Nursing Pad Recommendations

I'll be real with you, when I had Julia I was completely oblivious to nursing pads. I never even thought about them or realized I needed them until my mom brought me a box while I was at the hospital. And I kind of feel like Lansinoh & Medela has the market in nursing care, but there are so many other options out there! Here are my recommendations for disposable and re-usable nursing pads.

Lansinoh

I don't love these...It's annoying that they are individually wrapped (who needs the extra trash around??) and they are folded in half so it gives you an awkward shape when you wear them. Plus, the insides remind me of a diaper, so once they get wet they feel like a saggy diaper on your chest. And they are pricey... Upside? I guess being indiviually wrapped makes it good for travel in a diaper bag. That's it.

Avent

So, similar story with these, they are individually wrapped and have a fold/crease, BUT they definitely contour better than the Lansinoh and they way they are sewn helps the milk to not just sink to the bottom of the pad, it distributes much better. I would choose these over Lansinoh any day. They have good nighttime pads as well.

Johnson's
 
These are my favorite. They are at a great price point and they aren't individually wrapped. Plus, they aren't folded in half!! They are shaped to fit and contour, they don't get that "soggy" feeling, they are very absorbent, and, well, I love them.

Nuk

So, these are inexpensive and work okay. I got them to try something new, but since they are "ultra thin" they wrinkle and you have to re-shape them a lot. They also don't have a sticky pad, which I wish they did. Other than that, they worked fine.

Re-usable Avent
I really liked these and it's great that they're reusable. They were soft, flexible and I never had any leaking problems. The downside is that you have to be on top of laundry otherwise you won't have any pads.

Re-usable Nuk
I didn't like these as much because they were super thin and less absorbent, but they did have a waterproof outside so I would pair them with my other reusable ones if I needed to.

Lily Padz

I also love these. A lot. They are a soft silicone pad and they are especially great if you ever chafe  They stick on and don't move until you peel them off (I would even use lanolin with them and they stayed on just great). They are excellent for swimming in and really help you to stay comfortable. The only downside is that they are not absorbent so if you nurse in them, you may leak from your opposite side (usually only if you're wearing them wrong). Other than that they are great!