Pregnancy pillows - are they worth it?

[Firstbaby2019x]

Hi all
I'm well into my second trimester and have started to get uncomfortable with back pain, esp at night, due to growing bump.

Considering pregnancy pillows to help with getting a comfortable night sleep but are they any good? Or just a fad?

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MNHQ update:
This thread is a few years old now, but if you've landed here while on the hunt for a supportive maternity pillow, we've recently updated our guide to the best pregnancy pillow here. It includes a wide range of options, from budget buys to pillows you can also use for infant support and those best for back ache and/or sciatica - all tried, tested and approved by Mumsnetters. Hope it's helpful!

Same as @PollyRoe16 I seriously love mine. It’s never leaving.

Never used mine as dog would just hump it!

A friend passed a bean bag type, slightly crescent shaped one to me when I was about 6 months pregnant and suffering with hip pain. It was fantastic support for lying on my side or propping me up in bed and I took it to hospital when I was induced. Equally useful afterwards for breastfeeding and as a support for wobbly sitting DD.

She is nearly 5-years-old now and I have only recently parted with it. It went to another friend who found it very useful too.

Please bear in mind the pregnancy pillows sold in the UK must comply with the UK's furniture flammability regulations. Which means they will almost certainly be stuffed with flame retardant chemicals which will be absorbed through your skin and into your baby. These chemicals have a long history of causing all kinds of diseases and behaviour problems particularly in babies and children. If your supplier cannot reassure that there are not flame retardants in the product - and don't buy the line that they do use FRs but they're legal; yes they are but the pattern is that they are invariably found to be toxic and banned - then buy from outside the UK.

Please can you link to sources? This is not me disbelieving you at all, it’s just good practice.

Of course. Have to go out now; will come back tomorrow morning. A good place to check, though is www.toxicsofa.com.

That link doesn't seem to be working. In which case, just type "toxicsofa.com" into Google - that seems to work.

I love mine. Have already said it will be staying, even after the baby arrives!
I got mine from Asda, only cost £20 and is the most comfy thing in the world, even my DH tries to steal it!

direct.asda.com/george/baby/hospital-list/kinder-valley-12-maternity-pillow/050297393,default,pd.html

I found mine a bit pointless during pregnancy, as I got too hot. Coming in super useful now as a back pillow for my feeding chair. Didn't think about using it as sitting support for DD.

I had one in my first pregnancy and loved it!

My husband brought me one for this pregnancy and he spent allot of money on a luxury one and it's horrible! So hard it gives me neck ache, i like soft pillows.
So I've ordered the same one as you @WillingSpringTime and it arrives on Monday so it's nice to hear you like it

I got one from amazon which was about £40 but worth every penny. Used it to BF too. It was huge though and took up most of the bed so DH had to sleep in the spare room!

I have a G shaped pillow which I've been using since week 13 (I'm now 29+5) and I can no longer cope without it, it's an absolute life saver.

Very much love my pregnancy full body cushion and it came in handy for breastfeeding those first few weeks, I even used it after pregnancy and still do x

I started to use mine from 20 weeks. Oh my god. It was a game changer. I literally couldn't sleep without it. I had one really long U shaped one and it was amazing.

After a cecasarean as well, it was great for sleeping.

Sooo worth it i love mine to the point i don't think I'll ever sleep without it again and it was only about £15 on eBay with a cover

I've got this one and I love it. It's like being in a big comfy nest.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01DPNFJ5O?psc=1&ref=ppxpoppmobbbasin_title

Mine is a 12ft U shaped pillow not a V shape btw

@IvinghoeBeacon

You can see by the subsequent posts that this is a subject people do not want to think about. Which is understandable since it's so horrific. It's different in the USA where parents played a large part in getting their furniture flammability rules changed so that there would no longer be flame retardants in US furniture.

For some good basic information on the damage that flame retardants do, check out the Green Science Policy Institute's website: greensciencepolicy.org/topics/flame-retardants/ It's a USA site but the same chemicals are used over here.

Also check out last year's report by the Environmental Audit Committee: publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1805/1805.pdf This report concludes that the UK's furniture flammability regulations need to be changed, since they're not working, and flame retardants are removed from our furniture. It specifically recommends that children's mattresses etc (including pregancy pillows) be taken out of scope.

Unfortunately the government has chosen instead to sit on its hands, which means we're stuck with toxic furniture unless someone does something about it.

In the meantime, please open your eyes to this scandal. The effects of flame retardants on children are severe and often permanent.

I'm almost 32 weeks pregnant and just bought mine 2 days ago.... I've not left it's side since 😂
I should have purchased one as soon as!!!!
I got mine from asda on sale for 18 pound and it's huge!

Thank you. That is certainly eye-opening and I can see that you are keen to convey this to mumsnetters generally across a lot of threads. However, I think it is a tough one in this instance as it’s clear from your links that pregnancy pillows are the very least of our worries in this respect, many people will take the view that the ship has sailed, particularly if mothers themselves are “storing” the toxins from years ago. Particularly when you are talking to a group of women who are extremely sleep-deprived, desperate for some rest and comfort, and already likely feel very guilty and anxious about many things with respect to their children, both born and unborn. So this may be why this is not the most receptive audience.

Very sane comments; and I agree with you. I understand how difficult it must be to realise that you are being poisoned for profit, essentially. However, there is the future to consider. The government is showing signs of being cornered over this issue now and a campaign by parents in particular could well force them to do the right thing. Also, there are steps parents can take to minimise the damage now; for example, buying furniture - prams, buggies, mattresses, sofas etc - from outside the UK.

@FlameIngSofa do you happen to know of any brands that you would consider safe and that can be bought here or sent from overseas? I do actually care about this issue, but I also really want a pregnancy pillow!

@Bookiewook Pregnancy pillows were not around when the UK's furniture regulations came in. This means manufacturers will probably interpret what compliance means. In my view, it should mean that all three fire tests are applied, in which case there will almost certainly be some pretty nasty flame retardants present. It's quite possible, however, that a company will decide that because pregnancy pillows aren't specifically named in the Regulations, they don't need to comply at all; therefore no flame retardants. Most companies are well aware that Trading Standards are so ham-strung these days cash-wise, that they probably not get prosecuted for non-compliance.

They many decide these products are pillows for the sake of the Regulations, in which case only the fillings need to comply; which should mean less flame retardants but they'll still be present.

You can try asking the company concerned and if they say these products don't need to comply with the Regulations, you might be okay. I'd still ask them if they use flame retardants, however, since the chemical industry is very good at strong-arming companies into using flame retardants, even when they don't need to. So it is that duvets, carpets, curtains all tend to contain flame retardants even though there are no flammability requirements for these products.

To be on the safe side, I'd look outside the UK, particularly Germany and Sweden, who are strongly opposed to the use of flame retardants. Email/phone the company first or look for one that specifically informs that they don't use chemicals. You could also try California who has recently banned all flame retardants from children's products and furniture (other US states have followed suit).

You could also look for UK manufacturers advertising organic or flame retardant free pregancy pillows. Be wary though because if they're anything like organic mattress makers, they tend to cheat in one of two ways. Either they use flame retardants but say the don't or they don't use them but test to the wrong fire tests. Again, they won't tell you which it is!

Thanks a lot @flameingsofa unfortunately I replaced my mattress, sofa, and all carpets last year during a house reno before reading up on anti pregnancy toxins, so I think the damage is probably done for me :-/ Your point about consumer pressure is totally valid tho.