August is national breastfeeding month. We call breast milk “liquid gold” because it is the best thing you can give your baby. It has everything your baby needs to grow big and strong. Nothing less and nothing more. It is literally the only thing your baby needs to eat the first few months of life.

Breastfeeding can be both rewarding and hard at the same time. As a mom of 5 kids I can tell you, if you can make it past that first tryingly hard month, you can expect a long healthy breastfeeding relationship with you baby.  

The first couple weeks of nursing your sweet baby can be the hardest as you both adjust to breastfeeding. The pain is something that some experts will say isn’t necessary with nursing.  But while you’re both learning how to make it work, I think there will always be some pain. We are lucky that there are so many products now days to help with your breastfeeding journey. Here are some product that will help you along the way. 

A good nursing top , or 5, is always good to have in the closet. These nursing tops found at Udderly Hot Mama® Nursing and Pumping Wear are perfect for covering the mommy tummy and nursing without a cover. These come in real handy when your out and about with your baby.

If you would rather wear your every day clothes but still want to cover up you can try Lassig’s Allover Nursing Scarf. It’s similar to a nursing cover but it’s a bit more functional in that you can pair it with your every day clothes. If you choose to not wear it you can just take it off and go about your day. It gives your the protection you need to feed baby without being bulky and obvious. Nursing your baby in public isn’t for everyone. There are all kinds of ways to feed baby on the go. A nursing top just makes it a bit more convenient. Pumping and bringing a bottle is also an option. When you’re ready for your first outing with your baby, you’ll have loads of options to give baby that liquid gold.

If you’re a mamma who need a little help keeping your supply up, there are several options for that too. There are supplements you can take and drinks that are made with all the supplements you need. Like this drink mix that you mix right into a glass of milk or water. MilkFlow is made with Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. Both known to help increase milk production. If drinks aren’t your thing you can get the supplements in pill form. There are even recipes for making lactation cookies. Yes, I said cookies. Some of them are pretty good too. Perfect for nursing moms who often develop a sweet tooth while nursing. You may even have to hide your cookies from the rest of the family. 

Something else you’ll notice on your breastfeeding journey, your gonna leak….everywhere. There is not stopping it. You’ll just be sitting there minding your own business when all of the sudden you’re soaked. I’m not talking oh look how cute, I’ve got a spot on my shirt. I’m talking change your shirt, take a shower kind of soaked. It’s always the worse as your milk comes in and will start to become less frequent as your body regulates to the amount of milk your baby is drinking. 

You can try to help the leakage by placing a nursing pad in your bra. It will help soak up any leakage caused by let down. I’ve also noticed having the pad there will help protect your nipples from temperature change and touching on your bra that can also cause let down. There is no need to lose that liquid gold to your nursing pad though. Milkies Milk-Saver is an amazing product that you put in your bra on the opposite side you’re nursing from. It catches the milk that is leaking caused by your nursing baby triggering let down. I didn’t realize how much milk I was losing. Honestly I get about 2-3 oz every time.  

Just remember that happy mama makes for a happy baby. Nursing is best, but we all aren’t able to nurse and thats ok too. If you find that you’re having a hard time with nursing, there are many nursing groups out there that will be happy to help any way they can. You can also call your local nursing consultant. Most hospitals also will have one on call and you can contact the hospital you gave birth at or speak with your OB. In the long run all that matters is that baby is fed and happy and mama is happy. Happy nursing!