Happy Friday friends! I hope you all had a great week… and yes for a long weekend…..

I’ve been wanting to write a blog post on this topic for a while, yet I’ve always held back. Breastfeeding has become an interesting topic over the past several years, one that I’ve had my own personal relationship with. A relationship that I’ve talked about many times before in my monthly “motherhood updates.” It’s been a topic that has filled my conversations with friends, fueled some emotional nights + days (for me), and something I’ve done so much research on….

Before Harper was born, I had a friend ask me how long I thought I would nurse…. and to be honest, I hadn’t given that much thought. I assumed it was an easy thing to do. So right before she was born (3.5 years ago) I said that “I would nurse as long as it feels right for both of us.”  I feel fortunate that Harper never had any latching issues, and that my milk supply was always plentiful. Yet when it came time to introduce a bottle to Harper so I could squeeze in some “me” time, she refused. Wanted nothing to do with it. We tried, diligently… but she continued to refuse for 10 months. I spent a lot of time during that 10 month stretch crying + wondering what was wrong with me. I’d see beautiful images on social media of people nursing their children, talking about their wonderful experience, and that wasn’t what I was experiencing at all. I luckily had friends who were having similar experiences with nursing, so I was able to talk with them about my personal struggles. Then one day, on a trip with friends to Ojai, TJ tried the bottle (yet again) and she took to it….

I’ll never forget the sense of relief I felt in that moment. I absolutely loved my daughter, but I was no longer her sole source of nutrition… she could bond with others + I could be away longer than a 2 hour block of time.

Fast forward to the present day. When I found out I was pregnant with Camille, we were ecstatic. As we approached her due date, and the thought of nursing came to my mind again, TJ + I decided that we would do things differently this time around. We knew what the prevailing research said. We had listened to all of it the first time around. We also knew what was best for our family, and best for my mental health. I talked with the pediatrician about our thoughts, and she firmly agreed.

For the past four months…

I have nursed Camille….
I have bottle fed Camille….
Family members have bottle fed Camille….
And recently we’ve given her a bottle of formula in the evenings…

She is just as happy, developing just as well, as little miss. 

I think as moms we all have something we struggle with. It’s likely different for everyone, but nursing is my biggest struggle as a mother. Giving myself, and our family, the flexibility to do things our way (while still having both our daughter’s best interests in mind) has made this go around much smoother….

In the end…..

Two happy + healthy kiddos, both fed in different ways, leads me to say that “Fed is Best” in our home. 

So today I teamed up with Walmart to share all of our feeding essentials for a newborn… whether you’re breastfeeding, bottle feeding, formula feeding, combo feeding, or introducing solids. They have so many of our favorite products that we have relied on with both girls. Everything from the bottle we swear by to the pump I wish I had this go around…. And with many of them available via two day, or even next day, delivery, it ensures that I always have everything I need readily available (without even having to leave the house…. much more preferable with a newborn + toddler, thank you!)…

I remember being completely unaware of exactly what I needed our first go around. Give that, I’ve separated all of our essentials into three different groups. If you’re in the market, I hope this helps narrow it down.

Earth Mamma Nipple Cream: This probably goes without saying, nut if you’re nursing, it really helps!

Nursing/Feeding Pillow: For me, personally, having a pillow to nurse Camille on provides me, and her, with excellent support

Nursing Cover/Carseat Cover: If I’m in public, I prefer to wear a nursing cover (completely just a personal preference) and this one is a great option since it also doubles as a carseat cover as well.

Nursing Pads: Another “doesn’t require much explanation” product… so all I will say is “leaking” and you can catch my drift.

Comotomo Bottles: Hands down my all time favorite bottle. This was “the” bottle that Harper eventually took, and Camille took to it immediately.

Bottle Warmer: We use this for expressed milk in a bottle, since both of my girls were very particular about milk temperature.

Bottle Sterilizer/Cleaner: We’ve been using this Baby Brezza sterilizer for about a month now and it’s seriously so easy to use. Simply put all the bottle products in the machine, turn it on, and 45 minutes later all the items are clean + ready for use.

Medela Pump: I have a different pump this time around (free from insurance) but I’m not happy with it. I had the Medella pump with Harper and it was great. Quick + super efficient…. I was able to pump out almost twice as much milk with the Medella. Walmart has a fantastic selection of Medela products in general. I also use their freezer bags for my expressed breast milk.

Pumping Bra: This is ideal if you’re wanting to pump hands free at the same time. It makes it so easy to multitask when I’m wearing this and pumping….

Ingenuity Baby Booster Seat: We like this little baby booster seat as a pre-option to a high chair. The back is high enough to provide Camille with extra back support, and since we just started introducing solids this week, she’s able to sit in it while we feed her.

Avanchy Bamboo + Silicone Spoons: These spoons are 100% organic + toxic free, and I love that they fit perfectly for Camille’s tiny mouth. They’re also relatively soft for their little gums.

BabyBjorn Plate, Spoon, + Fork:  So we used these with Harper, when she got a little older (I’d say around 7ish months). Love how easy they are to clean.

NUK Mash + Serve Baby Food Masher: I suppose a fork would work just as easily, but this little tool just makes it so much easier to make your own baby food… whether it’s just mashing up bananas or avocados, it’s just a great tool to have on hand.

Baby Breeza Food Maker: For more extensive concoctions, we also used this baby food maker. It’s super effective (makes food in less than 10 minutes), steams + blends to the correct consistency, and it’s fairly easy to clean. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Walmart for sponsoring this post.