I had just given birth to my second son in my living room in a pool of water. I was being escorted down my hallway by my midwives. It was surreal having gone through the most intense experience of my life right here in my home with my own belongings. As I entered my bedroom the first thing I noticed was that they had taken my pregnancy pillow and curled it up at the head of my bed for me to rest on. I was already in awe of these women who had just given me the greatest gift another person could give me and now I was sure they were geniuses. I was in such a vulnerable place; just the small tweak in my environment made a huge impression.
I spent the latter part of my pregnancy pulling this pregnancy pillow around my bed. It was so long that I often had to fish around for the end of it until I broke into a small sweat. I was pregnant in summer after all. Using my core muscles to flail my arms and legs about was like running an 8k. “Where is the end of this pillow!?”
I slid into bed and leaned back on the pregnancy pillow, now my recovery pillow. I laid my newborn son on my chest and we laid skin to skin for several days. I only got up to go to the bathroom or when I just wanted to stretch. When I returned, the long noodle of a pillow would be unwound. I would have to curl it back up again trying to get it just as comfy as the time before. Sometimes succeeding, sometimes not. Always exhausted and sore.
Soon I was able to sit up a bit straighter and wanted to nurse my son in a more upright position while I ate or talked with visitors. This required pillows to allow me to rest my arms. I can say now, 3 months postpartum, that I have never found a solution to breastfeeding comfortably in bed without lying all the way down. I was never fully relaxed. And forget about tandem nursing in bed. There weren’t enough pillows in a 20 mile radius to make that comfortable.
Breastfeeding my 3 month old on our bed.
Then I was introduced to the Ultimate Mum Pillow. This pillow is one of 5 pillows manufactured by the Canadian company, Ultimate Mum Pillows, but the “Ultimate” is the most popular. The Ultimate Mum Pillow is marketed as a pregnancy and breastfeeding pillow. When I got my hands on one I was struck by the sturdiness of it. It is not long and noodley. It is intentionally shaped for the 2 purposes.
It’s not so much a breastfeeding pillow; it’s more like a breastfeeding hug. You wrap it around you and it provides support to your back, core and arms. When I breastfeed with it I am completely relaxed. There is not a muscle in my body that is clenched. As a breastfeeding mother this aids in bonding with my son, inducing a letdown and much needed postpartum rest for my body.
I am disappointed that I wasn’t introduced to this earlier. I would love to have been able to use this pregnant and in recovery after the birth. I would have been more comfortable sleeping. As a pregnant Mom with a toddler that is what I needed more than anything. Instead I tossed and turned while my previous pillow was swallowed by my monster belly, throbbing fatigue and busy family bed.
Breastfeeding my 3 year old on our couch.
I am always honest with you and I will be honest here as well. The cover is difficult to get on. I worked at it for several minutes. This is may be why it holds such a sturdy shape, but it takes some strong-arming to get it in there. The covers also only come in white for now. Colors coming soon.
I highly recommend the Ultimate Mum Pillow. It will be with you through your entire pregnancy, breastfeeding and motherhood journey. I don’t have any plans to take this off of my bed when I’m done breastfeeding. I’ll be snuggling up this pillow for a long time! So head over to Ultimate Mum Pillows to check out their selection and review product descriptions. You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Abby Theuring, MSW
