Have just found gel crystals on my boob from my breastpad. before i phone up and shout at johnson's is this normal in all breast pads?

[tutu100]

Title says it all really. I fuming and very worried that ds has ingested some. I have never noticed this in breastpads before. Is this common, I thought they were just cotton wool.

So cross and worried, but also have 4 unopened boxes of the damn things. Do you think I can return them to Sainsbury'S

It is the same stuff as in nappies, to increase absorption & make them less soggy. Cheaper brands are less likely to have them. As are re-usables.

I've got reusables, but haven't got enough, hence using the disposibles as well. Thanks - I have phoned Johnson's who were very nice and told me ds would be fine, he would have to ingest a lot before it made him ill, but that's not the point. I told them they should put in on the box as I wouldn't have bought them if I'd known they contained gel.

They said I could take them back to Sainsbury's if they would exchange them,or I could return them to them for a refund. I'll see what sainsbury's say and then I'm off to waitrose to buy Natracare ones.

Is it just me or does it not seem a bad idea to have these gel crystals in breast pads?

yup bad idea. how old is dc? I only have 10 reusable ones, so 5 pairs, and this is enough, I don't care if they go grey, they're hardly on display, so just bung them in any colour wash, as as machine is on constantly I find 5 pairs more than enough.

I reckon all these plastics and chemicals are a time bomb. Not usually an hysterical lentil weaver, but this is an increasing concern of mine tbh

In my opinion, the Lansinoh ones are the best, followed by the Tommy Tippee ones, although I expect they would both contain gel to make them absorb better.

I use Johnsons and I don't think they have any gel in them.

I had washable ones and I found them a lot more comfortable...

In theory the gel should only come out if you've left the pad on too long so it can't absorb any more liquid. So the moral of the story is, change 'em more often. Sorry!

thats a bit gross really. i would defo complain. I know the gel can come out of nappies but have never experienced it with pampers or huggies so am a bit that it would with breast pads.

the best ones i have come across are morrisons own brand. they are more shaped than any of the others i've tried and dont contain any fancy bits (eg gel)

Have to say, having used just about every single brand on the market (and I'm not joking, I promise - I leak like a trouper!) I'm with edam on this. The gel based ones I've used have only ever leaked when they've been saturated, same as nappies. So I'm afraid I have to second it - change 'em more often

tutu how badly do you leak/how old is your baby?

With DS, I used breast pads for a few weeks and I HATED them because bits came off etc - I would be trying to pick bits off myself before feeding. I just chucked them out and went without - fed DS for a year.

When DD was born, I never touched breast pads because of this. I've been feeding her for 10 months now without a single one.

If I feel a leak coming/think getting too full, I just get DD and get her to drink it up!

I also wear a feeding top with something over it - like a zip up top - that way, I'm never embarassed in public if I do have a minor leak.

I only leak whilst I'm feeding and the breast which had the gel crystals on it was the breast I started feeding from first so it was dry. So they hadn't come out because the pad was too wet. In fact the lady at Johnson's said the pad was probably too dry! WTF am I the only person who thinks that it's a bit dodgy having these gels crystals right against our nipples that our babies feed from?

I have been using the washable breastpads I have since yesterday and using a milk collection cup when I feed as I seem to leak around an oz and the washable pads can't really cope with that.

I feel that Johnson's should put on the box that the pads contain these super absorbant gels. I went to the supermarket to try and get some Natracare ones which I know don't contain gel but Waitrose has stopped selling them - Lasinoh do put on their box that the pads contain polymers so I didn't buy them, but having the information on the box allowed me that choice.

Crokky how do you cope when your let down reflex goes and your baby is feeding off one breast but it is the other one that starts to leak? Thats when I have a leakage problem, never between feeds, but if I took ds2 off and put him on the 2nd breast the 1st one would still be shooting out.

Also what reccomendations do people have for washable breastpads, I've got kushies, imse vimse and avent and at the moment none of them are particularly good, or is that just because I'm leaking too much?

fledtoscotland sadly I don't have a Morrison's near me otherwise I would be trying theirs.

The problem with one side leaking when you're feeding from the other side - I think that goes away as the baby gets older? It doesn't happen to me now DD is 10m much - if it does, I get her off and change sides and see if that helps. Lots of her feeds are interrupted anyway as I have a 2yo DS to look after as well. Only other thing is that I feed when DD feels like it AND when I feel like it. I don't go too long between feeds and feed if I feel a build up.