# Are Boppy pillows useful?



## Nautical (Mar 4, 2008)

I am pregnant with my first and everyone keeps telling me that we'll need to get a Boppy pillow to breastfeed with. I was wondering how helpful they were or if most of you just used pillows you already had. Thanks.


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## hipmummy (May 25, 2007)

I once thought they were and then I found out Through my LLL leader that multiple studies have linked them to reflux. It makes sense. It puts the baby at the wrong angle. I used one for a while and ds spit up a lot. I would have never treated him for "Reflux' beacuse I never met a baby who did not spit up a lot. But once we stoppe dusing the boppy the spitting up slowed up a bit. They are great for many other things like sitting up a quick nap. Tummy time Etc.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

It sure made nursing super easy and super comfy in the early days with DS. Sitting on my rocking chair, with it on my lap and DS ontop of it made for nearly hands free nursing even at 2 or 3 months. I still use it some, though not nearly as much as I did. But for those times when DS' just fussy and tired and just really wants to nurse and fall asleep? Nothin better than rocking with the boppy to sleep







In short, I love it and HIGHLY recommend it!!


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## Kiernan (Jan 17, 2007)

I could never get DS positioned comfortably on mine without a bunch of extra pillows. Eventually I gave up and stopped using it, but it did come in handy when he was older and liked to sit in the middle and look around.


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## silverspook (Feb 20, 2006)

It was a lifesaver in the early days and now that DS is 18 months, he gets all excited and runs to find it yelling "BA BA!!!" when he wants to nurse.









Also, about the reflux thing, I used the boppy to support my arm that was holding DS, I never just laid DS on the boppy. So he was in the "cradle" position, but my arms didn't get tired while nursing (and with an 11lb newborn, they got tired a lot)!


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## hollytheteacher (Mar 10, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *silverspook* 
It was a lifesaver in the early days and now that DS is 18 months, he gets all excited and runs to find it yelling "BA BA!!!" when he wants to nurse.









Also, about the reflux thing, I used the boppy to support my arm that was holding DS, I never just laid DS on the boppy. So he was in the "cradle" position, but my arms didn't get tired while nursing (and with an 11lb newborn, they got tired a lot)!

same with me...about the support my arm thing...made it so much cushionier...so my arm wouldn't fall asleep!


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## Draupadi (Jul 19, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Nautical* 
I am pregnant with my first and everyone keeps telling me that we'll need to get a Boppy pillow to breastfeed with. I was wondering how helpful they were or if most of you just used pillows you already had. Thanks.

I prefer the "My Brest Friend" (yes, it's spelled that way!







). We used it for almost a year- I actually was very sad to give it up!
I like it better than a Boppy because unlike Boppies, it's surface is flat. Baby can rest on it and not roll off. Also, the MBF has a belt and a flat back support which makes it very secure. DH used to call it my son's lunch counter!


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## CalBearMama (Sep 23, 2005)

I second the "My Brest Friend." It's great because it actually attaches to you like a belt, so there are no gaps between you and the pillow for baby to roll into, and you can get up and walk around with it attached and be ready to nurse at a moment's notice! Also, there are bumps on the pillow where the baby's head goes, to raise it a little higher for better positioning.

Now, the Boppy was also helpful in the first couple of weeks post-partum, but only because I found it the most comfortable thing around to sit on. The hole in the center meant there was no pressure on the recuperating areas when I sat down. I would get it for that reason alone, and others have mentioned other uses for it as well.


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## Barcino (Aug 25, 2004)

I have both and I prefer the brest friend better as well especially while the baby is still little. Later on the boppy works better I believe. It is a handy thing to have around though as the babies get older to help them prop them


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## TefferTWH (May 13, 2008)

I have the My Brest Friend and another wedge sort of pillow that BRU used to carry. The boppy didn't work for us because I'm a smaller person and it was too big to sit comfortably around my waist.

I haven't heard anything about Boppy being linked to reflux. As a matter of fact, my LC recommended a different hold using a nursing pillow that helped with reflux!


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

I LOVE my boppy (okay, now boppies... I had to have more for babe #2)

I have a long torso and higher boobs and there's no way I can nurse an infant hands free without one.

-Angela


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## FallingLeaves (Nov 30, 2006)

The Boppy didn't work for us the The Brest Friend was great. I also found that a nursing stool was very helpful.


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## MamaChicken (Aug 21, 2006)

Another small booby mom here, and a friend made a bobby-ish sort of pillow that I love for the first 2-3 months. After that DD was big enough to reach the small, high boobies without me slouching.


