Since giving birth my life has been an endless loop of feeding, cleaning, soothing, and cuddling my baby. And surprisingly, I have really loved it. Yes, it has been challenging and the learning curve steep, but the payoff has been greater than I ever imagined.

One reason why I think this phase has been kinder to me (so far) than I expected is that I researched and prepared as much as possible for a first time mom. And there are a few key things that have made this transition to caregiver a bit easier. Here are a few things that I highly recommend for breastfeeding parents to try.

Silverettes - I picked these up during Black Friday after hearing far too many horror stories about chapped nips and painful feeding. The silver has natural healing properties which I am assuming work because I haven’t had any serious issues so far. I took these in my hospital bag and have used them from the beginning, but not I only pop them on if I am feeling a little sore and usually that resolves in a few hours.

Reusable Wool Nursing Pads - and lanolin soap to clean them. These pads are amazing. Not only are the sustainable, but you can use them for up to a week or so and you won’t have any cleanliness issues! The wool also has lanolin which has natural healing properties. I started with one pair and love them so much that I got another to use when the other is drying after a wash. PS- I have found the Medium Softlines are perfect for me.

Nursing Sleep Bras - a comfortable bra (or 10) is essential. I have always been a minimalist with bras, but nursing is messy and I have found I need a stockpile despite doing laundry multiple times a week. The simple sleep nursing bras are all I have needed day to day thus far and they are definitely the most comfortable. I have also tried the Medela brand version but they pilled terribly in the first wash, and a target brand version that just isn’t quite as comfortable or supportive as these.

Haakaa with lid - I under estimated just how much letdown milk I could collect while feeding Sami on the other side. This little suction pump has grabbed up to 4 ounces in a session for me! It particularly useful at night when I might be a bit engorged not willing to do a full electric pump session. You can also get one without the lid, but I don’t trust myself not to knock it over before making it to the fridge!

Nursing Pillow - I love my Snuggle Me organic nursing pillow because it’s super soft, cute, and can be easily used as a tummy time pillow for baby boy. I have the slate blue color, but there are so many gorgeous ones to choose from.

Nursing Chair - we invested in the Sigi recliner from Babyletto because it ticked all the functional boxes (high back, charging outlets, rock & recline), while also looking beautiful. I love having a dedicated spot to feed, soothe, and relax with my baby. And I even thoroughly enjoyed it in my last months of pregnancy when every other chair in our house suddenly became unbearable! And for an extra savings we added it to our baby registry and used our completion discount.

Bed Pillow - by my second week of breastfeeding I realized I also needed better support when feeding in bed. I really didn’t want to buy yet another pillow but this one was absolutely worth getting. It is filled with memory foam and is heavier than it looks so it offers excellent back support for the middle of the night and early morning feeds. I also use it when contact napping in bed sitting up with baby Sami on my chest.