Ok, I have to bust the Myth. I won't lie I was under the impression as well when I went to breastfeed baby #4, read for it?
Breastfeeding is NOT Free!
Shocker right? There are many reasons to choose TO breastfeed and I'm excited if you want to do it but don't go into it blindly. There are many ‘hidden' costs that you need to budget for that wouldn't need to be in your budget if you are formula feeding. But don't fret I firmly believe breastfeeding is MUCH cheaper than formula feeding, especially has your child grows and is eating 8 ounces at a feeding!
Clothes
Yes, you will need to adjust your wardrobe and you WILL need nursing bras. I did the basics and bought the tank tops from Forever 21 for under $2 and put them under my shirts so my belly was exposed when I would have to lift my shirt to nurse. You will also want to have nursing bras for easy access to nurse. Motherhood Maternity has some of my favorite ones! If you have some bigger boobs I also suggest grabbing a few sleeping nursing bras. I will also include breast pads in here because you WILL leak. I prefer cloth ones so I can wash and reuse. I got 5 pairs of free breast pads using code FRUGALNAVYWIFE1 then just pay shipping.
Nursing Pillow
This is a must with newborn babies. They can get very particular on how they want to be laying while nursing and if they aren't using the pillow to lay on you will use to get comfortable! Remember in the beginning you can be nursing for 20 minutes or more so make your you are comfortable! Later on, these pillows are used for tummy time as well! Now there are many nursing pillows out there. The most popular seems to be there is the Boppy Pillow. You can score a Free Nursing Pillow by using coupon code FRUGALNAVYWIFE1 and you just have to pay for shipping!
Lactation Consultants
The day after I got out of the hospital I had to have a Lactation Consultant come to my house. My little one wasn't latching and I was a mess! She was a huge help, got things going, gave me personalized tips for me and more. The cost was $150 for this personalized in-home visit. I also learned breastfeeding mom REALLY do need a breast pump to increase their supply. *TIP* :: Check your insurance many cover lactation consultant visits!
Breast Pump
As mentioned above if you want the best milk supply an electric breast pump is needed in the beginning. Now yes, you can rent one but really it's worth it to just buy one. Most insurance companies will cover the cost of a breast pump or supply one for you. The Medela InStyle breast pump is the most recommended and also my favorite. You will want to use the pump to increase milk supply, to be able to store some frozen milk for any time you have to spend away from you baby leaving them with a babysitter, and/or if you have to return to work for them to be able to eat during the day.
Milk Storage
Now that you have pumped that extra milk you have to store it using milk bags. Then when you aren't the one feeding your little one they will need bottles to feed your baby.
Pain Relief
As I mentioned in my post 14 Things I Wish I Had Known About Breastfeeding & What I Didn’t Learn From the Books breastfeeding HURTS! Your breasts have to get used to someone attached tot hem several hours a day. Add in the biting when they start teething it HURTS! There are a few types of pain relief, Lanolin and Gell Pads, I loved the Ameda ComfortGel Hydrogel Pads.
Nursing Necklaces
As your little one become more active they start to do things like pinch. To keep them occupied it's best to invest in a nursing necklace.
What unexpected costs did you fin breastfeeding?
Yes but none of this stuff is necessary. If you work outside of the home you will need to pump. .but insurance covers pumps now. I never bought new clothes, I didn’t pump, I never needed a nursing necklace. So yes. It actually is free. Use a regular pillow instead of a nursing pillow or nurse on your side
You were one of the lucky ones. Not all insurance covers breast pumps :-/
I actually had none of these extra costs. Nursing clothes, pillows, and necklaces were far from must haves for me.
Pain relief tip: Express some breastmilk and rub that on the sore area. Works way better than anything you find in the store!
The only thing I truly needed on this list was a nursing bra. 21 months of breastfeeding my daughter and I never leaked so I never wore breast pads. I had a nursing pillow and hated it. Complete waste. I did see an LC at my pediatrician’s office once ($65), but you can submit those to your insurance for coverage if the LC won’t bill your insurance directly. Your advice on breast pumps is false. The best way to get a good supply going is to nurse on demand and have skin on skin time with baby. Pumps are far less efficient than a baby. My insurance covered one and I almost never used it. Milk storage bags aren’t absolutely necessary. You can pour right from the pump into a bottle. And my daughter never would take a bottle so I never stored milk. I had lanolin on hand, but never needed it. It hurt when she latched, but lanolin didn’t address that. Lanolin is for nipples that are raw. The pain comes from latching until you get used to it. A nursing necklace is the silliest luxury I’ve ever heard of.
