Nursing pillows- Are they really worth all the fluff?

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/17939157@N00/

Nursing pillows. They get mentioned a LOT by seasoned mamas, are on all of the must-have-baby-gear lists, and they tend to get a lot of flack from lactation professionals. Through our practically countless hours working with mamas to establish breastfeeding, we have developed some thoughts on the ('Boppy' vs. 'My Brest Friend' vs. no pillows) controversy, and hopefully can explain what all the hype is about so that you can make the decision that is right for you.

The first question we ask when mamas bring out the nursing pillow during a consult is this: is this currently working for you? Really dig deep on this one (remembering our golden rule that sore nipples and difficulty latching are NOT a normal phase but are a sign that something is not working).

If you think about it, the very idea of a nursing pillow implies that it is THE solution to comfortably positioning baby at the breast. But we know that moms and babies have unique positioning needs based on their anatomy. Factors include the mama's arm length, breast size, breast position on the chest wall, position of the nipple on the breast, torso height, waist size, leg length, chair height and depth, and, of course, the size of the baby. Then consider whatever other issues need to be worked on for comfort, including oral anatomy issues, supply/letdown concerns, craniosacral/chiropractic needs, or incision pain in the case of a cesarean.

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/
photos/edenpictures/4135954586

One important positioning tip is that the back of baby's head needs to be free, and sometimes the pillow encourages a mama to put her hand on the back of baby's head. Sometimes the pillow itself is pushing on baby's head, impeding his ability to open wide enough to get a really good latch, which can lead to nipple pain.

For a great latch, we need baby's chest to be close to mama's body so that his chin comes to the breast first and his head tips back. Sometimes, with the nursing pillow (more so with the Boppy than with the My Brest Friend) there tends to be a small trapezoidal gap between the pillow and the mother's torso. If we are trying to keep the baby ON the pillow, then his belly and chest may not be pushed up close to his mom, even if he is otherwise in a good position.

Another important point is that the baby should come to the "natural position" of the mama's breast. So, if your breasts and nipples are up high, then your baby needs to be held there. If the baby is held too low on her mama's lap because of a nursing pillow (as we see with the lovely mama pictured to the right), she will probably have either nipple or shoulder and neck pain from the nipple being pulled out of the baby's mouth or from crouching down for her breast to reach. On the other hand, if the mama's nipple or breast lies lower, or if she has a shorter torso, the pillow can bring the baby up too high, like in the Boppy billboard below.

"WE'RE # 1" Really, Boppy??

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/roniweb/

The fact that you probably won't be dragging your nursing pillow around town with you is another reason why we, and most of the other LCs we know, don't put all of our eggs in the Boppy/My Brest Friend basket. We don't want to see you unnecessarily held back by a feeding gadget. If you need to feed your baby, you need to be able to feed your baby. And if you are accustomed to using a pillow in order to get your baby to take the breast, we encourage practicing without the nursing pillow to help you to build confidence in your ability to breastfeed on the go.

Are there times when it works perfectly? Yep!
Some nursing mamas find that the pillow is just the right height for her to feel supported. Or perhaps she is nursing twins and simply needs a soft platform to support the babies' hips during tandem feeds.

Sometimes, it just feels comfortable.

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/theminniemoo/