As a new mom, you can use all the extra help you can get, and thoughtful design considerations that make life easier are always appreciated! While it took me a short while to get over the Born Free Bliss Feeding Pillow looking different from other well-recognized pillows on the market, I’ve come to really enjoy it and now find it hard going back to the others.
The first thing you’ll likely notice is that the Bliss Feeding Pillow, with three distinct components, is larger than other nursing pillows. A newborn mat sits above the pillow and a Nurture Boost pillow positioner attaches below the pillow, with all pieces held together with Velcro and loops for a secure and simple connection. In different configurations, these pieces accommodate three stages of feeding, enabling the pillow to grow with your nursing needs and always provide the best solution.
For the first stage of newborn feeding, all three pieces are used together. While I found this configuration to be a bit too tall for me, I do appreciate the thought behind the design and understand that this may better suit the frame of a taller mom or a bottle-feeding father (I’m definitely on the petite side at five feet). In this stage, the newborn mat provides a firm surface that helps keep baby awake during feeding. While my baby is still a newborn, I feel fine using the pillow in its second stage (without the newborn mat), as I can easily stroke my baby’s face to help keep him engaged. Without the newborn mat the pillow sits at a very comfortable height. It’s still higher than other pillows I’ve tried, but this actually improves my posture by keeping me from slouching forward. After a few uses, I soon found that my neck and shoulders were much less sore as a result. Win!
In these first two stages, the Nurture Boost is a great help, propping up the side of the pillow that sits under the infant’s head. By using it, you eliminate the need to support the pillow with another pillow. No more having separate pillows slip out from under the nursing pillow and onto the floor while you’re trying to balance your baby and the nursing pillow. If you’re in the habit of using your arm to provide this support, the Bliss Feeding Pillow will free up both hands – always a plus. The Nurture Boost attaches to the center of the pillow, allowing it to swing to either the left or the right, so that you can shift it when switching which breast you’re feeding from.
In the final stage, you can use the feeding pillow free of the newborn mat and the Nurture Boost, as it simply elevates your child to the right level and provides him with a comfortable surface for nursing.
One more feature that I love is that the Bliss Feeding Pillow comes with a carrying bag. This is great for taking your pillow with you wherever you go. For parents like myself who can’t bear the thought of feeding my baby on a pillow that’s brushed up against various germy surfaces, this is fantastic. I find the bag to be a small but thoughtful feature that just shows that the designers at Born Free really took the time to think about what could be helpful to new moms.
Born Free Bliss Feeding Pillows sell for $59.99 with machine washable slipcovers sold separately – $19.99 for a standard slip cover and $29.99 for a deluxe one that features quilting and embroidery. While they don’t come with the pillow, they are highly recommended as spit up and dripping are sure to occur.