeding shouldn't hurt but it is a learned skill and while you (and your baby) are learning, sometimes you might become sore or engorged - these shaped soothers can be kept in the fridge and used as a cold compress when you need it.

Regardless of how you choose to feed your baby, one of the most useful things to have in your baby arsenal is a lot of decent muslin squares and these high quality Egyptian cotton ones really fit the bill. They can be used as burp cloths, nappies, changing mats - in short they are a must have bit of baby kit!

A good book about breastfeeding - "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" is produced by La Leche League International and is widely regarded as the definitive breastfeeding resource for Mums! Pick up a copy in our new Books section.

Also nice to have - The Little Extras:

Many women find that a nursing cushion can make feeding the baby easier, lifting the baby up to the breast they can help take pressure off your back and arms and in the early can leave you with two hands free to get your latch sorted. Also, if you should need a c-section, the cushion can help keep pressure off your scar area.

A breast pump - if you decide that you would like to be able to express milk for either the occasion when you need to leave your baby with someone else or if you are going to continue nursing after you return to work. Lots of women find hand expressing do-able but many more find it a chore and prefer to use either a manual pump (great if you only want to express occasionally) or an electric pump if you are going to pump regularly.

If you think you might express for occasional bottles then we strongly recommend choosing a bottle from our range of Think baby bottles that are BPA free.