First, get yourself some Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads.  After your feedings, and in between feedings, apply them for the first few days.  Your incredibly cracked and sore nipples will thank you. 

Second, get yourself some Medela SoftShells for Sore Nipples and put your breast in them between feedings and certainly before putting any clothes on.  The chafing between your sore nipples and clothes will be quickly unbearable (and that’s why so many new moms walk around topless if they can get away with it!) 

Third, get yourself some good nipple cream.  And I don’t mean lanolin (which is recommended by some OB GYNs, but is in actuality a waxy substance which costs sheep’s fur and can also contain toxic pesticides), but the good organic stuff that is safe for the infant to eat.  Because no matter how well you clean your nipple, some may be left behind.  Some safe nipple creams that I used include Motherlove Nipple Cream and Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Nipple Butter.

Fourth, rent yourself a hospital grade pump.  I tried both a portable Medela Pump in Style and the hospital-grade Medela Symphony.  The Symphony was way more efficient at getting the milk out and much more comfortable.  It is only about $75 bucks a month to rent as of June 2015 at a hospital or local baby store.  The only downside is that it’s not easily portable.  The only respectable pumps out there are purportedly made by Medela or Ameda. I have also heard good things about Spectra.  You will also want a manual breast pump for travel because they are much easier to use when traveling.

  
Five, get yourself some comfortable organic nursing pads (the disposable stuff is not comfortable on your sore breasts).  I liked these TL Care Organic Cotton Nursing Pads.

Six, screw the big bottles and get yourself Medela’s 2.7 oz bottles because they are the perfect size for preparing and storing breastmilk.  Unless you are one of the lucky (or unlucky) ones with an oversupply, you won’t need the big bottles. 

Seventh, get yourself some sturdy breastmilk storage bags.  I hear Lansinoh and Medela break a lot.  I liked Honeysuckle Breastmilk Storage Bags (although the quality isn’t as good as it used to be, but still better than the others).  Also, get yourself a good breastmilk storage solution such as The First Years Breastflow Milk Storage Organizer (to save space in the fridge).

Eighth, get yourself a milk saver so you don’t lose any drippings of your liquid gold while your child is feeding on one breast or as you go about your day. 

  
Ninth, get yourself a nursing pillow (it makes life much easier and your back will thank you).  I liked the Boppy Nursing Pillow much better than the Breast Friend, but some moms disagree.

 
Tenth, get yourself a breastmilk cooler set if you are going back to work to keep your liquid gold fresh.
  
Finally, eat those galactagogues to keep your supply up (especially if you are returning to work and pumping).  Oatmeal, liquid fenugreek, blessed thistle and mothers milk tea are all great!
If you ever feel intense pain, notice red streaks or your temperature spikes, please see a doctor as it may be mastitis.
Most importantly — know that the pain will eventually pass and soon, before you know it, you will be looking down at your child nursing away and you will love it and you will be amazed at what your body is capable of doing.  You will be so sad at the thought of having to wean (well, at least until their teeth come in!).  Breastfeeding is one of the greatest things you can do your child and will eventually be blissful.  There’s nothing like that intimacy with and nurturing of your child.  You just have to grit your teeth and hang in there!  It really does get easier!
** The content of this post is only the opinion of an everyday mom. Please do not rely on anything in this post as medical advice. Please always consult a doctor or a lactation consultant. 

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Everybody knows breast is best.  If you can’t breastfeed because you are going back to work, fine — then please, for the love of your baby, please at the very least give your child colostrum while in the hospital.  Colostrum is that liquid gold that comes out of your body between birth and when your milk comes in (some women get it before birth during pregnancy).  Among other things, it contains a concentrated amount of carbs, proteins, and antibodies to help keep your newborn healthy while his or her immature immune system is playing catch up.  It is also a natural laxative and helps the baby pass its stools and excrete bilirubin, which helps prevent jaundice.  Most importantly, it contains IgA and leukocytes, which will help protect your infant from illness.   Moreover, colostrum coats your baby’s digestive tract which helps prevent foreign substances from invading your baby’s tummy.  

Moreover, there are great health benefits to YOU as well from breastfeeding — please read this NIH articles here regarding benefits to both infant and mother.

Assuming you are lucky enough to produce it (because some women cannot), your breasts can’t be THAT great of an asset that you must withhold this great benefit from your child in the first few days of life.

There’s a reason the doctors and hospitals push it so much.  

(And if you can’t be inconvenienced even for a few days, query why you brought a child into the world in the first place — there I said it)

As someone who was formula fed (my mom had an infection and medications that dried up her supply) and suffers from autoimmune disorder and a host of health problems — please, give your child the best start in life.  It is so worth it.

So assuming you have breastfed for as long as your possibly can — and you get to a point where you need formula, where do you go?

Well please don’t be fooled.  Organic formula will not save you (buts it’s still better than non-organic).  At least not in the USA.  Read this informative article by the Cornucopia Institute, which reviews all of the dangerous or potentially controversial ingredients in organic infant formula and tells you what to look out for.  From what I can tell, the only semi-safe formula in the USA  is by Baby’s Only (and it’s technically a toddlers formula and gives some babies constipation based on reviews).  However, even that brand once had trouble based on levels of arsenic (which they have since claimed to correct).  Earths Best tasted horrible – or at least my baby didn’t care for it.

After much heart wrenching research,  I have discovered that the best formulas on the market are either HiPP from the UK (manufactured in Germany) or Holle from Germany.  HiPP powders, however, were once cited for high levels of aluminum so I’d stick to HiPP ready made formula or Holle. They are expensive and hard to find, but so worth it.  Among other things, both companies have been around for over 50 years and their products are from grass-fed, organic cows of much higher quality than the USA. EU organic standards are much more stringent than in the USA.  Holle goes a step further and is made from biodynamically grown food (Holle is Demeter certified, which means it is one of a number of strictly regulated organizations complying with regulations set by the Demeter Society whose criteria exceeds standard organic farming and all stages of production are checked).  No pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used in Holle’s raw ingredients and free of GMOs.  More than that, Holle tastes great!  So the overall winner for me has been Holle.

The only downside is that they are expensive and hard to come by in the USA.  You have to make sure you are getting it from a legit importer/dealer.
 

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