I purchased what I thought was the must-have maternity pillow, the Genii, and used it throughout pregnancy. Slightly discoloured and rather flaccid after 9 months of a fatty resting on it, I
realised, whilst it gave my bump some support, it certainly wasn't as supportive as it should have been.
In the dark of the night when your little child (or not so little, as mine is now) wearily hoiking him out of his Moses onto your breast whilst trying to keep him, and you comfortable, you need HUGE amounts of support. Or your arms, back etc will get achy, and he'll get very fractious.
When little man arrived I upgraded to a Theraline big V nursing pillow, with a pretty floral print.
It was the same price as the previous one, don't get me wrong, I still snuggle up to the old one, maybe it's a comfort thing as I'm bereft of bump.
But it's just a nice addition to my usual pillows, and offers some comfy support.
The Theraline would have been perfect for the end of my pregnancy where my back was sore and I constantly needed support. Even sitting on the sofa was uncomfortable at times. And my exercise ball never really did much for me, even in labour - it seemed to intensify the pain!
Because I never got to enjoy the benefits of the Theraline during pregnancy I've taken full advantage after. I've plonked my little one in the dip of the V, as he can't sit up on his own yet, neither support his own head. And he's happily nodded off (thank you!)
It also, and predominantly is a breast feeding pillow. It supports your back, along with keeping baby at exactly the correct height and position. You can even hook your leg over and lay alongside bubba for a very comfortable way of feeding and bonding. Something I wouldn't feel entirely confident about with the old pillow.
The Theraline is filled with sand-like micro beads that mould to the body, although the cushion is soft as velvet yet firm enough for mega support.
Personally, I use this more in the daytime than any other time, as I cheekily purchased a rocking chair for the nursery for those late night I-need-to-stay-awake feeds.
The cushion is around 190 x 40cm, and has 100 per cent cotton jersey that you can wash over and over again.
I've used mine to watch tv (whilst feeding), generally relaxing with baby and as back support sans baby. Obviously bottle feeding mums will also benefit from this too.
You can purchase for around £40 from www.theraline.co.uk,
Mothercare, Amazon, and John Lewis nationwide.
LN xx