I have vivid memories of the years I spent nursing and pumping for my kids. We adopted our first child the same week we discovered I was pregnant with our second child, and when I gave birth to our second boy I nursed him while also pumping for our then eight-month-old. Phew, it was a complete blur, but something I always managed to remember to do was to make sure I was going to be ready and able to "go" the next time I needed to nurse or pump.

In addition to trying to just take care of your body, drinking a lot of water, pretending to nap when the baby does, and eating a healthy diet, taking care of the skin on your breasts is incredibly important to nursing success. One great way to do that is to use washable nursing pads in your bra. I never found the disposable ones very comfortable, and they always made me think of hospital supplies. It was kind of like having a diaper in your bra. Sounds awesome, right?

I would never have been able to muster the mental energy to sew my own, but I really wish I had known that there were folks out there making handmade cloth nursing pads like Baby O'Really does.

For $5 per set you can get high quality washable nursing pads in a large variety of fabrics ranging from plain white to tiger stripe. Something I really appreciate about her fabric selection is that she carries many styles suitable for grownups. I frequently felt that as a new mother I was required to only wear clothes in cutesy fabrics, and while that is fine for some people, that has never been my style. So stop by her shop and I bet you can find something which suits your taste and helps you toward your breastfeeding goals. - Erika