"supplies" for breastfeeding?

[kathleen_mary]

Silly me. I thought I would just need my boobs. But people keep giving me stuff. I am due October 24.

I have a My Brest Friend pillow, a medela hand pump, two 4 oz. bottles that came with it, and disposable nursing pads.

My question is about the bottles. Do I need more? I'll be with the baby all the time at least for the first two months. Then I will need to go back to work (very) part-time, but will only be out of the house for 2-3 hours at a time while my mom or husband watches the baby. So, I don't think I really need a "stash" of breast milk, but should I pump some and store it just in case? And is it ok to store breast milk in tupperware or a mason jar in the freezer or do I need more special stuff?

[2lilsweetfoxes]

I'd pump and store a few bottles' worth for just in case you get caught in traffic or something and are running late. I use the lansinoh freezer bags for that, since I can store it in small single-serving sizes. Once defrosted, the milk has to be used up within 24 hours, so storing in tupperware or mason jars is probably not the best idea.

[Sheryl1678]

I am with you... When it comes down to it I just use my boobs. Keep a few bottles in the freezer like pp said. I also used nursing pads sporadically until I got sick of that and just changed my shirt more frequently.

[sunshynbaby]

I use cotton washable breastpads, and yes they are worth it to catch all the leaks I would freeze a small stash just in case you want to have more than a few hours out sometime.

[frontierpsych]

I used the pillow for about a month, nursing pads about 3 months. Nursing tanks were so much better than nursing bras because I could raise my shirt without showing off my belly. In your situation, I'd just keep a few bottles handy in case baby gets hungry while you're out. No need for anything super fancy.

[curious&eager]

What you have sounds perfect. For me the pads are a must, but not for everyone. The pillow is very handy. It's much easier than propping a bunch of pillows one handed. I have the same hand pump and it works pretty good. When I leave for a few hours, I pump two bottles, one for the baby and one for my stash. Then if he's very hungry, he has both available, if not he has one saved. But now that I have a few bags in the freezer, sometimes I just leave one bottle. Those two bottles are all you need. I have a few more but just because they were given to us.

The freezer bags made for milk are very handy. It would take a long time to defrost milk frozen in a bottle. But the bags thaw quickly under hot running water. Plus they are so easy to store as they lay flat. I do actively try to make a stash, so I have about six bags so far. We've used one when I for some reason, could not get enough milk out one day. Having some frozen milk on hand gives you peace of mind just in case something comes up and you cannot be home.

Have fun with your upcoming baby!