breastfeeding pillows

e+jfamily08

I got a "my brestfriend" but when my mom saw it she asked why I would waste money on such a thing. are these breastfeeding pillows necessary, a great to have item or completely worthless?

jjoli

I am guessing this is like a boppy, and if you plan on breastfeeding it isn't necessary, but we used it almost every single time we breastfed!

We breastfed for 14 months and we used from the time she was in the hospital to the last nursing session at 14 months.  I loved mine and it made it easy to breastfeed when I had such a wiggly baby/toddler.  It also helped ease back pain from not having to hold DDs head in position when breastfeeding.  The only time we didn't use it was if we were laying down and nursing or when we were out and about and I breastfed her in the sling.  But I always took it with us in the car and would even use it to breastfeed then.  I didn't have to but it was nice.

katcarls

Some people think they aren't necessary but most would say that they are great to have.  I love my Boppy for BF and it's a must have product for me.  I still use it every day and DS is almost 12 months.

Klmorgan83

We had a boppy that I used all the time with #1.  I bought a new one when I was pregnant with #2.  Due to delivery complications I couldn't breastfeed....and we still use it everyday! In the first few weeks he would nap there, he lays in it while I'm feeding him sometimes, while he's not mobile we lay him in it on the couch if we have to do something real quick with #1, you can also use it as support when they're learning to sit up.  I don't know if you can do all the same things with a breast friend since they're shaped differently, but the boppy is definitely worth the $40 I spent on it.

Soon2BMrsN

I nursed DS for 16 months and we used the Boppy for 98% of feedings.  I definitely recommend it.

abell77

I guess it's a matter of preference, but I loved the my brestfriend.  I got a boppy at my shower but it just never worked right for me.  When DS was three weeks old we went to see a lactation consultant and she had a brestfriend for me to try and I put it on and was like, "oh my gosh this is so much easier!"  Sure, once they get bigger you don't really need it anymore but in the early months when they are nursing so often and you are both trying to figure things out, I thought it was really helpful to have.

honeybee111

I BF'd for 14 months and used my boppy every single time(unless we were out of the house).  I think they're a great thing to have.  I also used it when DD was smaller for tummy time.

Quizzle

Boppy never worked for me until she got a lot bigger, and I didn't need it so close to me but needed a bit more height. It never fit me right, and I hated it a lot. She'd always roll in, and we had such a rocky time breastfeeding at first she'd scream and kick it off my lap.

 

I LOVED the BrestFriend. Awesome. It actually fit well, stayed on, and the flat surface was so much easier to deal with. I wouldn't have survived without it. And frankly, just holding the baby wouldn't work -- I had a big baby and needed to support a boob while breastfeeding... breastfeeding was a two-hand process for months and months.

wifeyvana

The my brestfriend was a lifesaver for me in the newborn stage.  We had so many issues with breastfeeding and this made it just a tad bit easier to get him in good form.  The boppy was too soft for us.  With that said, IMO babies outgrow the brestfriend before the boppy.  I never used the boppy for breastfeeding but used it for tummy time, assisted sitting, etc.

JenLeano

I've heard people say how much of a lifesaver breastfeeding pillows are. We have a Boppy & haven't used it yet since the baby isn't born yet but I do recall my mom & aunt using it for their kids. You can also use it for tummy time & propping the baby up. The fact that it's a pillow makes it even more versatile. It all really depends on your preference though.

I'm in between necessity and great to have. 

angelproberts

I didn't go all out and get a "boppy" but I did get a breastfeeding pillow from Wal-Mart and the cover has a part that is made to go around the baby's legs for when they're old enough to start sitting up on their own. It Velcros down to the other side of the pillow (if that makes sense) I loved the pillow though because it was so versatile.

snansley

discobelle:

I loved the BrestFriend for the first couple of months and then switched to a Boppy when he got bigger.

I felt like the BrestFriend was more stable when he was so tiny, and I loved having it when we were both figuring out what we were doing.  Now that he's bigger, I prefer the Boppy (no straps, easier to deal with one handed).

 

All of this.  We bought our Boppy at a consignment sale and bought a new cover for it so we didn't spend a ton on pillows.

novlove11

I am looking at using the Gia by Simplisse.

wonkatalia

I have a Brestfriend and a Boppy.  I LOVE my boppy.  When we travel, that's the one I bring with me.  The brestfriend was okay when she was little but I always preferred the Boppy.  It's so much more comfortable and it is also easier to get the Boppy a little higher so LO is closer to the breast.  The Brestfriend doesn't have as much cushion so you actually have to hold it up with your arms or other pillows to get LO to the right level.  At least I do.  And now that she's more active and longer, the Brestfriend puts her right at the perfect level to kick the arm of the other side of the chair - which is a major PITA because she kicks herself off of the breast.  Ouch.  Andplusalso, when she was a newborn, she wouldn't nap anywhere except ON me so I literally would nurse her (for like an hour), then she would sleep on the Boppy on me until it was time for her to eat again.  There is no way I could have done that with the Brestfriend.  It has a back piece that gets very uncomfortable after about 20 minutes or so.