Breastfeeding Tools You Won't Want to Be Without

"I caution moms about purchasing a pump before delivery. A hospital-grade rental pump may be needed if baby is premature, not nursing well, or if a mother and baby are separated. All pumps are not created equal," says Brown.

Pumps come in a variety of sizes and price ranges. You can rent or purchase them from major retailers and brand names such as Avent^®, Evenflo^®, and The First Years, which offer several styles of manual and electronic pumps. Medela, a popular brand with nursing moms, offers numerous products including breast pumps, accessories, breast care aids, cleaning products, nursing/maternity intimate apparel, specialty feeding devices and baby scales.

With such a wide selection available, choosing the pump that's right for you depends on how much you use it. Will be you staying at home and not using a pump as much or returning back to work right away? Will you be carrying the pump around a lot and in need of something compact and light? Are you exclusively offering your baby expressed milk because of problems with nursing? Will you be buying a pump right away when the baby is born or later on? Do you plan on having more kids that could benefit from it? Do you need to be able to pump quickly—both breasts at a time? Do you have very large breasts and require larger cups for your pump?

Think about what having a battery-operated versus electronic pump means for your schedule and lifestyle. If you're not sure what pump is right for you, ask breastfeeding friends what they've been happy with, and consider meeting with a lactation consultant or someone from an organization like LLL for demonstrations and more information before going out to the store or online to make your purchase.