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## stelly (Sep 20, 2006)

I had a cheap version of the Boppy. It was useless, and one day I ripped some skin off my nipples with the stupid velcro strip









Eventually I got the My Brest Friend and it really was so much better. My back pain stopped due to that little pillow on the back strap, I could unclip it at night when the baby was sleeping without having a huge velcro ripping sound, and the surface is so much better since it's flat. I sometimes use it now, but mainly just hold her up or use a couch cushion.


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## Frisbee (Feb 7, 2007)

Another small breasted mom chiming in...when DD was a newborn I needed my arm under her head, then boppy, then a pillow under the boppy! Now that she is older, just the boppy will do. i can nurse her without it but it is not as comfortable and my back gets tired from supporting her.

Also, it's very useful for when they are getting pretty good at sitting on their own but still tend to keel over every so often - cushions the fall backwards since they can't use their arms to catch themselves that way.


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## asunlitrose (Apr 19, 2008)

From a doula perspective, I don't like them. In GENERAL/my work experience (this says nothing about the mamas earlier in this post, obviously it works for them!), moms get way too dependent on them, they're not friendly for all body types, and it can cause bad positioning.

You're better off learning how to nurse with regular pillows. They can be found pretty much everywhere, and you won't need to take the nursing pillow with you. Lots of moms who are learning to breastfeed put the nursing pillow around them, then the baby on top, when this is not the way it should go. The nursing pillow should be conformed to the baby, not the other way around. Not to mention that the opening is pretty narrow and it does not fit all women, or stay on.

If any nursing pillow, I recommend the My Breast Friend, but in general I find nursing pillows to be just one other "thing" you "have" to get the baby. You don't "need" another specially made item to add to the list when you have pillows already! Invest the money towards a good nursing chair (that you're comfortable nursing in) or footstool.

Boppies are good if you need to put the baby down for a second and want their head to be propped up. Other than that....meh.


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## annekevdbroek (Jun 5, 2005)

I had one but I found it easier to nurse with one or two squishy down pillows. The boppy is sort of stiff and hard to get positioned just right. I always struggled to get it around me (sort of) and in the right place. With a pillow I could just smoosh it any way I needed it to be. I think I used the $5 feather/down pillows from Ikea with great success.

I did like the boppy later when DSs started sitting up on their own- it provided a little support when they were wobbly and kept them from bonking their heads if they tipped backwards. I had a fancy one that had bendy bars that could be attached to dangle toys and one kid loves shaking the heck out of it when he was 3-6 months old.


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## battymama (Jan 15, 2008)

I dont have one and am getting along fine, if i need something then i just use the pillows from the bed or cusions from the sofa, whatever is lying around.


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## rmzbm (Jul 8, 2005)

Love it...I also just recently bought a My Brest Friend and love it too.







Of the 2 I PREFER Boppy though.


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## Benji'sMom (Sep 14, 2004)

My large sofa throw pillows worked better, but the Boppie was easier to travel with, so I used both.


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## mkmoro311 (Oct 23, 2006)

Never used it to nurse with, but use it all the time now that she is learning to sit on her own, I wrap it around her for cushion if she falls!


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## veganf (Dec 12, 2005)

I never used mine, couldn't stand it. It was a terrible angle for nursing for me, and baby would just slide down into it if propped in it, and when learning to sit baby would just end up flopped back in an arch with head on floor behind it. Totally useless for us.


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## lemurik (Jul 26, 2007)

I got one when DS was born, but could never find it comfortable to use. I am pretty short and the boppy was taking up all the space between my lap and the breast. I found it much easier to use just my hands (and more versatile too, since I can move the baby in any position without the pillow being interfering). With DD I didn't even bother trying (and she prefers to eat "upright" anyway)


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## harm526 (Jun 25, 2008)

doesn't work well for me... i use it for a lower back support, not nursing!
but i know my lactation consultant recommends nursing pillows for smaller breasted women (i'm not one of them







).


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *WilliamsMama* 
I prefer the "My Brest Friend" (yes, it's spelled that way!







). We used it for almost a year- I actually was very sad to give it up!
I like it better than a Boppy because unlike Boppies, it's surface is flat. Baby can rest on it and not roll off. Also, the MBF has a belt and a flat back support which makes it very secure. DH used to call it my son's lunch counter!









I loved the My Brest Friend too. Flat is good. My daughter would kind of roll and it was very hard to keep her in the right position with the Boppy.


