Does it make it sound a little cooler to say that the Boppy ain’t got shit on the My Brest Friend? Nope, using the term My Brest Friend still sounds completely ridiculous. That really is a shame. I’m not going to lie, I distinctly remember scoffing at the My Brest Friend with my hubby as we cruised the aisles of Babies R Us armed with a good 7-months worth of baby bump and a registry scanner. Little did I know, in all seriousness, that it would be one of the things that would literally save breastfeeding for me and my daughter.

It all started minutes after I had given birth (sans epidural– a post on that coming soon!) to a sqwawking, red-faced little girl. I had done my homework– at my Bradley natural childbirth instructor’s advice I had even already attended a La Leche League meeting– and knew that unmedicated newborns could find their ways to the breast without assistance within minutes in what is known as the “breast crawl.” I was one of those smug first-time mothers who talked about how I would of course breastfeed because it was “natural.” Ha! Nothing natural about it for us!

Houston, we had a latch problem, and it was going to take some work. One of the things that kept hindering the process was a searing new pain I had developed in my neck and shoulders from continuously bending over to nurse. I had a Boppy and was told it was used to prop up the baby, but it just wasn’t high enough when it sat on my lap. I used a pillow on top of it for a while, and then under it for a while, and then in place of it for a while . . .  but it kept slipping and sliding and was simply more trouble than it was worth. I would sit in my glider, all hunched over as we tried to figure this thing out for hours every day our first few weeks (Martha Stewart claims that mother and newborn will spend more than 1000 hours nursing). By week five I knew we should have been doing better, but it was all still painful, and my back certainly didn’t help. It was at this point that I developed a clogged duct, and when trying to figure out what to do with it*, was given the phone number for an incredible Austin lactation consultant named Linda Hill.

Well I will save most of that story for a later post on lactation consultants in general. What I will tell you is that we made an appointment from which we walked away with knowledge, comfort, and a My Brest Friend.

7-week old V rocks a "Keep Austin Breastfeeding" onesie

Linda had shown me how to correctly use the My Brest Friend and why it was superior to all the other nursing pillows out there. If you look at the design, it curves all the way around your waist. Waist? Did I say waist? Actually, Linda showed me how to  hitch it up right below the boobs and tighten it as tightly as I could, resting them on the pillow itself. Not only that, but the surface is FLAT– it doesn’t curve like the Boppy– so your newborn doesn’t roll in toward you. If you have never struggled with nursing, this will probably mean nothing to you. But to someone who has, it makes a world of a difference because then you can position the baby perfectly to work on latch, all without hunching over and killing your back.

I cracked up when I found this pic online-- it's totally disgusting but pretty accurate! Just replace the fast food with something fresh and organic. 🙂

PLUS, the height makes it perfect to rest a book on during a growth spurt nursing marathon! Weeks later I was able to hold Baby 411 or What to Expect the First Year with both hands while my daughter nursed, and could even stand up and walk to the other room with her all still perfectly positioned. Just another reason why it is the #1 recommended nursing pillow by lactation consultants! Despite the terribly embarrassing name.

Sixteen months later, V’s and my nursing relationship has finally come to an end, but I am forever grateful to the My Brest Friend (and Linda Hill!) for getting us through those rocky first months. And hey, I did use the Boppy like Vanessa, but for tummy time and picture time!!

*Keep this little tidbit on file for the future. To relieve a clogged milk duct, Linda suggests a castor oil compress. Yep, that’s right. Smother your boob in castor oil, wrap it in Saran Wrap (sounds like a Lady Gaga look), and put it under a heating pad for ten to fifteen minutes right before nursing. Ah, sweet relief!

                So are you TEAM BOPPY or do you love your BREST FRIEND??

12 COMMENTS

  1.  Haha, love this! I was Team
    Boppy although I rarely used it to nurse. It was Lincoln’s little
    propper upper when he was hanging out.For the most part I just held him the old fashion way.

  2. I only nursed for like three days and was like forget this business. Our boppy was Caroline’s propper upper, too!  Love that thing. In fact, I’m working from home today and using it for my elbows haha.–Vanessa

  3. I was lucky enough to receive both a Boppy and My Brest Friend at my baby showers.  When I first started breastfeeding, I hated the Boppy and absolutely loved My Brest Friend–it could be hooked around my (still large) belly, had a little pocket to hold an extra burp pad (because I was always forgetting them!), and the flat surface was great.  However, once baby girl started getting bigger, the flat surface wasn’t holding her up at all anymore (it would angle down away from me).  So I tried the Boppy again, and that’s all we use now.  The fact she rolls in towards me is super helpful, I suppose because of her size (she’s a big girl!).  Wish I could hold her the old-fashioned way (like Allison), but she’s way too heavy for me!

    The point: If you can manage it, get both!

    Great blog, Vanessa and Allison, thanks!  I still enjoy it even though I’m a Houston Mom, not an Austin one :).

    • You are so right, Houston Mom! It is probably best if you can get or borrow both of them to see which one works for you. And I was just amazed to see how different nursing looked from newborn to sixteen months! I never imagined I would be able to nurse in the places/positions I could once she got bigger. Although I was never one of those moms who could nurse their kid when it was in the Ergo or Moby– guess I be ver got that talented. 😉

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