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Monday, January 30, 2012

The Boppy vs My Brest Friend - Which Nursing Pillow is Right for You?

Here I hope to give a little information on how each nursing support pillow has worked for me in order to help you make an informed decision as to which one you may want to consider purchasing.

The Boppy
With my first baby, this was the only nursing support pillow that I'd tried and I loved it (and still do).  It is simply a "U" shaped pillow that hugs you around your waist and supports your baby to make nursing more comfortable for you and him or her.  It can be purchased for around $25-$30.  You can also buy covers that zip over it for anywhere from $10-25 a piece.  These come in handy as spit up and leaky diapers (yuck!) often soil your boppy while feeding your baby and it's much easier to remove these and wash them rather than having to wash the entire pillow each time.  The pillow itself is, however, machine washable, should you need to do so.
You can also purchase a waterproof cover if you'd like for this pillow, made of a waterproof mattress pad-like material.  The only drawbacks of the Boppy are, in my opinion:  After a few months (4/5 for me) the pillow starts to flatten out and isn't as supportive as it once was.  When you are using the Boppy to support your baby while nursing, if you need to stand or walk around due to necessity, the pillow isn't secured to you so it just doesn't work as a support for baby.  (First time moms - you may be wondering why you'd be walking around/multitasking while nursing.  Moms of more than one munchkin know what I'm talking about!).  Another plus is that this pillow can also be used to lay your baby in (with your supervision, of course) when they are infants for support, and as a tummy time support.  I am currently using mine to help my little girl learn to sit up, too!  Multi-function products rock.

My Brest Friend
I purchased this pillow when I had my second (in addition to a fresh, fluffy Boppy) because I'd seen Michelle Duggar on 19 Kids and Counting (yes, I do sometimes watch that show in order to make my own life seem saner) wearing the Brest Friend nursing pillow while walking around/caring for her other kids.  And I figured, with a 3 year old just barely becoming independant on the toilet at the time, I'd definitely have "emergencies" arise while nursing this baby.  I was right, boy was I right...
My Brest Friend is made out of a heavy foam material (kind of like a thick memory foam) and has a band that buckles around your body.  It is adjustable and can even be adjusted while it is on you with a velcro strap.  You can pick it up for around $30-$45.  It comes with a cover on it and you can purchase additional zip on covers for around $16/piece.  I am glad I purchased it for the following instances:  When at the kitchen table (or nursing while sitting on any hard surface), or when I know I'll be getting up while still feeding my baby.  When I'm sitting on a hard surface/chair for some reason it seems to offer more support than the Boppy and it's nice to have the padded backing to lean against.  In the instance that I need to get up and walk around, obviously this is the better choice since it is buckled around my waist and will stay put while I walk around.  You still need to be sure to support most of your baby's weight with but the fact that the pillow is strapped to you definitely helps to keep him or her supported and in place at the breast.  Another benefit of this pillow would be that if you are having twins they make a model that is meant to support two babies and appears to be a great solution for nursing two babies at a time.  On the flipside, the strap is a drawback when you know you'll just be hanging on the couch while nursing because it's not as easy to put on as the Boppy, and if you are nursing your baby to sleep the sound that the buckle makes when you release it to take the pillow off is loud enough to wake your baby.  Another drawback is that the pillow itself isn't machine washable so if you should need to get that spit up or the result of that leaky diaper (yuck!) off of the pillow you are going to have to surface/spot clean.

In Conclusion/My Recommendation
I recommend, if you are only purchasing one of the two pillows, that you buy the Boppy.  It is easier to clean, the covers are more readily available for purchase at major retailers, and it is cheaper.  It is a great go to pillow for nursing at home.  If you think that you may be spending a lot of time multitasking, then your best bet may be to go with My Brest Friend.  Ultimately, it is nice to have both!  :)

If you are interested in checking out either of these nursing pillows online, here are the links:
Boppy Pillow with Slipcover, Owls
My Brest Friend Deluxe Pillow

1 comment:

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