If you have perfect, perky A- or B-cup breasts, this post isn’t for you.
If you’re a nursing mama, and wear anything bigger than a B-cup, though, you’re probably no stranger to this scenario: lovingly cradling your baby in the crook of one arm, you support your boob with the other hand to ensure a good latch. And then you have a nagging itch. Or an annoying wisp of hair falls into your face. Or, selfishly, want a drink of water.
Hmmm, you think…maybe I can just slowly pull my hand out from under this boob right here, and ever-so-carefully just attend to that itch/hair/glass. But, of course, it’s sweaty under there and that graceful “slide” you were attempting becomes a jerky motion that startles/wakes/intrigues/frustrates/unlatches baby.
Or perhaps, like me, you have a baby who loves nothing more than to have her head stroked while she’s breastfeeding. This proves difficult without a third hand, so I have been known, on occasion, to bunch up a receiving blanket and shove it under my feeding apparatus to accommodate this request. It works for about three minutes and then it slips or loses the shape I need for the right amount of support.
So, when Utterly Yours offered to send me one of its Breast Pillows, I jumped at the opportunity. Although another breastfeeding pillow I recently reviewed supports your baby while you’re still getting the hang of things, the Utterly Yours Breast Pillow supports your boob. It essentially takes up all of the real estate south of Nippleville that gravity has so slyly claimed as its own.
THE GOOD
Thank you, thank you, angels in heaven – I am finally hands-free! Oh, how I wish I’d had this from the get-go with The K Man. I just squish the Breast Pillow and then put it in place and the memory foam expands to create the perfect fit. While we’re talking memory foam, I like that it’s environmentally friendly.
It’s so portable! It easily fits into the smallest pockets in my diaper bag (which is actually a lululemon beach bag).
Although Miss Q is very clear when she wants her milkies, the Utterly Yours Breast Pillow has become a great communication tool. She simply grabs it and brings it to me, and has also tried stuffing it down my shirt. At 16 months, she doesn’t have any trouble telling me what she wants (grunting, pointing, banging on my chest) – but I can see how well this could work for a younger and far less verbal baby.
The sizing chart was dead-on for me. I wouldn’t have called my boobs a “medium,” so be sure to check the chart before you order.
This is the brainchild of a mompreneur, and I love supporting smart moms who find a gap in the market and offer products that actually work.
The Breast Pillow comes with a removable, washable cover. And you can purchase extras if you so desire (but I don’t think you need to; just use a thin receiving blanket to cover it up if you can’t get it washed and dried quickly enough between nursing sessions).
I think the $25(ish) price tag is very reasonable. Let’s say you use this from day one, on average four times per day, for 12 months. That’s 1,460 feedings. That means, in one year, your price per use is a few pennies a day.
THE GAFFE
I would love an organic cover option. I would pay more for this, and believe other moms would, too.
I wish it came with a little carry pouch. Just a simple drawstring bag to keep it clean when I shove it into a Cheerios crumb-laced pocket would be ideal.
It can be tricky to get it tucked in just so if you’re not wearing a nursing top.
This is really only useful if you’re breastfeeding in the cradle or maybe football holds. If you end up with a baby who demands to feed only in a side-lying position, like The K Man did, you won’t end up using this very much. But Miss Q is a cradle-style nurser for three of her four feedings each day and we now use the Utterly Yours Breast Pillow each time.
THE GEARS
4.5/5
Carolyn Lowe says
Hi. Could you update the link to the Utterly Yours site? We have taken over the Utterly Yours breast pillow and the new URL is http://www.upspringbaby.com/shop-wellmom-breast-pillow
Thanks!
Mommy Gearest says
You bet!
Marianne says
I’ve seen these before but wasn’t aware if they worked or not. While BFing I’m like a G/H at least… It’s nice to hear that they’ve considered us larger busted women as well.
Mommy Gearest says
They’re actually only intended for larger-chested women. I’m at least a G/H when first nursing too (then drop, thankfully) – and that’s what I love about this. It fully suppports your boob. I wish I’d had it during my first breastfeeding experience.