My Brest Friend Deluxe Review: Months of Real Daily Use

When June was born, I told myself I didn't need a nursing pillow. I had a stack of bed pillows, a strong will, and the kind of confidence that only a second-time mom can carry into week one. By week three, my neck hurt, my right shoulder ached, and I was feeding June seven or eight times a day with a wadded-up pillow wedged under my arm. That is when I ordered the My Brest Friend Deluxe, and it is the reason I am writing this review months later instead of giving up on it.

This is not a first-week review. June is 8 months old now, and the pillow has been through cluster feeding, middle-of-the-night feeds in the nursery, bottle feeds in the living room, and more spit-up washes than I can count. I wanted to write about what it is actually like to live with a nursing pillow, not just what it looks like out of the box.

How I've Used It

I used the My Brest Friend Deluxe in every room of our two-story house. Upstairs in the nursery, I kept it on the glider for night feeds. Downstairs, it lived on the couch during the day. When June was a newborn, I needed it for almost every feeding. As she got bigger and more distractible, I used it less often, but I never stopped reaching for it during the feeds that mattered, the ones where I needed her to actually eat.

The pillow wraps around your waist and buckles behind your back, so it stays exactly where you put it. That is the whole point, and it works. With a regular pillow, I was constantly adjusting. With this one, I sat down, fastened it, put June on the flat surface, and she stayed at breast height without me hunching over. It saved my back, and it saved my patience.

The Deluxe version also has a pocket, and I want to be honest about how much I used it. I kept my phone in it during night feeds, and later a burp cloth. It is not a huge pocket, but it is enough to keep the essentials within reach when your other arm is holding a baby. Mike and I traded night feeds, and Eli, who is five, once called it a spaceship.

In the early weeks, I used the pillow for almost every feed, nursing and bottle feeding alike. It worked for both because the baby lies on the flat surface and you bring the bottle to them instead of holding the baby in the crook of your arm. That sounds like a small thing, but when you are doing it eight times a day, it adds up fast.

As June got older, she wanted to look around more. The pillow did not solve that, but it did mean she was in a stable position while she looked. I could feed her in the glider, on the couch, and even on the floor of the living room with my back against the sofa. The pillow stayed put in every one of those spots.

What Makes the Deluxe Different

The base My Brest Friend is a good pillow. The Deluxe adds a few things that made a real difference for me. The built-in lumbar support is the biggest one. When you are sitting in a glider for 30 minutes at a time, a little extra support behind your lower back is the difference between finishing a feed comfortably and finishing it stiff.

The material is another difference. The cover is soft, and it is easy to wipe down. I washed the cover regularly for months, and it still fits the way it did on day one. No pilling, no weird stretching. I cannot say that about every baby product I have owned.

I also like that the surface is flat and firm enough that June could not roll around on it. She could wiggle and stretch, but she stayed put. That gave me peace of mind, especially in the sleepy 3 a.m. feeds when I was barely awake myself.

The waist strap is what separates this pillow from the ones that just sit on your lap. Once it is buckled, the pillow becomes part of the chair, and the baby is not going to knock it off course. That is the whole reason I stopped using the stack of bed pillows, and it is the reason I kept using this one.

I also appreciated that the Deluxe has a slightly firmer feel than the original. I tested the original at a friend's house, and it was softer and less structured. The Deluxe holds its shape better, which matters more over months of use than it does on day one.

The strap also adjusts, which mattered more than I expected. My body changed a lot in the first months after June was born, and being able to loosen or tighten the pillow meant it still fit comfortably no matter what. I never had to choose between a pillow that was too tight and one that was too loose.

How It Held Up Over Six Months

I expected the foam to go flat. It did not. After months of daily use, the pillow still has the same shape it had the day it arrived. The cover has been through the wash more times than I can count, and the zipper still works. The buckle still clicks securely, which matters because this pillow is doing real work every single time I use it.

One thing I did not expect is how much the pillow would become part of our routine. When June was about three months old, she would start rooting around as soon as she saw me buckle it. It was like she knew exactly what was coming. The pillow became the signal that it was time to eat, and that made feeds calmer for both of us.

I did notice some wear after several months of washing. The fabric is not brand new anymore, but it is not faded or frayed. It just looks lived-in, which is exactly what I want from something I use several times a day.

