Is it worth buying a breastfeeding pillow?

[octanegirl]

I'm due in a week or so with DC1 and wondering whether or not to buy a special pillow/cushion?
If so which ones are good? I've seen V shaped ones, squared off ones.....allsorts.
I guess anything that helps with breastfeeding is good but am a total novice so am relying on your wise advice ladies!

[Loislane78]

I just got a v-shaped one for about £7 :)

[NeedlesCuties]

Have bf 2 DC (not at the same time!) and never bothered with one.

[MisForMumNotMaid]

I had one for ds1, who ended up being express fed, but for ds2 and dd i found a couple of spare pillows by the bed worked at night and a scatter cushion or two with a burp cloth on worked downstairs.

[OhIWishThereWasABook]

Yes! I used mine for years, bf, learning to sit, snoozing child (and mum). I had the v shaped one.

[AliceWChild]

Rarely used it for bf. it is however invaluable to sit on with painful stitches and haemorrhoids

[mrsbabookaloo]

My kids are 6 and 3 and mine is still in daily use as the comfiest sitting up in bed pillow. It's a really firm crescent shaped one from mothercare. Not a floppy v shaped one. I can't remember that well whether it helped with breastfeeding ! Yes, yes, it's coming back to me now; used it all the time in the early days.

[clabsyqueen]

I would say no - normal pillows do the job just fine and you will find yourself drowning in baby equipment that you'll hardly have room for all the undrunk cups of coffee you're going to be leaving lying around.

[FundusCrispyPancake]

I thought they would be a waste of money and I could just use a normal pillow or cushion, but I could never find a comfortable position when bf and developed awful aches in my back and shoulders. I bought a c shaped one when DD was about 3 weeks old and I wish I had got it before the birth and taken it to the hospital (they only gave me one crappy pillow so I couldn't sit up and use it to support DD). It is much thicker than a pillow and the extra height made bf pain free, if I hadn't got it I may have given up bf purely because of the back pain.

[FundusCrispyPancake]

Mine is the mothercare one too. Some are stupidly expensive for a cushion.

[PetiteRaleuse]

Mine was a gift and I ff but I love it. Sitting for hours on the sofa with baby it provides whatever support you need. I have mine supporting the base of my back and wrapped round to my right where it supports my iPad and the remote control.

With DD1 I used it as an aid to safe co sleeping, and when I was pregnant with DD2 as a support while sleeping.


I have chronic back ache which is worse during and just after pregnancy.

Oh, and post c section I put it on top of the duvet when sleeping to protect the scar area from manic cats.

[NeedlesCuties]

Sorry, that was a bit blunt. What I meant was I always liked to keep things simple and knew it'd be a pain to bring a special pillow out and about with me, so I just never bothered with one at home either.

But, I have some friends who swore by them in the early weeks especially.

[Molehillmountain]

I loved my first v shaped borrowed one-from John Lewis. The second one was also v shaped but a bit too floppy really. Pillows will do the trick if you're strapped for cash but it is useful afterwards and nice to sit up in bed with.

[Ariel24]

I have one, think it's called the widgey pillow, bought it from John Lewis. I had an ELCS and the pillow really helped in the early days, it took the weight off of my incision and when DD was first born it also helped to get her the right height to feed her. I also used it when I was pregnant to support my back.

[paperclips]

I have the firm crescent shaped one from John Lewis, maybe a widget, DH bought it. I love it.

When DS was about 10 days old I was struggling a bit, community midwife watched me feeding and pointed out how I was all tense and hunched over. She passed me the pillow to try, this was in my lovely local Children's Centre. It instantly changed everything and I made DH go and buy one straight away. You can get them for about 15 pounds cheapest.

You kind of wrap the pillow around you and your baby lies on it, it's quite firm, just brings him/her to a good height so you're not hunched over hurting your back.

And you can prop baby up in it when they start sitting.

Babyclips is on it now, fallen asleep with a boob in his face.

Only downside I see, is that if you were very big, ie wide, it might not wrap round you comfortably.

[paperclips]

*widgey not widget.

[paperclips]

Some people are talking about the sort that go behind you to sit you up. I just use loads of normal pillows. I had a huge pregnancy pillow that can be used for that, butgave up on it after DS was born. Too big! DH gets upset cos it takes up so much of the bed he claims he has hurt his back sleeping funny.

[VisualiseAHorse]

I got a Widgey, like a U sort of shape.

It's brill - used it during pregnancy for back support, used in the car on the way to have the baby, never really used as a BF support pillow, used it to prop baby up, used it for baby while he was learning to sit, used as a seat for feeding solids, used to entertain small children who come to visit. Cost £20.

[MadameJosephine]

I got a widgey from eBay for £10 and it was the best tenner I ever spent! I can BF 7 week old DD and eat my dinner at the same time, I love it.

[aamia]

Comfiest position is lying down or snuggled on sofa. No extra cushion needed.

[ChristmasKnackers]

I've got a my breast friend which I no longer use. I can give it to you, if you PM me address. It was good but I only used t while establishing breastfeeding.

[JugglingMeYorkiesAndNutRoast]

A V shaped pillow was good for the early days and evenings/ night-time when you might want to be in bed. I used mine quite a bit. BF in plenty of other positions/ situations too though !

[priscilla101]

Yes! I found most specially designed bf pillows expensive ( especially as I wanted to buy spare covers, stale milk/baby sick smells, or a wet pillow is NOT nice) and too soft.

But they are essential if you want to get in a position that won't ruin your back, shoulders or upper arms while you bf. so I bought a memory foam V pillow (from Dunelm I think) with a spare cover. Being memory foam it is nice and firm and quite heavy, so it doesn't slide around.

See if you can try various ones out before you buy. And don't worry if bf doesn't work out they are great for getting comfy for bottle feeding and for tummy time as baby grows!

Good luck!

[LarkinSky]

Yes!

I didn't have one with my first child (bf her for a year) and was given a Boppy breastfeeding pillow when I had my second DC (now 10 weeks old). I LOVE it and can't believe I managed without one.

It is so much more comfortable feeding, and I also prop the baby up in it a lot, eg after a feed while she digests, and do tummy time with it. Other people in the family also use it when they're cuddling her/she's asleep on their lap, including my 3-year-old daughter, as it supports the baby's head while she holds her.

I think they're about £30, or there are cheaper non-brand models. I really recommend one.

www.boppy.com

[LarkinSky]

And another use - I can put the Boppy on my lap, then comfortably breastfeed DD at the dinner table while I eat with the rest of the family. I use it for putting DD in far more than a baby chair/bouncer at the moment.