When I brought June home from the hospital, I thought nursing would feel natural. It did not. My back ached, my shoulders crept up toward my ears, and I spent half of every feeding trying to keep a regular bed pillow from sliding off my lap. A good nursing pillow changed that. The My Brest Friend Deluxe is the one that finally made feedings feel steady, and after eight months of daily use, I can tell you exactly why it helps.
This is not a list of magic fixes. A nursing pillow cannot make a baby latch perfectly, and it cannot stop every feeding struggle. But it can take away the physical juggling that makes everything else harder. Here are ten reasons a good nursing pillow makes feeding easier, based on what actually worked in our house.
The Nursing Pillow That Finally Made Feedings Feel Steady
The My Brest Friend Deluxe wraps around your waist, clips in place, and gives your baby a flat, firm surface to rest on. It is the pillow I reached for at every feeding for eight months.
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The whole point of a nursing pillow is to bring the baby to you instead of hunching down to the baby. The My Brest Friend Deluxe sits higher than most pillows I tried, so June rested right at breast level. I stopped rounding my back, and my neck and shoulders finally got a break. The first time I used it, I remember thinking that I had been hunching for two weeks without realizing how much tension I was carrying. By the end of that first feeding, the knot between my shoulder blades had loosened, and I did not have to roll my neck afterward.
It Stays Put While You Feed
Regular pillows slide. They bunch up, they tilt, and you end up holding them in place with one elbow while trying to support the baby with the other. The My Brest Friend wraps around your waist and clips in the back, so it stays exactly where you put it. That stability matters more than I expected. With a regular pillow, I was constantly reaching down to fix it, which meant breaking the latch and starting over. With the My Brest Friend, I could feed June one-handed while I reached for a burp cloth, and the pillow did not move an inch.
It Frees Up a Hand
With a regular pillow, one hand is always busy keeping the pillow in place. With the My Brest Friend, both hands are free to support the baby, adjust a latch, or grab a burp cloth. That sounds small until you are feeding a hungry baby at 2 a.m. and trying not to wake the whole house. I could hold June with one arm, reach for the water bottle on the nightstand with the other, and never once worry that the pillow would slide out from under her.
It Gives the Baby a Flat, Firm Surface
June liked to roll slightly to one side during feedings, and a soft, squishy pillow let her sink into an awkward angle. The My Brest Friend has a firmer, flatter surface, so she stayed in a better position. That made feedings shorter and a lot less frustrating for both of us. I noticed the difference most around the three-month mark, when June started squirming during every feeding. On the old pillow, she would end up tilted and fussy. On the My Brest Friend, she stayed level and actually finished her feeding without fighting it.
It Helps With Bottle Feeding Too
We used bottles when Mike gave June a feeding, and the pillow worked just as well for that. The same height and stability that helped with nursing helped with a bottle, which meant we did not need a second pillow for a different kind of feeding. Mike figured out the clip in about ten seconds, and after that he could feed June while watching Eli at the same time. That was a bigger deal than it sounds, because it meant I could actually leave the room and take a shower without planning it around a feeding.
It Saves Your Lower Back
Before I had the My Brest Friend, I would lean forward for the whole feeding and end up with a sore lower back by the end of the day. With the pillow, I can sit upright and relaxed. My back still gets tired sometimes, because holding a baby is work, but it is a completely different kind of tired. Around week six, I realized I had stopped reaching for the heating pad after the evening feedings. That was the moment I knew the pillow was doing something real.
It Makes Middle-of-the-Night Feedings Easier
At 2 a.m., I did not want to wrestle with a pillow that kept sliding. The My Brest Friend clipped on in seconds and stayed put, which meant I could focus on June instead of on the pillow. Those night feedings were still tiring, but they were calmer. I kept the pillow on the floor beside the glider, and in the dark I could clip it on without turning on a light. That meant Mike and Eli stayed asleep, and I was back in bed before June fully woke up.
It Gives Your Arms a Rest
Holding a baby for twenty minutes at a time is hard on your arms, especially when you are doing it eight or nine times a day. The My Brest Friend takes most of the baby's weight, so your arms are free to support and guide instead of holding everything up. By the end of the day, my forearms used to feel like I had been carrying groceries. Now they just feel normal. That is the quiet kind of win that is hard to appreciate until it is gone.
It Works in Different Chairs
I used the My Brest Friend in the nursery glider, on the living room couch, and even on the floor when June was little and I wanted to sit cross-legged. Because it clips around your waist, it works in any seat. That flexibility made it easier to feed June wherever we happened to be. When we visited my parents for a weekend, I packed it in the car and used it on their couch without a second thought. It is not a travel pillow, but it is easy enough to move from room to room.
It Is Easy to Clean
Babies spit up. It happens. The My Brest Friend cover zips off and goes in the washing machine, which meant I did not have to stress when June had a messy feeding. I kept a spare cover on hand and rotated them, and the pillow itself stayed in good shape. After eight months and countless washings, the cover still zips on smoothly and the foam has not flattened out. That is the kind of thing you only learn to appreciate after you have washed a nursing pillow cover for the tenth time.
What I'd Skip
I would skip the My Brest Friend if you are looking for a pillow you can nap on or use for tummy time. It is a feeding tool, not a multi-purpose cushion. It is also bulkier than a simple nursing pillow, so if you want something tiny to toss in a diaper bag, this is not it. And if you are not sure you will nurse or bottle feed much, you might be fine with a regular pillow and a lot of patience. For us, the My Brest Friend was worth it, but it is not for everyone.
The My Brest Friend took away the physical juggling that made every feeding harder. That is what made it worth it for us.
A Steady Place to Feed, Every Time
If you are tired of wrestling with sliding pillows, the My Brest Friend Deluxe is worth a look. It held up through eight months of daily use in our house.
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