My Mama Musts
Well, it’s been almost 6 months with my little man, and since then so many mama’s and mama to be’s have reached out to me asking for what I ended up really loving and needing after Luke was born. It’s also been interesting because a lot of the stuff we registered for were y’know…pre-covid, so I had these awesome trunk diaper changing stations for our cars that we’ve never even had to open up, an extra fisher price seat for him to use at my mom’s that we never used and got to gift to our dear friend that just had a baby…having a baby in quarantine is a completely different experience than what I planned having a baby would be like. So, given all the things we had on our registry here are the products we have found the most helpful for us!
You can find all the “Boobs” suggestions on my amazon storefront, except for the nipple whip. And all the baby products on my Liketoknow it!
Boobs: This reminds me I have to write a blog on how we are now back on the breast! You know the hell we went though and the pain I endured, and so the top things I’m going to suggest for you are:
Get like 5 of the MamaCozy hands free nursing AND pumping bra, because you never know if you’ll end up having to pump! I got ONE-thinking I’d never be pumping, and ended up over time having to add like 5 more because I live in them and my son is a big spitter upper. I also ordered nursing bras (they’re also on my amazon list, they are super soft and I loved wearing them in the hospital except for the whole having to hold the pump to my breast part because I didn’t anticipate having to pump or be separated from Luke.) The nursing bras are the HOFISH 3PACK, but have worn them rarely since there was SO much time spent pumping in the beginning for me. I think it’s best to get one bra that does BOTH so if you nurse your babe, and then need to pump at some point you don’t have to change bras. They’re also VERY comfortable-and come with an extender for the clips so as you change in size you have options. Ie: I used the extender for a while after birth, and then as I lost some weight, was able to wear the bras without it.
Soothies! Aka Soothing Cooling Gel pads by Lanisoh. My BFF Ashely dropped some off for me, and THANK GOD. I ended up ordering more so I always had a pair or two in the fridge to help soothe my nips because they will be tender and sore-breastfeeding or pumping. These helped IMMENSELY. (And yes, your nips eventually get used to it. But remember: if you’re screaming/dreading it/curling your toes in pain GET A LACTATION CONSULTANT INTO YOUR HOME IMMEDIATELY. If you’re in the LA area, DM me, I have the best one. Nursing and pumping should NOT hurt post the initial latch do NOT let anyone tell you otherwise. Read my blog on breast-feeding if you need to know more/why.). Anyway, I LOVED these so much I also gifted them to a new mama friend of mine before she delivered her son. They rock!
I loved these 3-in-1 Thera pearl Breast therapy pads by Lanisoh, because I could warm them up to help encourage more milk, or make them cold if I needed extra help with the pain. I mainly always heated them up and wore them in between pumps and feedings to help bring more milk up since I don’t like wet towels on my breasts and had issues with supply. You can even warm them up and wear them WHILE you pump which is awesome!
WOOL NURSING PADS! I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT THESE BABIES!!!! I ordered a bunch of the bamboobies while pregnant, and you get a pair with the nursing bras, but they’re basically used to catch spit up, as coasters, or to wipe dust off things lol. I found out about wool nursing pads one night and decided to try them and THEY ARE MY FAVORITE. They are reusable, but more importantly: they’re so soft and nice to your nipples! Especially in the beginning you’re gonna just be leaking randomly, and that will cause the pads to stick to your nips which is NOT enjoyable. Well guess what? NOT THESE PADS! The wool is soft, it won’t stick to your nipples, AND they’re even MORE absorbent than the bamboo ones. I ordered them in more than once size and prefer the bigger ones for sure. Sometimes when he nurses a lot or comfort nurses, I use them still to give my nips extra love.
Wild Carrot Nipple Whip! My neighbors got this for me, and of all the stuff I was putting on my nipples to make them feel better: THIS IS MY FAVORITE! Not greasy, easy to apply, and really does help!
