Which Breastfeeding Pillow Do You Prefer?

I had a mini snoogle, but honestly I usually just used the pillows off the couch if I used any at all.

I used both the boppy and My Brest Friend. I prefer the boppy because I could easily move it with one hand. My Brest Friend did give back support but it was cumbersome to strap it around my waist especially when I had an infant in one hand. I also found that I disliked the feeling of it on my back since I usually lean back in a recliner or chair to nurse. I ended up giving it away and using the boppy or whatever pillow was handy.

As a large chested woman (I was a 36J while breastfeeding), I found My Brest Friend to be much firmer and more contoured to the baby. It provides extra support for the baby that I needed being large chested, since one hand was always dedicated to manipulating or adjusting a gigantic boob. I thought that the Boppy was too soft to adequately support everything I was trying to do, and I liked that I could use the strap on the Best Friend for even more support.
My husband would also use the Brest Friend to bottle feed the babies. The sight of him wearing that still makes me giggle today, but it really worked for him. Dads love My Brest Friend, too! LOL

between my boppy and my breast friend, BF was better for a new born, but as nursing got easier and faster, i preferred the ease of the boppy. BF cover zippers had a tendency to break and were not the easiest covers to put back on. I'm glad I own both for next baby.

I divorced my Boppy after throwing it to the floor one night in total disgust and frustration. I really dislike the Boppy at home (baby sliding between me and it, feeling like I was having to hold onto both it and baby with death grips or baby would fall to the floor, back/neck pain from being unable to find comfortable position) but I find it useful in the confines of a car where I need cushion but not support. I much prefer My Breast Friend (firmer so baby supported and maintained at good level, buckle holds pillow in place so only worried about baby, wider shelf for baby to rest on/sprawl on). A regular pillow didn't work for me (entirely too squishy so always felt like baby was disappearing). Good luck.

I tried the Boppy, but since I had C-sections both times, it was pretty painful for awhile. I also didn't like how the baby kept falling into me or off the pillow if I wasn't holding on with both hands. With my second child, I used My Brest Friend which was the absolute best! It was easy to put on and nice and flat, so my baby stayed put when he nursed. I liked how you could latch it on and get up if you needed to while holding the baby. You can get these pillows on Craigslist for cheaper and always buy a new cover to save some money. Good luck to you!

I have never heard of the Mambo, but if you decide on the My Brest Friend, please make sure you purchase a brand new pillow that does NOT meet California Flammability Standard 117.

I'll start out by saying that I am very adverse to chemicals, my children sleep on organic mattresses and we don't use harsh cleaners in our house. Not everyone is that concerned, but I'm related to a chemist, and this sort of thing is front-and-center in our lives.

As of last year, researchers in found that foam contained in the My Brest Friend pillow includes large amounts of toxic flame retardants. I have a personal family member who has been involved with this research (on the chemical industry side, not the researchers mentioned above), and he actually stopped doing business with the company when they decided to move forward with distribution of PBDEs, TDCPP, and TCPP in foam, even though his research showed it to be extremely toxic.

You can find a lot of information about this simply by googling "flame retardant nursing pillow," "TDCPP and TCPP," or even just "flame retardant baby product."

Although their nursing pillows did test positive for the carcinogenic TDCPP and TCPP (but not PBDEs), after the backlash, My Brest Friend's website now claims that they no longer use flame retardants in their products, and that consumers can see this to be true for themselves by checking for the California 117 Notice (which should be ABSENT on a newer pillow).

Best of luck with your decision!

Never tried the Mambo, but I had both a Boppy and a My Breast Friend with my first baby. I really didn't like the MBF. It was bulky, cumbersome and not very supportive. I bought another Boppy with my second baby and love them. Sorry I'm not more help.

I found the boppy useless for breast feeding... I swapped to My Breast Friend and found that MUCH better. it was much more supportive.

I had both the Boppy and My Breast Friend and hands down - Breast Friend wins! If you are very skinny the Boppy can work (though I hear they make for bigger women too now), but the Breast Friend was fabulous and I loved the fact that it snapped on and I could walk around with it if I wanted/needed to. It was fantastic...though by about 5 months (or so) my DD got too big for it, but it was a lifesaver until then.

The Mombo wasn't around when I BF, but looking at it, I think I would still prefer the Brest Friend. I tried the Boppy and it was terrible, baby would slide into the gap between me and pillow, there was no real support, on top if it, I was having latching problems, so the Boppy didn't help at all. I liked that the Brest Friend buckled and I got a snug fit, and I even could get up if I had to with baby and pillow attached! Lol...be careful if you try this, but hey sometimes you just have to, haha... the support was great, and latch positioning was instantly better too! I vote for Brest Friend :)

I tried using the bobby too, and then went to a regular stiff pillow. Then one of my feathered pillows I could squish the way I wanted it.

L.,

I loved using my My Brest Friend pillow for both of my kids. The back support was awesome -- I could sit cross-legged against the wall (on the floor or bed) and feel totally supported. It really helped with positioning for my first, too. (I knew what I was doing with #2.) I recommend getting an extra slip cover so that if your baby spits up all over it, you'll have an extra cover to use.

Best,
R.

Hi L.,

You didn't say but for c-section moms, the my brest friend is the preferred one. It is much more supportive and it actually protects the incision area so that a newborn can't accidentally kick in that area. I was loaned one while in the hospital after my second son and it really really helped me be able to have a comfortable and pleasant early nursing time with him.

C.

I agree with Jane's response, breast friend worked a little better in the very beginning. Once I got the latch down and he got bigger I prefer the boppy and the BF has been in storage. My SIL and BFF are both large chested and LOVED the Breast Friend. I am not large chested and feel like that makes a difference if you like it. If you have a friend with either I would try them on b/c the Breast Friend was also hot b/c it was tied to me, but I had a baby in July so I was HOT anyway.