Must Have Products For a New Mom

Becoming a mom can be overwhelming. To say that it’s a transition is an understatement. You go from being just a couple, to having a baby 24/7 that you’re responsible for. No more cuddling with your husband all night long, because you’ll be interrupted every 2-4 hours to feed your little bundle of joy. Forget having clean sheets, because it seems like no matter what precautions you take, your baby finds a way to pee, poop, or throw up on them at least once a day. And forget cute underwear, because your milk is going to stain every single bra you own.

But being a mom is the best thing that ever happened to me. Yes, it’s stressful. And yes, there are days that Seth comes home from work and I hand the baby off to him and just cry because it’s been a hard day and the baby was crying because he’s going through a growth spurt and there really wasn’t a lot I could do to console him. And yes, there are times when I finally shower and get ready for the day at 3 pm, only to have my baby pee all over me as I change his diaper twenty minutes later.

For all of the moments that have made me want to cry, there are even more moments that make me smile and look down at my baby and feel nothing but overwhelming love for him.

Motherhood is hard, there’s no denying that. So why not make it a little bit easier?

In the months right before having Bastian, I started looking for things to make being a mom as easy as possible. There were a few things that I knew I’d need, like nursing bras and a breast pump. But there were some things that I didn’t even consider at first, and I only really found them through either trial and error(aka, I realized after my baby wouldn’t stop screaming every time that we changed his diaper that maybe a wipe warmer was a good idea), or through a friends suggesting/blog post. There are some things that have been serious game changers for me!

BelleMa Breast Pump. We’ll start with the basics. As much as I’d love to be able to stay at home with my sweet baby every single day, it’s just not possible right now. Since I’ll be going back to work in just a few weeks, an electric breast pump was a must. I really like this breast pump because the experience is super customizeable. You can really easily change the pressure and intensity, and very quickly change the settings so you can either pump both sides or just one.
Dr. Brown’s Manual Breast Pump. While we’re talking about breast pumps, I personally feel like having both an Electric Pump AND a Manual one is super helpful. Sometimes, it’s easier for me to just grab my manual pump if I really just need quick relief on one side(especially in those first few weeks when you’re engorged but you’re not pumping a whole feeding). I love my Electric pump for working, but the manual one is perfect for when the baby is taking an extra long nap and I can’t wait for him to wake up.
Nursing Pajamas. Nursing tops aren’t something I felt was really worth spending money on, but having nursing pajamas is actually honestly the best. I like that I can just pull down the top to feed him, instead of lifting up my entire shirt.
Nursing Pads. One thing I didn’t really think about before having the baby was that breast feeding is messy, and you tend to leak. A lot. To avoid embarrassing yourself every time you’re in public, nursing pads are a must. I personally prefer reusable ones to disposable, just because I feel like they’re more comfortable.
Levana Willow Baby Monitor. One thing I wasn’t willing to compromise on was a video monitor for the baby’s room. I wanted to be able to see him AND hear him. This one has a separate, chargeable monitor so you don’t have to use your phone, it has white noise built in, and a microphone, so you can talk to your baby without having to go into his room.
Lily Padz. These are my FAVORITE for sleeping. I don’t always want to wear a sleeping bra, although the ones I have are super comfortable. These just stick right on and keep you from leaking. You can use them during the day in place of regular pads too, but I prefer to wear them just at night.
Nursing pillow. Everyone always recommends the Boppy pillow. I like this one better, though. One side is bigger than the other, meaning that he can be at an angle which is ideal for nursing.
Pumping bra. One of the worst things about pumping for me, is that you have to hold the pump for half an hour and you can’t really get anything done while you do it. This bra works with any electric pump, and it’s totally handsfree. A total lifesaver. (Watch out for a giveaway for one of these on my Instagram this week!)
Lily Jade Diaper Bag. I love this diaper bag. You can use it as a backpack, or a regular bag. And Seth doesn’t mind carrying it around, which is a major bonus. I love the leather, and there is SO MUCH space inside. I feel like I can carry Bastian’s entire closet with us when I leave the house. 😉
Baby wrap. I use this thing almost every single day, whether we leave the house or not. I can wear him while I do dishes, eat lunch, go on a walk, or while we’re all out running errands.