Since my youngest is now two weeks old, I am full gear in the breastfeeding mode again. When I had my first, I knew I wanted to give breastfeeding a try but I didn’t know if it would work. I was on the “we will see how it goes path”. None of my friends had kids, no one I knew was breastfeeding. I got a Medela Pump in Style Advanced (PISA) from the lactation consultant who taught the parenting/breastfeeding class through my OB. At that time, I couldn’t of imagined that I would be a resource for many of my friends when it came to breastfeeding. I feel honored to be a Medela Mom Maven and am willing to discuss breastfeeding with anyone. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected].
The short version of my nursing experience so far …
My first child decided to not latch so with her I pumped almost exclusively for 10.5 months. At that point, I lost my supply due to being pregnant again.
My second was a latcher. I felt like I was cheating by not pumping so much. She hated bottles though and would eat just enough to get by when I was at work. She nursed until she was 13.5 months old when I lost my supply due to being pregnant again (yes, there is a trend there … how else would I have three under three?!) I did pump enough to wear out my first pump and splurged with a Medela Freestyle pump purchase. I LOVE that pump. I also bought a Medela Harmony (manual pump) at some point during this nursing time and find that is a great option when I don’t want to dig out my double electric pump!
So here I am nursing my third kiddo who has an awesome latch and is a great eater. I hope to have a great nursing relationship with him.
So why am I blogging about this? I feel that breastfeeding is not only best for your baby but the best option for your budget. To support that statement, I decided to look up some stats on breastfeeding and how it can help you live in your budget.
Most sources say that you spend $1500 – $2000 on formula for the first year of feeding your baby. I really like the price/savings break down that Stanislaus County,CA has on their website here.
My supplies for nursing are my pump (because I work outside the home), breast pads, and milk bags. My pump is a one time cost. My favorite nursing pads are the Lansinoh brand breast pads and I buy them in the biggest boxes they come in at Target. The milk bags I don’t count really. (The Lansinoh brand milk bags are my favorite.) Why don’t I count the cost of my milk bags? My second child, never drank an ounce of milk that I froze. It was all donated through Milkshare! If that is the case again then my milk bags are a gift to the families who use my extra milk.
So even with my expenses, I have saved over $1000 by nursing each child. I figure my savings go up with each child since I have items I can reuse such as my pump. I will spend this week posting reviews of some of favorite nursing related items. I would love to give some of them away at some point so if you know anyone who wants to do a giveaway, let me know!
My list of reviews for the week as of now is:
- Medela
- Motherwear
- Lansinoh
- Blessed Nest
- Smart Mom Jewelry
If you have items to recommend, leave a comment for me. I would love to hear from other breastfeeding moms!
Great post. Medela is the only pump that worked for me. I had low milk supply and it saved my nursing experience, along with the Nesting Pillow. Thank you for adding us on your list of reviews. Go ahead and give your readers a discount code of WBW for 10% off at our site http://www.blessednest.com
Great post highlighting the costs! We saved so much money exclusively nursing our 2nd child, so much that I'm shocked by how much we spend a month on formula for our third.
I had to find ways to save money when I started pumping because those little bags got too costly (if you don't know why go on over to my blog and see my freezer – http://www.ourlifeupstate.com ). However, I still find breastfeeding to be a HUGE savings. And when you add in the savings because they will get sick less often the savings just multiply.