With baby #3 newly home from the hospital, I’m jumping back into the world of breastfeeding. And trying out some different products than with my past newborns.

With my previous two children, I almost exclusively used Lanisohn’s disposable nursing pads. I think I received my first box as a gift or as a recommendation from another mom and stuck with them because I loved everything about them. Everything that is, except the waste. Yes, they were discrete, absorbent, and convenient, but I’d go through at least two, sometimes three sets of pads a day and with each individually packaged, it felt like a lot going into the landfill. So this go around, I started to look into washable, reusable breast pads and after finding Milk Diapers nursing pads I can’t believe I waited so long.

My biggest concern was that the pads were indeed going to be absorbent. Landfill or not, if the pads leaked through, they weren’t worth it to me. I was most intrigued with Milk Diapers’ waterproof Moisture Guard pads, but the company also generously sent along samples of their  4-Layer and  4-Layer Lace Front pads. I’ve had a chance to try out all three styles and have been completely satisfied with all of them. The pads are absorbent (one pad lasts me all day without a problem), discrete (though thin, unlined bras may show edges and the 5-layer Moisture Guard pads are of course thicker) have held up well in the wash, are affordable and come in a variety of set sizes and colors.

Lanisohn disposables – I still love you, but will be sticking with Milk Diapers for Mother Earth’s sake.

The other breastfeeding product I’ve upgraded is my breast pump. For my last two, I relied on a hand-me-down manual pump that was noisy, uncomfortable and not very effective. But since baby #3 arrived, I’ve had the chance to try out Medela’s Pump In Style Advanced Shoulder Bag.

Wow. To go from a single, manual pump to a double, electric has been life-changing. The Medela Pump In Style Advanced is relatively quiet, convenient to use and very effective. Unlike other pumps that have lots of different buttons and knobs, the Pump In Style has one adjustable speed/vacuum dial to let me find the best suction. Turning this knob begins the Pump In Style’s 2-part expression technology that mimics a baby’s normal nursing patterns.  It starts off with a quicker, stimulation phase and after two minutes, switches to an expression phases. If you don’t need the full two minute stimulation phase, there is a single button to push to automatically switch to expression (this same button also lets you switch back to stimulation phase if needed).

The pump comes with the following pieces – and all of of those that are in contact with milk are BPA-free:

• Shoulder bag
• Battery pack (8AA batteries not included)
• Removable cooler carrier
• 4 – 5 oz breastmilk bottles, lids & travel cap
• Wide base slow-flow nipple
• 2 – 24 mm PersonalFitâ„¢ breastshields
• 2 valves
• 4 membranes
• Ice pack

I especially like this shoulder bag version (you can also buy the Pump In Style as a backpack or a metro bag) – it’s discrete enough to keep out in out living room when company is over and easy to bring along when I have to work out of the house (the battery pack also makes this easier).

Whether you’re expecting your first child or your adding more to your nest, check out Milk Diapers and Medela to see if they are a good fit for you.