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## kwilki8 (May 24, 2005)

I used a regular pillow with dd, so I never planned on using a boppy. I found one for a dollar at a garage sale though, so I bought it and have been using it since ds was born. I love it! My babies are really small, so I needed some kind of support for my arms to hold them high enough, and the boppy is firmer than any of my other pillows, so that was good.


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## Twinklefae (Dec 13, 2006)

Love my two "no name" boppys (I think one is Jolly Jumper?) My DS was 9 lbs at birth and got way to heavy to holdin my arm fast. We still use it, it's more comfortable for both of us.

I can however nurse without, and always have been able to, past the first week. I don't usually take it with me when I go out.


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## nummies (Jun 9, 2007)

Used it every day for the first 9 months or so.


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## mommathea (Apr 7, 2008)

I love my boppy! I can't wait for this baby to make an appearance so I can use it again. I kind of liked the rounded edges of the boppy. I am pretty short waisted with pretty elongated(lol) boobs. It helped me to get the positioning better than when I borrowed a friends Brest Friend pillow.


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## spmamma (Sep 2, 2007)

My DD hated the Boppy. She would scream whenever I'd try to use it while nursing or sit her in it. I got rid of it pretty quickly.


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## dani0930 (May 8, 2008)

I love the boppy pillow. My son is 2 1/2 and we still use it to nurse. In fact "boppy" has become his word for nursing. He used to be so dang cute, struggling to drag the boppy pillow to me saying "boppy boppy boppy!"


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## gypsyhips26 (Feb 21, 2008)

i really love the boppy, although I do tuck a pillow or couch cushion under one side to prop my LO up a bit more (or sit crossed legged to get a little extra lift).

My LO doesn't care whether I use it or not, just as long as he gets fed.









But I did find it very helpful for the first four months or so, once I really got the hang of BFing, after that I felt comfortable free-style feeding


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## superfastreader (Aug 6, 2007)

loved the mbf, love my boppy even more! i use the arms of the glider or my knee to hold her in the right angle so i can nak while she takes her 2-hr nursing naps. i never needed to use it out of the house & as long as you practice diff positions you won't get dependent on it.


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## tbone_kneegrabber (Oct 16, 2007)

I LOVE my bopp(ies) I live in a 2 bedroom apt and have 3!

they are great when ds wants to nurse and then nap in my lap, like right now!


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## JudiAU (Jun 29, 2008)

I had a boppy which I couldn't figure out in the beginning. I then had a MBF which I found super easy in the early days. After a few months though I found a good position with the boppy in LO's favorite chair and I use it exclusively. My LC strongly prefers the MBF.


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## becoming (Apr 11, 2003)

I LOVE mine. With my huge boobs and huge baby, it's the only way I can nurse at the computer, at the dinner table, etc.


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## HappyFox05 (Apr 11, 2007)

I used my Boppy a lot, but switched to a My Brest Friend - I liked that one better, but the Boppy was ok (specially since it was only $13 and the other pillow was $40 on Amazon).


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## merry-mary (Aug 9, 2007)

I adore my Boppy. I used it with DS and am now using it with my 6 week old. It works for us.

That said, it does not work equally for all mamas! Some say the position doesn't work for them - it's too low, too high, what have you. That makes sense, as we're all different sizes, our breasts are all different sizes and our babies are all different sizes.

If I were you, I would try the Boppy and My Breast Friend and try out both with your baby. You'll be able to tell rather quickly which one works better for you.


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## Inspired007 (Aug 25, 2006)

I loved my boppy and used it every nursing session for the first 2 months (which you all know is A LOT!). After that, I didn't use it much anymore b/c I got rather efficient at doing it without it and dd got big enough where I no longer needed it. I used it for about a month or two when dd was about 3-4 months old to prop her up.


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## newmommy7-08 (Feb 2, 2008)

I am a brand new plus size mom and have both a boppy and a MBF... so far I prefer the boppy. I nurse DS in the football hold and can position it around me sideways. It's a godsend. I have had luck w/ the MBF in the traditional nursing position. but so far the boppy is more comfortable for us.


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## apelilae (Oct 8, 2006)

I found the Boppy positively useless and a big hindrance when I tried to use it until my DS was around 14 mo. Then it helped a little, but a regular pillow would have been just as good.

I found the Breast Friend was most helpful, but only for the first month. Some women report nursing wedges better. Just depends on your baby, breast size, and where you plan to nurse most frequently.

I see nursing pillows all the time at consignment and resell shops. If you buy one, I'd buy use and get a new cover if anything.

Best wishes!


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