If you’ve recently felt the urge to schedule a deep cleaning, begin a major review of your home items, and visit the furniture store to welcome your baby on the way, you’re actually nesting, Mama! Nesting is a phenomenon no one – not even you – can force, but when it comes, you’re in it until you feel done and dusted.
The thing is, nesting can be overwhelming! So here’s a reminder that you’re not just preparing your home for your baby’s arrival – you’re also preparing it for the long days and nights ahead for breastfeeding. If you’re not sure where to start, here’s your guide.
Every room and space in your home serves a specific function for you and your family even before you conceived the baby. Now that the baby is on the way, you need to think about his or her needs so you can adjust your home accordingly.
Since breastfeeding is a process that meets your newborn’s daily nutritional needs, it deserves a dedicated space in your home. You may convert a room in your home to accommodate breastfeeding, or you may transform a small space in your room for the same purpose.
Guide questions for space planning:
- Where in our home can I breastfeed most conveniently?
- What other rooms or areas in our home can we convert for breastfeeding?
If you’ve already answered the previous questions, it’s time to remove anything from that space that will not serve any purpose for nursing. These items may be sold, relocated in your home, or temporarily housed in a family or friends’ home or storage space.
Guide questions for decluttering your space:
- Does this item serve any purpose now?
- Will this item serve any purpose in the future?
- Am I willing to let go of this item?
- Will this item serve a purpose in another area in our home?
- Where else can I temporarily store this item?
It doesn’t matter whether your new furniture are brand new or secondhand. What matters is that they are of quality, and they will last you for as long as you breastfeed. You may also ask your family and friends around for things they can lend, so you can reallocate your budget for other needs.
Guide questions for buying lactation room furniture:
- What is our non-negotiable in buying our lactation room furniture?
- Is there an existing furniture in our home that we can repurpose?
- What things should we buy new?
- What can we buy secondhand?
- Is there anyone in our circle who might be willing to lend us the furniture?
All the pretty and aesthetic home nursing stations you find online might discourage you from building your own with what you have. But remember, your and your baby’s comfort is most important. The “look” always comes secondary. If what you’re about to build does not look quite like your pegs but it provides you comfort and convenience, learn to make peace with it. But if the look matters to you and your budget allows it, then allow yourself to curate the nursing station of your dreams! It’s a short season after all, so you can always choose to make it count.
Guide questions for designing your nursing station:
- What do I want our nursing station to look like?
- Does what I want align with our budget and space constraints?
- What are my priorities in designing my own nursing station?
An aesthetic nursing station is nice to have, but a practical and functional one is a need. Your chosen space must be conducive for nursing on long days and nights, which means that lighting, soundproofing, and ventilation must be considered along with all the physical items that will be brought in. Baby needs such as burping cloths, change of clothing, and diapers must also be within reach.
Guide questions for making your nursing space more conducive:
- How can we block extreme light or heat in this area?
- How can we soundproof this area?
- Is there a close outlet for plugging a lampshade or for charging a device?
- Are most of my and my baby’s needs within reach?
Your new set up may look picture-perfect as soon as you finish it, but just in case you won’t feel at ease at any time during the actual breastfeeding, feel free to reconfigure and rearrange! You will go through different stages in your breastfeeding journey, and it’s important that your home supports you in each of those stages. Remember, your home doesn’t need to look like the ones you see on social media. Make it uniquely your own, and allow it to be part of a beautiful breastfeeding story worth sharing.
This post is sponsored by Natalac, the only lactation enhancer in the country proven effective by clinical studies. You can order Natalac online through Watsons or Southstar Drug.