Two Reviews: Helps for Breastfeeding Mamas
If you've been around my blog for long, you'll know that I am a huge advocate of breastfeeding, and so I was thrilled when I was offered to try out and review a couple of products intended to help breastfeeding moms. What I specifically loved about these two products is they are aides for times when breast doesn't feel best, or when a mom needs a little extra help.
The Shower Hug
This creative idea was conceived by (you guessed it) a mom, who understands some of the discomforts that can go along with pregnancy and nursing. Anyone ever had incredibly tender breasts during pregnancy, so tender that you winced if you accidentally brushed up against something, or when you tried to take a shower? How about when you're post-partum, your milk has come in, and your sweet new baby wants to nurse approximately 13 times a day? Ouch… talk about tender!
The Shower Hug is made out of very, very soft knit terry velour, and is intended for helping to shield and cushion that tenderness, obviously for when you're in the shower (hence the terry fabric and the name) but it can have other purposes as well. One I thought of in particular was as a nursing bra during the night, in the early weeks of nursing, to avoid having to wear a constrictive bra and to catch heavy leaking in the soft, thick, absorbent fabric.
I tried wearing it in the shower one day, and it was sooo comfortable! I could totally see how one of these would be soothing and would make showering very bearable during periods of tenderness or soreness. I liked mine so much that even though it was too big for me, I decided to keep it and sew it to make it fit me.
If you know of a mama who is struggling with a lot of tenderness, this just might make a very thoughtful pregnancy or post-partum gift! To find out more about The Shower Hug, check out their website, www.showerhug.com.
PumpEase
Ask me just how much I admire moms who struggle to breastfeed, but continue to pump: enormously!!!
In fact, one of the most inspirational breastfeeding stories I know of is a friend of mine who was badly burned on her chest as a young child, and had extreme pain and difficulty nursing her first baby due to her burns and scar tissue. She turned to a professional pump in order to give him the much-needed milk that he just could not get at the breast, and although it was continually painful, even agonizing, and very time-consuming, she persevered and gave her little boy 6 entire months of every ounce of breastmilk she could pump out, until she finally had to give in to her body's limits. How's that for a mother's sacrificial love?
Though I personally have not had to do much in the way of pumping, I
know of many moms who have needed to, for one reason or another.
Obviously, breastfeeding is simpler when it can happen sans pump and
bottle, but I applaud those moms who are struggling with it or have
some reason that they cannot, and yet desire to keep giving their baby
the very best milk they can give!
That's why I loved PumpEase! I can only imagine how helpful it would have been for my friend to have had a tool like this, to make two-sided pumping a hands-free experience and allow her to redeem some of the precious hours she had to spend doing it.
The big idea behind PumpEase is that you wear it around your chest, over your nursing bra, and proceed to hook up either your single or double breast pump. Start pumping, and pull out your book, computer keyboard, or even a sandwich or a cup of tea. Depending on how you feel about nursing in front of other children, you could even snuggle up your toddler beside you and read to them while you pump. What a great invention for helping moms to redeem some of the time that goes into all that pumping!
PumpEase comes in several different fabrics and their new spring patterns look cute. You can purchase directly through their website, at www.pumpease.com. Did I mention that they're Canadian-made? (Go Canada!)
Has anyone ever used either of these great products? Do you know of any other helpful products for encouraging moms in their efforts to breastfeed?
I really appreciate all of your pregnancy and new mom tips. I feel blessed to have found your blog while you’re pregnant (and so am I!), because so many of your posts are so relevant to me at this point in my life.
What a great idea Pump Ease is! I pumped for 4 months for Faye (who didn’t nurse for myriad reasons) and this would have been so handy!
I love the idea of the shower hug. It became such a habit for me to shield my breasts with my arm in the shower to prevent the direct hit of water. I unconsciously continued doing it even though I was finished nursing. I am nursing my second now (so it is necessary to do so again), but I have been doing this without fail for 2 1/2 years. There was 16 months between the 2 that I did not need to be doing this, but I still was out of habit. I even mentioned it to my husband because I thought that it was funny to be doing that. I would of loved to have this product for my first, and will look into it now. Thanks!
Just found your blog….and am so glad I did. I love the quiet time bins….I have a 19 month old little girl and I have special bins for certain rooms. I love your idea on using it to incorporate quiet time especially having an older child! Thanks…..oops left the comment on the wrong post. Oh well! Sorry!
The shower hug is a great idea! I had to drape a towel over myself for the first few days after I had my DD.
My favorite nursing tool was/is my sling. I’ve nursed everywhere…church, the park, the mall, but still felt very discreet and comfortable. I have a slingezee and love it! I’m still using it for my one year old, and can’t wait to snuggle my baby in it when he/she arrives in September!
those sound like great products! I like the shower hug idea…I had issues with that for 2 weeks this time (but not with my first baby). That product would have helped greatly. Thankfully though it was shortlived as an issue for me.
The thing that helps me a lot and I am continually amazed at the moms that don’t know about it is using a quality baby carrier or sling/wrap etc both to aid in breastfeeding and also just with overall baby care. But sice we we are talking about breastfeeding: I am amazed at the moms I have talked to who are trying to keep up with an active toddler and also breastfeed a baby, who don’t know how to do both at the same time. Its a bit harder to do when the baby is first learning how to feed, but after that is so nice as a tool to have, I would imagine even more so if the children are very close in age. You can then breastfeed with having one or two hands free to be with the older child/children. Different carriers work best for different moms and babies. I have an ergo, a maya ring sling and a moby wrap. Cheaper and poorly designed carriers will NOT work well.
Breastfeeding moms spend a lot of time in the chair, rocking or otherwise. A simple, cheap addition to the home is a footstool. Keeping your feet up just a foot or so will reduce pressure on your lower back and you’ll feel so much better after sitting nursing for hours!
I’m also a HUGE advocate of slings and wraps. Keeping baby close helps milk production, keeps baby content and allows you to be mobile and have hands free to make dinner, chase other kiddos, etc while still cuddling baby. If you can figure out how to nurse in a sling, you can go anywhere!
Places I’ve nursed: baseball game, dentist’s chair, subway and walking tour in Boston, shopping, on a walk…need I go on? 🙂
Thanks for posting this. I had to pump with both my babies. One couldn’t breast feed she just wasn’t strong enough and the other could but due to yeast infections the whole entire time I was lactating pumping was much less painful and I only had to do it about 4 times a say since I always have massive quanities of milk…like 60ounces a day! Of course I could pump for 6 months and almost feed my babies for a year on breast milk. Not many people realize how much work it truely is. Your doing double duty. Pumping and THEN bottle feeding.
I love the pumping tank! I pump for my 33 weeker twins (6 months, go me!) and the pumping bra they gave me in the hospital has slowly gotten bigger and bigger as I’ve lost weight and lost fluid (pre-eclampsia) I’m going to order one tonight!
thnx great blog love the theme
Pumpease!!! Sounds amazing. I am a first time mom of my little man. He just entered his 7 month & we are still breastfeeding!
Pumpease could help me catch up on my reading billing among other things when I have to pump. Especially since he started eating solid foods. My milk supply is slowly adjusting,unfortunately. And taking the time to pump after little man goes to sleep it can be a hassle. I’m to tired from chasing him all day( he’s crawling& cruising) & husband works & goes to school full-time. Needless to say I can use a little Ease…pumpease: )