Micah is officially 4 months old! How did we freaking get here?! 😭
Now that the 4th Trimester has officially come and gone I thought I’d share what we actually used the first 3 months that we found absolutely necessary in a series so I can get really tell you about how we used these products and how it fit into our lives. In part 1 of my series, I want to talk to you about breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding was so hard and stressful for me. I think most of the reason was because I wasn’t expecting breastfeeding to be difficult. I thought the hardest part was going to be the actual act of giving birth. While I was in the hospital I struggled with Micah on many aspects of breastfeeding. Because of this he was losing weight very quickly and we had to supplement with formula. It took about a week for my milk to come in, and even then it was a journey trying to figure a lot of things out.
During the first 3 months I had a lot of concerns about milk supply, making sure he was getting enough, pain, latching issues, clogged milk ducts…you name it I was worried about it. The hospital I delivered at had breastfeeding classes and support groups with lactation consultants but weren’t meeting due to the pandemic.
Micah is currently exclusively taking breast milk, he nurses as well as from a bottle. I’ve been able to build up a significant stash in the first 3 months. My original goal is to breastfeed him for 1 year, I hope that we’ll be able to reach that goal but we will play it by ear. I’ve learned that putting hard goals like that on myself have had a negative effect on me when it doesn’t play out as planned so I’m trying to be more flexible. I’m a type-A person, what can I say. 😆
Here are the things I felt were essentials during the first 3 months when it came to breastfeeding.
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- Haakaa Pump. I mentioned this in my newborn essentials video. I can’t say more about this thing! It’s such an easy way to create a stash of breast milk. In the first 3 months I would use a Haaka on the other breast whenever Micah would nurse. I barely used my electric pump in comparison to this silicone pump the first 3 months, but I would use my electric pump at night if Micah slept through his night feedings to keep my stash up.
- The First Years Quiet Expressions Electric Breast Pump. This is the pump I got through insurance and I really like it! It’s not the most expensive but it’s a great pump. My friend also let me borrow her Medela Pump in Style pump, but so far I’m liking The First Years pump much better. I love how quiet it is, it also takes batteries if you need to be more mobile, and it’s easy to clean.
- Kiinde Bottle system. I mentioned this product in my newborn essentials video too. I did a lot of research and found that this bottle system was the best for us. Micah had a very hard time learning how to bottle feed and the slow flow nipples that came with this system worked for him. That and they have a direct pumping system so you can pump directly into their bags from pretty much any pump. We love it. Plus, the system transitions when baby moves over to solids!
- Boppy Nursing Pillow. I have 2 of these, I bought one and the other was a gift. I love this thing. Not only do we use it to nurse, but we sit him up in it, we let him lounge in it, he does tummy time on it, it’s the best! Never leave your baby unsupervised in it, but it’s a great lounger if you’re going to be sitting with your baby.
Hopefully this helps you guys! Feel free to comment below with any questions you might have and I’ll try my best to answer. I would love to know what your essentials were during your 4th trimester, please share!
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