Here’s where breastfeeding truly costs more: the extra calories moms consume to keep supply up. For me that was 21 months of extra calories, not just a year of formula. It also costs you sleep. And worth it all!
See everyone is different and I was told to pump after my baby fed to increase nursing supply and build a frozen milk supply. My nipples were raw due to a lip and tongue tie we had to get fixed (which cost money) then she needed CST which cost money, was that the therapy a luxury yes to some but with the pain I was in it was do something or stop breastfeeding so I was determined. Again on the nursing necklace one person’s luxury is something someone else might need. My daughter scratched so we cut her nail then she started pinching, I had a few bruises from it. Then I got the nursing necklace and it kept her attention. Every breastfeeding journey is different, there are some mommas who their 3rd time around it is 100% free. Other’s lie myself ti wasn’t free by a long shot. Every parenting journey is different. We just need to support each other and I wanted to give mom something to ponder as many go into this without all the facts.
I don’t actually buy nursing bras, they don’t give me any support. I don’t buy nursing tops, they are generally not my style. I’ve always layered with tanks, so I already owned them. I don’t need pumps, milk bags, or bottles. I’ve never used anything for pain relief for nursing, if I ever had cracked nipples I used coconut oil – which I already owned. I don’t use a nursing pillow, just a regular couch pillow. I don’t have nursing necklaces, although I do have teething ones I made at a moms group. And my nursing pads are cloth ones, that were a gift, and if I need more I can make some with old cloth diapers. So really, nursing is free for some people. I realize not for everyone, but some of those things like the necklace and pillow, I feel like are frivolous extras.
I agree there are a few people that breastfeeding is free for. And honestly my next kid? Will be free or pretty close no that I have items I need. For other it can cost a lot more, like with kids every situation is different. 🙂
I agree that there are many hidden costs that can come up with breastfeeding, depending on circumstances. I however need to correct you on a few things that were stated as to not continue with the spread of misinformation that is so prevelent with nursing.
In the very beginning, it was stated that as babies grow, they will need up to 8oz per feeding. This happens to be true for formula feeding, but not for breastfeeding. A mother’s milk changes with a baby’s needs and the bottle feeding amount remains at 1 to 1 1/2 oz per hour. A baby would normally need a bottle pacefed (look up pacefeeding) about every 2-3 hours. Making the amount per feeding 2-4 1/2 oz max.
I personally used a breastfeeding pillow, but they can sometimes cause the baby to not be positioned correctly and cause issues.
Medelas are great pumps, but not for extended, long term use. Someone who pumps occasionally, as for a date night, or to help with engorgement would be fine using one, but someone who would be pumping multiple times per day would be better off using a Spectra pump. Medelas tend to lose suction and die quickly, making moms begin to question their supply. Also, pumping is not recommended in the first few weeks as it can cause issues with an oversupply.
Breastfeeding should generally not be painful. There is usually something wrong if that is the case. Whether it be the latch is off, a chiropractic adjustment is needed or there are ties present (which I see you addressed in the comments, but may want to add in the post as another possible cost. ) My son also had ties, but they didn’t have any major effect on breastfeeding other than the tell tale “lipstick nips”. We were told by multiple professionals that they didn’t need revised until we went to a preferred provider when we was close to 2, because he was beginning to get tooth decay. :/
For pain relief, lanolin is not recommended (it has some icky chemicals in it) nor are most creams, even natural ones. They keep the nipples soft and moist actually leading to cracking and can be the perfect breeding ground for thrush. Salt water rinses, letting them air-dry completely and as a previous commenter stated, express milk and rub it in then air dry are all great alternatives.
I love that you mentioned the 2 shirt method and not that a cover was a necessary expense! I also loved my nursing necklaces. One was gifted to me by my doula at birth (so free, but not free since I had to pay her. Lol) and the other I bought from a local mama who made them for I think $10-15. The gel packs are wonderful, too, but I think someone could get away with trowing some ice cubes in a Ziploc bag full of water or use a bag of frozen peas and get some relief that way, too.
Sorry for the huge comment. This is a passion mine and I have been involved with our local breastfeeding group for years now and I see time and time again some of this old information get passed around. Yes, every mother’s journey is different, but there is fundamental Information that is the basis of breastfeeding and some of the misinformation can actually harm a mother’s journey. This can include the fact that someone may think that breastfeeding will be completely free for them and are not prepared for surprise costs that may come up, possibly interterfering with their ability to breastfeed, so thank you for addressing this. ❤️