Here’s how you can create your own nursing nest:

A comfortable place to sit. The importance of your comfort can’t be overstated. When you are comfortable, it shows in how you hold and interact with your baby. You may be most comfortable in a hard-backed chair or in a squashy arm chair or reclining on the floor on poofy cushions. A little thought now will save you from aggravation down the road. A footstool is a wonderful item for your nursing area, too. If you don’t have one, you can press an empty box, bucket, or some other suitable substitute into service; just be sure to lay something on top so that your heels/ankles/calves will have a comfortable place to rest.

Items to help support your baby while you nurse. You can use rolled up blankets, bed pillows, or special nursing pillows (Boppy and My Brest Friend are just two). These can be kept under, next to, behind, or on the seat while you’re not there. The main thing is to have whatever you need close at hand.

Those two things – a comfortable place to sit and cushions to help support the baby – are the most basic items, and the bare essentials. To be really comfortable, here are other ideas:

Almost as important as a chair and cushions is a table for you to – obviously – put things on while you’re nursing, and maybe a basket, box, or some other container to hold all the little items you might want to have near at hand.

A tall glass of water. Nursing is thirsty work, and one of the best ways to stay hydrated is to drink a glass of water (or two) while you’re nursing. You don’t need to drink so much that you’re sloshing, but you do need to keep pace with your body’s needs. When you were pregnant, you were probably pretty well tuned in to your body; you can rely on this skill to keep tabs on whether your body is getting enough fluids. Water is generally best for this; caffeinated drinks are diuretics, so soda, coffee, and tea might not be your best bet. Juice is fine, but be aware of its calories and sugar content.

A snack. Just as with keeping your body hydrated, you need to keep it well fed, too. When you’re exclusively nursing your baby (i.e., she’s only being receiving breast milk), you’ll need to take in about 200 more calories than you did before you were pregnant. Keep in mind that 200 calories really isn’t that much, so make those calories count. Nuts, cheese, milk, fresh fruit or vegetables all are nutritious snacks, easy to prepare and easy to have on hand.

A good book and a good reading light. If you’re new to nursing, you may find it hard to believe that you’ll ever have the dexterity to simultaneously nurse and read. As you gain experience, however, you’ll find that you’re able to do all sorts of things while nursing.

A telephone. It’s nice to stay in touch, and having a phone with you while you’re nursing may give you the opportunity for a chat while things are quiet. On the other hand, you can always turn the ringer off if you don’t want to be disturbed.

Paper and pen. Ideas have the tendency to pop into our minds at the oddest times. You may not be able to write a letter while you’re nursing your baby, but if you need to capture a thought before it gets away, you’ll be able to jot down at least a word or two to remind you later.

Music. How does that saying go? “Musick has Charms to soothe a savage Breast” (William Congreve, “The mourning bride,” 1697). Music does have a way of changing our mood, so if you’re feeling anxious or tense, being able to listen to music that soothes and comforts you will certainly help you relax for nursing. The only caveat is that if the kind of music you find soothing is best heard while in a mosh pit, you might want to listen to it through headphones so that baby doesn’t feel the urge to do some head banging.

Scent. If you find certain scents (other than the scent of your warm, fresh, yummy baby) soothing, uplifting, calming, or energizing, consider adding them to your nursing area. Sometimes just sitting back with your eyes closed and smelling wonderful scents wafting through the air is just the thing to set the mood for some quality time with your baby.

So there are just a few ideas for outfitting an area where you can nurse in comfort. After all, don’t you and your baby deserve a little alone time now and then?

Laurel Haring is a writer and editor. She and her family live in Wilmington, Delaware. She has fond memories of nursing her sons while sitting in her own nursing nests. She still has nests, just not for nursing.

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