This post was written as part of the Breastfeeding Blog Hop, hosted by Life With Levi. The topic for Week 10 is Breastfeeding Products. To share your thoughts on the topic, please follow the directions below.
Breastfeeding Products: Next Time, I’ll Spend the Money
I have mixed feelings about products sold to breastfeeding mothers.
One one hand, I think that breastfeeding is a simple, biological act that predates manufactured products, and that many of the products on the market only serve to muck things up and get in the way of the natural process, which can interfere with the mother/baby nursing relationship and cause big problems. It bothers me that greedy marketing often tries to convince new moms that they need to buy certain products in order to succeed.
On the other hand, I understand that many mothers have specific challenges that can only be overcome with help found on the store shelves. I, myself, only needed a few things: a healthy diet, a properly-latched baby, a bunch of support and sticktoitiveness, and a good pump for my return to work. But I understand that all mothers do not have the same experience, and there are probably lots of moms out there who feel that a specific product or two has made all the difference.
I also know that when I was pregnant, I got very nesty and wanted to buy, stock up, prepare as much as possible. For me, it was part of the process of getting ready for my baby, and having half an aisle in the local Target dedicated to breastfeeding supplies for me to weed through gave me yet another thing to learn about and prepare. Would I have known about some of the potential problems I could have had if I had not read the packages? Maybe not. So maybe those products did help more than I realized…
Like I said. I have mixed feelings.
So, I’ve decided to keep this post simple and tell you the two products I never invested money in, but wish I had. If I ever have another baby, I most definitely, without a doubt, will purchase:
1. A comfy glider (with a footstool.) Because my butt spends a LOT of time there, and my rickety rocker just isn’t cutting it anymore. Scrimping in this area was not worth the discomfort.
2. Properly fitted, supportive non-ugly nursing bras (I’m thinking Bravado.) Because my boobs spend a LOT of time there, and my rickety knock-offs just aren’t cutting it anymore. Again, the money saved was not worth the discomfort, or the funky shaped boobs. 😕
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- Find a post on your blog related to this week’s topic – Breastfeeding Products. You can write a new post, or use a past post. Current giveaways for Breastfeeding Products may be linked so long as they are current and you include “Giveaway” in your linky entry.
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I love love LOVE my glider! I’m still in search of a good comfy nursing bra.
Stoppin’ by on BF Hop.
Before I had Levi, I totally thought that I just needed a boob and a baby. Since our breastfeeding relationship is a bit different, I’m really glad there are products out there that make it possible for me to still feed him breastmilk exclusively, even though we’re not able to nurse in the traditional sense.
I’m a fan of my boobs and my butt, too, so anything that makes them more comfy is good in my book.
Hi Jen,
I’m so glad you have access to those products, too! I can’t imagine how much work it takes to pump so much, and I have tons of respect for you for sticking with it. You are definitely one of the people who made me see that, even though I think there are some unnecessary items out there, the industry isn’t just “out to get” us – they offer a real service that allows women to provide the gift of breastmilk to their babies even when problems arise.