I used to always sleep in a T-shirt or nightgown, and this was more than adequate well into third trimester. After a certain point though, the belly was just too big for the T-shirt to comfortably fit over. I also realized that I would need something with nursing access, as I figured I’d be nursing the baby all day and all night long. I needed it to be still ultra comfortable, hopefully stylish, and I didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg!

This week is world breastfeeding week. I think it’s amazing that such a thing exists, because breastfeeding is hard! And breastfeeding as a working mama, which also requires so much pumping, is also really hard. There are some great deals from my favorite brands going on though this week to celebrate though, and I think breastfeeding mamas deserve all the help!

So, you thought breastfeeding would be simple! No bottles, less stuff, right? Turns out, actually, there is a whole host of products out there built to support breastfeeding in one way or another, and some of them actually are really great and do make it a little easier. One of these is the breastfeeding pillow.

It turns out that there are many different breastfeeding positions and holds (who knew!?) and that you and your baby will find the one(s) that are most convenient and comfortable to you. I highly recommend having a breastfeeding pillow to help support the baby’s weight as you may be holding the baby in one position for quite long stretches at a time. With a breastfeeding pillow, you might gain one (or two!) hands free to browse your phone, drink a glass of water, push the remote control buttons, etc.

Ah, the challenges of breastfeeding. I had been told by everyone that breastfeeding was hard, but like anything else, didn’t really KNOW until I got there. Those early days with baby boy were rough. I had tiny nipples, he had a tiny mouth, we were both inexperienced, and we just couldn’t figure out the latch reliably. I literally pinched my boobs black and blue in the first week postpartum trying to squeeze them into the requisite shape to stuff into my baby’s mouth. After that, I worked with an awesome lactation consultant who helped me figure out how to pinch them more effectively (haha), and baby and I could get an efficient latch and feed some of the time. Then, I discovered nipple shields. 

When I was pregnant, one of the best pieces of advice I got was from another experienced mama, who asked me “Do you have your pump yet?” Silly me, I thought I wouldn’t need my pump until I went back to work 3 months after the baby was born. I’d have plenty of time to figure it out, right? And she told me, “Just get it now. Trust me.”