Maternity Pads/ Breast Pads ?

Its hard to say on both count tbh......

With the mat pads, I actually found the libra ones so uncomfy... I used 2 and then ended up cutting them in half and using them as breast pads if I ran out LOL. The cheap home brand ones (about $1.80 for 20 at countdown) were much more comfortable! I used the hospital ones until I came home but I have heard not all hospitals provide them so worth checking.

The Johnson breastpads are disposable... I have no idea how many you would need as I am not sure how long it will take for your supply to dry up. I would say you may need more than one packet (I actually preferred the pigeon ones as the are slightly bigger and thinner so less bulky and more comfortable, plus i have big boobies). I am sure one of the lovely ladies who went straight to bottle could help you on how many.

GL, I bought heaps of stuff for my bag but was still packing it the night before I went into hospital at 38 weeks LOL

As I haven't had my baby yet I can't really comment... But Generally I prefer stayfree over the libra in terms of pads (always find I leak with libra and stayfree is more padded), most women I've spoken to double up the pads, some even use 3!, so that would also affect how many you will need. And no idea on the breast pads either sorry!

I found the stayfree maternity pads good, as it was very sore in that department, although the pads are big a bulky and feel like you have a surf board between your legs, having the extra bit of padding down there was a god send specially when sitting down.  I was lucky with my bleeding and only went through a couple packs of the heavy duty stay free maternity pads before I  went onto 2 packs of budget brand super pads, for the past couple weeks I've just been able to go just use regualr pads.

I've been using home brand nursing pads, they are around $5 for a pack of 20, I haven't used any other brand so I can't compare them to anything, but they do the trick, I haven't had any issues with leakages.

I can't remember the brand of mat pads I used but they were the only ones with wings. I used 3 packs of them then had a pack (which I only used half of) of some without wings.

With the breast pads I used a pack of the Pigeon ones which were great, then I had a pack of Tommee Tipee ones which I didn't like at all (the sticky stuff to stick to your bra was useless) I was breast feeding though so not sure how many you will need if bottle feeding.

I used the hospital maternity pads (aka surf boards) and then Whisper ones when I got home. I was using normal Super pads after about a week though, so you mightn't need that many packs. Different for everyone though!

I loved Pigeon breastpads, they were great. I had some reusable ones (Avent) as well but I soaked through those all the time so gave up.

My friend bottle fed right from the beginning and I don't think she used breast pads at all. Her milk never came in, she started taking tablets to stop it coming in at all after about 4 days I think too. So you might not need to get anything on top of the box you have already

I changed breast pads every few hours in the first weeks (when I was leaking everywhere) and a box of 36 lasted a few days. So I would suggest holding off on buying any more till after bubs is born and you know whether you even need them.

For the first few days when the bleeding was heavier I went with the libra maternity thins with wings, and put a thicker pad over the top. The budget ones were surprisingly good (comparable - not in a bad way! - to the ones they had at birthcare). After a while I just used the one layer with wings and they were great. I bought about 3 diff brands & packs for my hospital bag (as I had no idea what I'd like best) cuz I figured I'd soon work out what worked then I could send DH out to get more if I ran out lol. So if all else fails, there's no harm in stocking up.

On the topic, I also HIGHLY recommend getting a pack of disposable briefs, they're brilliant to kick you off cuz you don't need to worry about any washing! (There's a supplier on trademe who sells a pack of 7 for about $15.) That and some granny knickers to wear for a bit so that you don't ruin any o your fave ones ;)

I'm also an advocate for pigeon breast pads. I tried a whole lot cuz went with what was on special, but ended up buying up pigeon ones when they were on special as I loved that you couldn't see the outline of them through thinner bra fabrics. Plus they were just comfy. Once the leakage calmed down a little I was able to use cloth breast pads, but they were useless for the first little while, drove me nuts!!!

Sorry for blabbing, hope that helps!!

Oh! Disposable undies are awesome!!! One of my friends bought me some as a joke for my baby shower but they were actually one of the most useful presents I got (I think she knew they would be too)

Janini when I double up pads I usually put one on a little more at the front and one a little more at the back but they meet iygwim?

By disposable undies, do you mean like the cheap undies you can get at the warehouse??

I put the pads one on top of the other, but it meant that if one got overloaded it would spill onto the second one. And if not, I only changed the top one - it was more of a safety net really. And YES YES YES to the change mats & pad combination, that was great for the first few days.

nkap9, you could buy cheap warehouse undies if you like (I did and they were great after a while) but I found I bought the disposable undies as well. I kinda figured I'd feel bad about throwing out reusable knickers, but the disposable ones aren't designed to be washed etc., they can just be thrown straight out. Same idea as disposable bibs or change mats I guess. They were great & fitted any number of pads etc. in them too. I got mine off trademe, just tried to find them but there doesn't seem to be any on there at the mo. Have a hunt on some of the maternity websites and you'll come across them. They should be around $15 for 7 pairs I think you'll find :)

Lol thats different but cool! Will go look on trademe then for some disposable undies!