Lacticups: In the beginning, there is so much random leaking all the time and your nipples hurt and it’s just a whole thing. You can’t wear these all day, but I wore them A LOT, and it saved me from the annoyance of having to change my nipple pads, bras, and shirts PLUS I saved my milk…and trust me, you’d be amazed what even a half ounce of milk means to you once you start breastfeeding!
Baby Accessories: They honestly don’t need much in the beginning, so these are the things we found super helpful:
Fisher Price SWING. We had the vibrating chairs, but they didn’t soothe him as well as the swing. Granted, it didn’t last long for him-but it gave my arms and body a break every once in a while for him to sleep soundly and happily and we will def be using it again for the next babe!
WOOMBIE SWADDLE! Y’all…my son busted out of EVERY freaking swaddle-INCLUDING THE SNOO swaddle. It was so frustrating in the middle of the night to have to adjust the velcro and have the loud noise wake my sleeping baby! Then I found the Woombie-easy zipper (which honestly, with anything for a baby-including onesies…opt for zippers when you can), and if he wanted arms out we had that option too. Loved it so much I recently bought one for my pregnant friend!
Magic Merlin Sleep Suit: Once he grew out of his swaddle, we transitioned to the sleep suit and so far…so good! I tried the Zipadee swaddle instead, and it did NOT work out for us. We do have the zen sack on hold here to try soon. But I really like the sleep suit, and so does he. He can move, but not too much: which for my flailing sleeper is great, because if he’s left to his own devices he will kick himself awake in a matter of minutes lol This is for before he rolls over, by the way. Once he is rolling, which he’s getting rally close to in his sleep, the zen sack is what we will hopefully find success with.
The Baby Bjorn Bouncer Bliss: THIS!!! It was a gift that wasn’t on my registry and literally, I use it EVERY SINGLE DAY. We leave it in the kitchen, and it’s been so helpful in the mornings for me to have my hands free while I make my smoothies and the such. He loves it, and as he has gotten bigger he enjoys kicking his legs and making himself bounce like a little wild man! Plus, it’s easy to take with you anywhere, so when I was lucky enough to spend the night at my friend’s beach house, I just made the chair flat and brought it with us! It’s the best-truly, THE BEST!
Solly Wrap: When they are new-this wrap is THE JAM! It’s light weight and breathable (which is important because they will 100% fall asleep wrapped up on you and you want to avoid the two of you getting uncomfortably hot and sweaty), there are cute patterns, and they’re obviously easily washable.
Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier One: Luke got a little too big and heavy for the Solly Wrap and I knew he wanted to face out to experience the world, which was super weird in the Solly. We were gifted two Ergo’s but I found them too hard to get on alone, and I wanted a sturdy carrier that was cute, safe, and that I could get him in and out of without needing another person. I did a bunch of research, and went with the all time classic: Baby Bjorn. We are OBSESSED with this carrier! It’s amazing and easy, and it’s gonna last until he’s 2, and then I can reuse it for the next kid! I honestly use it almost every day and am so glad I gifted it to myself for my birthday!
Nalakai Ring Sling Baby Carrier: This one is great for around the house once they can hold their head up-I even breast-feed him in it because it’s such easy access for them!
Keekaroo Peanut changing table. This has honestly been the best-it’s soft for Luke, doesn't slide, and when we have those blow outs, it’s easy to clean. We had a super bad blowout the other day, and dad just threw this sucker in the shower. Good as new! I don’t like changing tables with sheets…we have enough laundry as is, plus you never know how many sheets you’ll need. This table has been amazing for us. I’m so glad I picked it!
Newborn Gloves: So call me crazy, but we did NOT have any of these before bringing him home and we ended up putting socks on his hands because he kept scratching himself! When he wasn’t swaddled he had sneaky little ninja hands, so even the baby shirts that go over the hands were not enough. I had scratches all over my chest, and ended up ordering these twice because we had a big spitter upper and he honestly had to be in them like all the time aside from when he was swaddled. So, if you don’t have these…grab them before babe comes home.
There ya have it! The things I really needed for myself, and the things we really loved and needed for Luke! Never hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about other things we have used-this mama is an open book!