When I got pregnant with? Bennett, I told myself that I would give breastfeeding a a try, but still felt a little strange about the whole thing in general. I told myself that if it worked out then great, but if it didn’t I wasn’t going to kill myself over it. Boy was I wrong about this one!? I am very lucky that I could breastfeed my son, but it was far from easy. I made it 12 months breastfeeding him (something I never even dreamed I was capable of doing!) and every time that I had issues, it made me more determined to keep going. I wanted to share with you all some of the items that made my breastfeeding experience a little bit easier along the way. If you think that you want to at least attempt nursing when your child is born, I suggest you put some of these items on your baby registry so you will have them conveniently at your dispose.

1. Hands-free Pumping Bra– I never really thought about this until I realized that pumping took me 20-30 minutes at each session. Having to hold two bottles up against your breasts for that long several times a day can be tough. Having a hands-free pumping bra allowed me to use my hands to do other things while I pumped.
2. A Microwaveable Bottle Sterilizer– It was so nice to be able to quickly throw bottles and pump parts into the microwave each time I needed to sterilize them. I also really liked the microwaveable (and disposable) sterilzing bags that you can get. Each one was good for several uses.
3. Gel pads– My nipples were cracked, bleeding and so sore in the first few months of breastfeeding and these gel pads were amazing. I would actually store them in the refrigerator and then stick them on when I needed them.
4. Breast Pump– I used a double electric pump from Medela while I was breastfeeding because this is the one that my insurance company covered for me. There are a lot of other good breast pumps out there, I just reccomend you get an electric double pump (allows you to pump two breasts at once). I received a hand pump as well, but never actually used it.
5. Pump Wipes: I pumped all the time while I was driving (or parking) in my car. Pump wipes made it easy to quickly clean my pump parts until I was able to get to a sink with soap and water.
6. Nursing Pillow: If you read my post about my baby registry and regrets, you will see why I loved this pillow so much!
7. ?Car Adapter: As I mentioned above, I pumped in the car ALL. THE. TIME. You can’t do that if you don’t have an adapter.
8. Breast pads– If you read my post that I published right after I had Bennett, You will see that I had NO idea that I would need so many breast pads!! I always used the disposable ones, but you can also purchase washable breast pads as well.
9. Cooler Pack– Breastmilk can actually stay out at room temperature for 4-6 hours, but there were times where I needed to keep it cool and didn’t have access to a refrigerator. These cooler packs were great to have and I would take them to work with me every day.
10. Breastmilk Storage Bags: These are great to have to pump directly into (just make sure they are compatible with your pump) or to dump and store your breast milk in after a pumping session.

I seriously don’t know how I could have made it breastfeeding for so long without having some of these products to help me during those 12 months. I hope that this list was helpful and feel free to email me if you have any questions about any of these products or even about my breastfeeding journey. Since Diapers.com has an amazing baby registry service, you can win a $50 gift card!? All you have to do to enter is comment below with either your favorite registry item or if you’re a new mom, comment with what you look forward to getting off your list. A winner will be chosen on 11/4/2016. Good luck!

*This giveaway is a partnership with Nakturnal, with a prize of a gift certificate