Well, if we're going to be soap boxy about it....... ;-)

Michelle Swanson wrote:
> I just visited the website and am disturbed that the company advertises them as a replacement for breast pads, and says that they are especially great for nighttime use!
>   
I found them fantastic for night time use.  It freed me from having to 
wear a bra in bed, with 'normal' breast pads, which were wet, soggy 
crunched up wads of uncomfort by the time I woke up. Wearing a bra 24/7, 
even a soft crop, was far more uncomfortable on my breasts, and much 
more likely to cause plugged ducts.  It also meant I had to wake up more 
fully in order to strip the material back so my son could latch on.

And I used them as a replacement for breast pads, so I have no problem 
with them being sold as such!  That's why I bought them.
> A small disclaimer on one of the pages says: "Certain complications are inherent to breastfeeding. Should you experience redness, burning, irritation or fever, seek the advice of a medical professional."
>
> Apparently infected breasts are a result of breastfeeding itself, and has nothing to do with the regular use of their product.
>   
Are you saying women who don't use Lily Padz don't develop clogged ducts 
and mastitis?  Because that does read as if the only possible reason for 
developing them, is using the product!  Please note, I'm being tongue in 
cheek, but knocking the company for telling women to seek advice if they 
have a problem, isn't evidence that the product causes the problem.
 
If there is research out there that there that states the product causes 
problems, I'd like to see it.  :-)

> On a personal note, these products are sold as a fix to one of the "problems/drawbacks" of nursing.  The process of letting-down and leaking breasts are one way Mother Nature works to insure that infants don't starve!  Listening to your body, understanding the let-down reflex, and working to balance the body's supply and demand system are important and often overlooked aspects of breastfeeding.  Products like these, that are marketed for everyday use, seem to cause more trouble for US mothers, who are already confused and struggling with breastfeeding as a cultural norm.
>   
Well, having non stop leaking breasts is a problem/drawback of 
breastfeeding for some of us!  Soaking my mattress so badly overnight 
that I needed a towel under me to sleep, and them sometimes change it is 
a drawback of breastfeeding!  And it's got nothing to do with ignoring 
let down and everything to do with breast shape!  I _hated_ that 
breastfeeding locked me into a bra 24/7.  And I'd really hate that other 
mothers stuck with them 24/7 also, might not get the chance to assess 
this product for themselves.

Getting into bed with them the first night, without having to wear a 
dammed bra was just _bliss_.  :-)

This product was designed by a nursing mother, who was responding to the 
challenges she found in breastfeeding, and the products already on the 
market.  So she devised this product to overcome those challenges.  That 
I happen to have shared those challenges, and admire the fact that as a 
mother, she did the work to come to her own solution, colours my view of 
the product.  :-)

I guess the reason I'm responding at all, really, is the thought that 
the message in your post is that... women don't need nursing pads if 
they do the 'right' things... this simply isn't true for a lot of 
women.  Leaking breasts are an issue for women with breast shapes that 
dangle and droop.  It's a pain in the butt.  It is a challenge of 
breastfeeding for some of us.  We do have to deal with it. 

Being more realistic over the challenges of breastfeeding, will surely 
only empower mothers?  Again, my only real point here is the message 
that dripping constantly isn't a problem for some mothers.... when it so 
is.  And that's not down to lax management on their behalf, just 
gravity.  :-)

Morgan Gallagher

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