I washed the cover on the gentle cycle and laid it flat to dry, exactly the way the care tag said. I am sure that helped. The pillow itself never went in the wash, and it never needed to. The foam still feels as firm as the day I opened the box.

Our yellow Lab, Biscuit, has never once tried to nap on it. I am not sure if that is a review of the pillow or a review of Biscuit, but it means the pillow does not collect dog hair, and I will take that as a win.

The buckle is the part I was most worried about, because it gets opened and closed many times a day. After months of use, it still clicks into place the same way it did on day one. I checked it regularly, because this pillow holds a baby, and I wanted to be sure it was not going to come undone at the wrong moment.

For the first time in six weeks, I finished a feeding without my shoulder aching. That was the moment I knew the pillow was staying.

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me

I wish someone had told me that the pillow would not fix every feeding problem. It does not make a baby latch better on its own, and it does not make a distracted baby focus. What it does is take the physical strain out of feeding so you can actually focus on the baby. That is the real job, and it does it well.

I also wish I had bought it sooner. I spent the first few weeks telling myself that a regular pillow was fine. It was not fine. My neck and shoulders were sore, and I was dreading the next feeding instead of enjoying it. The day the My Brest Friend Deluxe arrived, the difference was immediate, and I felt a little silly for waiting.

One more thing: the pillow is not a sleep aid for the baby. I know some parents use nursing pillows for tummy time or propping, but I kept it for feeding only. Safe sleep basics matter more than any pillow, and I followed the same rules I follow for every surface in June's life.

Another thing I learned is that the pillow works best when you are in a chair with arms or against a solid back. On a deep, soft couch, I had to adjust my position a little to get the same support. Once I figured that out, it stopped being an issue, but it is worth knowing from the start.

Where It Falls Short

The My Brest Friend Deluxe is not a small pillow. It takes up a lot of space, and it is not something you want to carry around the house with you. If you are looking for a pillow you can toss in a diaper bag or move from room to room with one hand, this is not it.

The waist buckle is also a learning curve. You have to fasten it behind your back, which is easy when you are awake and sitting upright. At 2 a.m., half asleep, with a crying baby in the other arm, it takes a few tries. After a week I got the hang of it, but I would be lying if I said it was effortless from the first night.

And because the pillow is firm, it is not the most comfortable thing to rest your arms on when you are not feeding. If you want a pillow that doubles as a nap support for yourself, you will probably find it too stiff. I preferred that firmness, because it meant June was supported, but it is not for everyone.

The pocket is handy, but it is not magic. It sits on one side, so whatever you put in it stays on that side. I am right-handed, and I kept reaching across my body for the burp cloth before I got used to it. A small thing, but it is worth knowing before you buy.

One more honest note: the pillow is not something you can just throw in the washing machine as a whole. You have to take the cover off, wash the cover, and wipe down the foam. That is not hard, but it is an extra step, and when you are exhausted, even small extra steps can feel like a lot.

Who This Is For

The My Brest Friend Deluxe is for anyone who is feeding a baby around the clock and wants their hands, neck, and back to survive it. It is especially good for parents who have had a C-section, because the flat, firm surface keeps the baby off your incision. It is also great for parents of small babies who need a little extra help getting a good latch, because the pillow holds the baby at the right height and keeps them there.

If you are the kind of person who wants a dedicated spot for feeding, this pillow will fit right in. It lives in one place, it does one job, and it does that job extremely well.

If you are recovering from a C-section, this pillow is worth a serious look. I did not have a C-section with June, but a friend who did borrowed mine for a week and said it was the only way she could feed her baby without pain. The flat, firm surface keeps pressure off your belly, and the waist strap means the pillow does not rest on your incision.

Who Should Skip It

If you are looking for a pillow that is easy to travel with, or if you plan to feed your baby in a lot of different places throughout the day, the My Brest Friend Deluxe will probably feel like too much. It is not portable. It is a piece of furniture for your body, and it works best when it has a permanent home.

I would also say that if you mostly bottle-feed and your baby is happy lying flat on a regular pillow, you may not need this. It is a serious tool for a serious job, and not every family needs that level of support.

I would also skip it if you are someone who likes to keep baby gear minimal. This pillow is a single-purpose item, and it takes up a good chunk of a closet shelf when you are not using it. If you would rather make do with what you already own, you can, but your neck might have an opinion about that.