Breastfeeding is what is best for the baby, but it isn’t always 100% free. For some mothers it is as easy as taking out your breast and feeding your baby, but for some mothers it isn’t as easy or cheap.
A mother comes home from the hospital with cracked dry and hard nipples; she may need cooling nipple pads to help relieve the pain. She may also need nursing pads to catch the extra milk leaking; these can either be cloth or disposable. If you plan on leaving the house and want to cover yourself up while nursing, a nursing cover will help with this.
There are many mothers that at either 6 or 8 weeks have to go back to work. Going back to work will incur more costs to insure that your baby will get your breast milk. For starters, she will need a pump and storage containers to keep up the milk supply while working. She will also need bottles to feed the baby when they are away from the mother.
These costs are ones that a lot of mothers, including myself, didn’t think about.
I knew that I wanted to nurse as long as I could, but with some complications I was not able to at the beginning. I got into a grove and continued until I went back to work. Over time I realized that while it is cheaper to breast feed, it isn’t 100% free.
Do you have any suggestions to make breastfeeding easy? Please let us know!
Ashley Myers
Angela DiCicco - The Italian Grandmama's Guide 
necessities: nursing pads for the first 2 or 3 months, till your supply regulates. cloth is a cheaper option, as you can get away w/ only 2 or 3 pairs, but personally, i prefer disposable. lanolin – i LOVE medela’s tendercare lanolin b/c it’s soft and creamy instead of hard and sticky like other brands (lansinoh is hard and sticky and hurts to put on for this reason). a comfortable place to nurse. a pillow for support – i LOVE my boppy, but i’ve found alternatives that make it an item that’s just nice to have, rather than a necessity (i’ve used couch cushions, the pillow from my bed, and in a pinch, a rolled up jacket or baby blanket). for some babies, a nipple shield (i got mine for free at the hospital). nursing bras (or regular bra large enough to accommodate nursing boobies) – you can find fairly inexpensive ones that have great support from most maternity stores.
nice to have: boppy, as i’ve already said (or other breastfeeding pillow). bottles, so someone else can feed the baby when you’re away (for some this is a necessity; for me, it isn’t), along w/ a pump and storage bags.
for some women, shells are helpful in the beginning, especially if they’re having difficulty w/ soreness. if a person wants to cover up, a receiving blanket can double as a nursing cover. for me, a great nursing accessory was my babyhawk – i can walk around while nursing my baby if i’m out and about (i did this at the national zoo when my 2nd was just 6 weeks old and even my husband had no idea that i’d been nursing our baby). a wrap (stretchy or woven) can do the same thing, as can a ring sling or pouch sling.
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