What is a nursing pillow?

A nursing pillow, explained in the simplest way possible, is a pillow that provides support for the mother during breastfeeding. In essence, what makes a nursing pillow special is its shape. Several are available for purchase, but the most common is the U-shaped nursing pillow. When in use, the pillow wraps around the mother when sitting, resting on her legs only when sitting in a cross-legged position or possibly resting on a chair’s armrests.

Are nursing pillows really necessary?

The short answer to this question is no, nursing pillows are not essential to breastfeeding. In other words, it is possible for a new mom to breastfeed without one. The more nuanced answer is that it depends. As with other baby things, nursing pillows can be very useful for some mothers throughout their entire breastfeeding journey, and it can have little to no impact on the journey of other mothers.

The important thing to keep in mind is that breastfeeding sessions can be long, especially at the beginning when mom and baby are getting in sync, which can be a slow process. During those sessions, the mother will most likely need somewhere to rest her arms while holding the baby to her breast. That is, in the end, the goal of a breastfeeding pillow: to provide that support. Keeping this in mind, while a breastfeeding pillow is not strictly necessary, the support on which to rest the arms while holding the baby during breastfeeding sessions is most definitely needed.

For this reason, it is advisable to buy a nursing pillow if it can be included in the budget of new parents. The start of breastfeeding, those first sessions, can be nerve-racking, so it is best to have the pillow available, try it, and then decide not to use it rather than starting the breastfeeding journey without it and scrambling to find one. They have other uses, so even if they are not used for their intended purpose of providing support during breastfeeding, they can still be helpful.

Are nursing pillows necessary if I am not breastfeeding?

Keeping in mind the clarifications above, the answer to this question is yes. Nursing pillows can be necessary even if a mom is not breastfeeding. More specifically, to explain the reasoning behind the answer, support during feeding sessions will be needed regardless of how the baby is fed. In other words, whether the baby is breastfed or bottle fed, the person feeding the baby will need somewhere to rest their arms while feeding the baby.

How many nursing pillows do I need?

One nursing pillow should be more than enough for one baby. Suppose a mom has twins, for example. In that case, it will definitely be more comfortable to have two nursing pillows (or a nursing pillow for twins), which would allow for the possibility of having one of the babies resting on their nursing pillow after feeding them and starting to feed the next one.

It is worth noting that nursing pillows are not small, as they need to be able to hold the baby on top. If some new parents move constantly between two locations, like any sort of secondary home to spend the weekends, it is worth considering getting one for each location. This would simplify packing and optimize storage during traveling.

How do you choose a nursing pillow?

Cleanability

The most important factor when choosing a nursing pillow is whether it can be cleaned and how easy it is. During breastfeeding sessions, babies can spit up without much notice, or milk can spill into the pillow by accident. While these two possible accidents do not need to happen very often, it is important to be able to clean the pillow so that when they do occur, the pillow can be reused without too much problem.

Comfortableness

Another important factor to consider is how comfortable the pillow is. This is highly subjective, so even recommendations from family and friends might prove to be wrong for a given mom. Ideally, the mom would be able to hold it and try it out in a store, giving them a pretty accurate idea of whether it is the right choice for them. In any case, it is important to remember that the need behind the pillow is to get support for the arms during breastfeeding sessions, which a mom can improvise with regular pillows at home. In other words, if a mom buys one that does not end up working for her, it is not as she will not have time to find and try a different model.

Ask for detailed recommendations

When talking to friends and family, moms should ask for detailed recommendations. In other words, moms should ask for details in the form of concrete reasons why a person recommends one specific nursing pillow over others. This is important because if someone cannot articulate why they used a given model of nursing pillow over others, it is likely that they did not need it much. If, on the other hand, a person can pinpoint exactly why they liked one model over others, it is tangible information that can further help a new mom decide which one to try first. It is even better if the person giving the recommendation attempted two or more models, as they will be able to comment on all and how they compare to each other.

For how long do you use a nursing pillow?

As with other baby-related things, there is no clear-cut answer as to when a nursing pillow will stop being useful. It is safe to say that it will be helpful if the new mom is breastfeeding, which will most likely be for several months. Keeping in mind the need that the nursing pillow meets, which is providing support during nursing sessions, it will most likely be helpful for even longer than the time the mom decides to breastfeed. Even when a baby is bottle-fed, the person feeding it still needs somewhere to rest their arms while holding it. Considering this, the pillow will probably be useful until the baby can hold the bottle themselves.

Nursing pillows, especially the U-shaped ones, can have other uses, like being an excellent place to lay the baby on its back so it is not completely horizontal or being put under the baby during tummy time so it is not completely horizontal either. If a mom is using the pillow for these other cases, too, it can still be useful for even longer after the baby is able to hold its own bottle.

Nursing pillow thoughts from new parents

Those days when mom and baby are getting in sync to start breastfeeding are nerve-racking, so it is best to have every possible tool out there that can help. If it helps somehow during that time, the purchase will have been more than worth it. If it is not as useful for breastfeeding, there are still other possible uses for the nursing pillow, so the recommendation is to definitely get one!