Breast pads or nursing pads are one of those items that you may not even think about when preparing for your baby. But, you will notice the need if your breasts leak. My first breast pad was given to me in the hospital by a lactation consultant right after my first baby was born. I was pumping and needed something right away and no, I had not bought any beforehand.
I experimented with several types of pads and since using many kinds through two babies; I have put together my opinion of the best disposable and reusable breast pads.
In my case most of my leakage occurred at night and from engorgement. It usually happened when my baby started sleeping longer stretches and my breasts had not figured it out yet. I had oversupply and this was a frequent problem at night in the early months with both of my babies.
If your leakage is occurring at night you will probably want something heavier and you will not care as much about looks, such as if it can be seen through clothing or bulky. You will need something absorbent and comfortable for overnight use. For daytime use you may want something thinner and lighter that looks better under clothing.
I mainly used disposable pads at night since I could easily switch and throw it away when soaked, and I used thinner reusable pads during the day. You will need to experiment and find out what works best for you. Leakage usually decreases somewhat after the initial early weeks of breastfeeding.
Disposable Pads
I have tried several kinds of disposable pads including Medela, Ameda, Lansinoh and generic store brands. The generic store ones were my least favorite and I ended up giving them away.
Lansinoh is absolutely my favorite disposable nursing pad!
Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads
Pros to the Lansinoh pad include:
Two sticky pieces on the back to hold the pad in place and prevent sliding.
Breathable and soft but also absorbent. They wick the moisture away from you.
There is a slight bend to the pad, which seems to help hold it in place and be the least noticeable under clothing of all the disposables I have tried.
These are pretty thin and not very bulky. While the Ameda and Medela pads both did a good job, I found the Lansinoh to just feel less bulky and better underneath my clothes.
The back of the pad is waterproof to protect your clothing.
They are each individually wrapped. This may be a pro if you want to just throw a few in a bag and go, or it may be a con if you hate having to unwrap each pad for each use. At least the wrapping is recyclable!
The main con to these pads is that sometimes you can see them under clothing. I really do not believe this is a negative since any breast pad will be noticeable if you are wearing a very thin bra or clothing. As I said these are thinner than most, and really did not show for me.
My runner up to Lansinoh is a tie between the Ameda disposable nursing pads and Medela disposable nursing pads.
Ameda Disposable Nursing Pads
The Ameda pad is a triangular shape and it fits nicely in a bra. It is very absorbent and comfortable but does not have a sticky background to help it stay in place. These are a good choice for overnight if you are not worried about it moving around much.
Ameda Disposable Nursing Pad
Medela Disposable Nursing Pads
The Medela nursing pad is round. It is very absorbent but the bulkiest feeling of these disposables to me. This would also work for overnight but I did not really like it under my clothing during the day. It does have the sticky