Elisheva says: "Mostly I think the people who are using poor positioning
with the pillow are
also positioning poorly without it -- basically, they just don't have good
positioning, and the pillow is beside the point."

Yes, I think that's maybe the point I've been trying to get to when I raised
the question here. And it's why so many of you have responded that you use
the pillows, you find them a real benefit, etc. - I suspect that, as someone
else may have said (sorry, I forget who), most of us here have a good
understanding of proper positioning, with or without the pillow. So *if* you
find that the pillow adds to your comfort *and* you are already aware of how
important it is to get the baby positioned well, it's a useful tool.

But the women I've been seeing who are in trouble with nursing & are using
the pillows don't have the advantage of that knowledge (until they call on
us, of course!). They just buy the pillow (because it seems like a good idea
to them), and maybe don't realize how important it is to position the baby
properly even with the pillow. There should be warnings on those things!
(I'm mostly just kidding - in the US we have warnings on everything, so
people don't sue the manufacturers - but a part of me is serious; there
*should* be good LC-written positioning information with the pillows.)

No, wait - I have an idea: someone should design a cute nursing pillow with
illustrations and cues to proper positioning printed right on the pillow
itself!

Cathy Bargar RN IBCLC
Ithaca NY

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