I was always grabbing for bed pillows or pillows from the couch when
nursing my 3. I'm short and without even thinking much about it, I look
for something to raise my feet or shorten the depth of any seat, even now
(my youngest being 20).

Special nursing pillows are certainly not a necessity. However, they have
several things going for them:

-I have seen moms snuggle into a pillow and relax with their baby at
their breast, seemingly for the first time. This has already been
mentioned.
-Not being a mother of multiples myself, I'm not certain, but I'm not
sure how a mom could nurse more than one baby at a time without pillows
or something helping support.
-They are something that can be given to a nursing mom. I, too, long for
simpler times sometimes, but we are in a very materialistic, consumer
culture. Friends and family want to get baby gifts. Better something that
supports breastfeeding (no pun intended) than all the gadgetry that
screams formula feeding found at many baby showers. Let the
family/friends visualize breastfeeding as the norm for this baby and mom.

By the way, I've heard two types of pillows mentioned: the
connect-behind-the-back foam-filled one, and the rounder, horseshoe
shaped one. We also sell two additional designs:

-a somewhat triangular, firm, "half-pillow" (which does not appeal at all
to me) and

-a Croodles pillow: designed by a local dad for his wife, newborn and
toddler daughters. The older girl always wanted to cuddle up when mom was
nursing the baby. The other pillows always seemed to be a barrier between
mom and older daughter. Dad designed a large horseshoe shaped pillow
which reminds me of the old bean bag chairs. (This is cloth not vinyl
though.) The pillow goes down first (on floor, bed or chair), mom lays
back against it with pillow behind her head and her arms supported by the
ends of the pillow. Baby can breastfeed on one side, older child snuggles
up on the other side, both children supported by the pillow as well. It
reminded me of a suggestion I had read on Lactnet: shaping a long body
pillow in a "U" to help a mom get comfortable with twins. We don't have
pictures on the web site yet and it is hard to describe without one.



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Sue Petracek              * [log in to unmask]
Bosom Buddies, Inc.       * www.bosombuddies.com
(888) 860-0041 Toll Free  * Helping mothers breastfeed successfully
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