The best piece of advice I have ever been given when preparing for breastfeeding sessions was this – “Get yourself a booby station to make feeding and pumping easier”. A booby what now?
Let’s look at some breastfeeding fast facts;
- New mums spend up to 8 hours per day breastfeeding their little ones. Breastfeeding is time consuming and can be exhausting, which leads me to this next amazing breastfeeding fact;
- Breastfeeding uses 30% of a mothers energy to make breast milk – this is more energy used than the energy it takes to function your heart! Ensuring you are eating a well balanced diet, and keeping your dietary intake up is key to keeping yourself nourished, so that you can continue to nourish your baby.
- Cluster feeding is real – and is especially important to help regulate your breast milk supply.
- Breastfeeding in the first year is equivalent to approximately 1800 hours of time dedicated to nourishing your little creation – A full time job + 3 weeks annual leave equates to 1960 hours.
With so much time being dedicated to feeding your baby, having a breastfeeding station is a the perfect wat to have everything you need within arms reach, giving you the precious time you need to bond, nourish yourself and your baby – without needing to leave your seat.
What to use;
I personally used a wide shallow basket with big handles - I could easily pick it up, pop on a hip and manoeuvre around the house easily with baby on the other side or in my baby carrier.
I’ve since seen many mummas use a wheely cart (something I wish I thought of!), giving them the ultimate storage, portable & functional little unit. You can pick these up at Kmart, Target or bunnings and are pretty inexpensive to get your hands on.
What to have in your breastfeeding station;
I had a few different things in my booby station for both me and bubs - I broke it down to 4 sections
- Baby Changing
- Nappies
- Nappy Cream
- Wipes
- Wet bag for soiled nappies
- Baby Extras
- Fess Spray & Bulb (breastfeeding can be a little tricky when bub’s nose is a little stuffy)
- Muslin Wraps / Baby blanket
- Burp Cloth
- Reusable wipes
- Breastfeeding Essentials
- Silicone Manual Breast Pump
- Electric Pump
- Breast Milk Collection Shells
- Breastmilk storage pouches or containers
- Nipple Balm
- Reusable breast pads
- Mini wet bag for soiled pads
- For Mumma
- Snacks (one handed snacks mostly); protein bars, nuts etc
- Water bottle or thermos
- Oil roller blend
- Lip balm
- Phone Charger
- Book / magazine
There are some key essentials that should be considered when putting together your breastfeeding checklist – a breastfeeding station should definitely be one of them!
However you decide to put your breastfeeding station together, always remember to include goodies and items just for yourself – you are just as important!
Here are a few booby stations for some inspo to make your very own;
