should I switch to My Brest Friend?

[Beauchamp]

I currently nurse DD (9 weeks) on a Boppy. I sit in our old recliner. I usually end up stuffing a fleece baby blanket under the Boppy to get her up higher, because I am 5'9" and have a longer torso. I still end up hunching to one side, though, not sitting up straight. I also roll a towel behind my back for lumbar support.

Would a MBF solve these problems? I'm wondering how long the MBF is useful? (since DD is already two months old, would I get enough use out of it,or would it be a waste of money, or should I just suck it up and stick with the Boppy?)

[Turquesa]

IME, My Brest Friend doesn't have a much better lift, unfortunately. I got it anyway, because it was gently used and at a good price, but I tried it on and will still have to use blankies...just as I had to with the Boppy.

I hate how the Boppy commercials show breastfeeding moms. So misleading. You can't do that without throwing your back out! :

[SageR]

I actually found MBF to be a lot better than a Boppy because it fit better around my waist - even though the MBF is not thicker than a Boppy, it ended up positioning the baby further up my torso.

I got mine for only a few dollars at a consignment store. It was definitely worth it to me. I used it for several months.

[eclipse]

Personally, I thought the MBF gave a MUCH better lift, and got the baby in a much better position than the boppy.

[Youngfrankenstein]

I never used anything but a Boppy but I'm short! Have you tried a regular pillow under the Boppy to raise the baby up higher?

[penstamon]

Love the MBF! Helped me greatly and I think with a flat pillow underneath it may help you too. Either way I hated the Boppy.

[Beauchamp]

Originally Posted by Youngfrankenstein

I never used anything but a Boppy but I'm short! Have you tried a regular pillow under the Boppy to raise the baby up higher?

yes. It's still a bit of a pain to get the pillow, Boppy, baby, burp cloth, lumbar towel, etc, plus anything else I need, set up to nurse. Jamming the baby blankets under the Boppy is just okay-- kind of a pain, too, and not a good fit always. I wish I had something I didn't have to constantly adjust.

[GoldmanBaby09]

I've never used a boppy, but I love my brest friend. It keeps baby close to the breast and I think it would eliminate your need for all the extra pillows. Who needs such a production everytime you sit to nurse? I got mine for $15 at a consignment shop, too. Definitely worth looking into!

[YummyYarnAddict]

Can you borrow a friend's and try it out? I'm only 5'8" but I found that with both the only way I could get the right "lift" in a comfortable way was to put it around my waist and sit in a recliner so that it would be supported on the arm rest and I didn't have to use additional pillows and such on my lap (which would have made me nuts). In bed I used the arm rest pillows. I'd try to get a loaner from a friend or find one for cheap secondhand. I didn't find enough of a difference to make and either/or purchase justifiable personally.

[mamadelbosque]

I've had a boppy since DS1 was maybe a week old and in the beginning it was a life saver. DS1 had latch issues so for a long time he had to be positioned perfectly in order to latch on and the boppy really, really, really helped to make it easy... I learned to shove one side of it down underneath one armrest on my rocker/glider ('mission style'), and prop the other side up on the opposite side which put DS at a slight angle, and made nursing super easy, comfy and a nearly 'hands free' possibility - ie, I could eat/drink/type while nursing Plus I didn't have to lean over at all to do so (I'm 5'6)

[LorenaAZ]

The only use for a boppy is to to use to prop a baby into a sitting position. My boppy was worthless for breastfeeding - not enough lift, kept falling out of place, had t rearrange every few seconds = a waste of money.

On the other hand, my breast friend was a life (back, nursing relationship) savior. It is SO MUCH BETTER than the boppy. If you are not sure, see what the return policy is where you can buy one, and perhaps you may be able to return if you don't like. I highly recommend it.

[Altair]

I loved the MBF, but only needed it for the first 4-6 weeks. After that I just learned how to rest his butt on my lap and cradle his head. There's a good chance you won't be using pillows for much longer, so it may not be worth investing. Nursing laying down on the couch was also great at that stage.

[BirthKathy]

My Brest Friend is my best friend! I use it all the time. i'm 5' 9", and my son is 3 1/2 mos old. I have a small neck pillow (shaped like a boppy), that I use under the baby's head. And then i put my arm between that and his head. So the Brest Friend does not raise him up high enough, but it is very stable and i love the Lumbar.

I use it in bed, on the couch and at my desk with my office chair so that I can comfortably nurse while working. when he is done nursing, he can lay on it to sleep or hang out and I can use both hands to type again. if i really need both hands while nursing, I have to lean forward and that is very uncomfortable as you already know.

I highly recommend it! It is the one baby related item that I use more than anything else. I drag it all over the house.

[Beauchamp]

well, the MBF sounds perfect for me-- IF I had it in the beginning. My DD is only 9 weeks old, but she's pretty long and weighs about 13 lbs now. I'd guess I'd only get maybe a month or two out of the MBF if I bought it now. Bummer.

[eclipse]

I used it with my oldest (who was a big baby) until he was 6 months or so old.

[monkey-lamb]

I also prefer MBF. I had trouble with DD getting wedged between me and the Boppy. Also, the Boppy would not stay up high enough.

[paulamc]

I love, love MBF!! I switched from a Boppy around 2 months as well, and have no regrets even though I didn't use it very long - it was well, well worth it. I don't have a long torso, but I believe that you could fasten it higher on your torso and it would stay there pretty well. I was able to walk around with the MBF nursing, fastened around my waist.

[mags]

MBF kicks the boppy's butt! I can't believe that I bf'd two kids using those darn boppies and this time around (baby 3), I found a MBF at a consignment store that was new looking and decided to get it out of curiosity. I LOVE it! The only thing I don't love is that I have the older version with the velcro. If you get one, get the newer version with the buckle. The velcro is LOUD and very scratchy if it touches you.

[Viola]

I used a My Brest Friend with my first, but found the Boppy worked better for my second. I'm a large woman, so that might be part of it, but the biggest issue for me with the Boppy was that it just slid out and away on my lap from the weight of the baby. Being able to strap something tightly around my waist was better, although I had a tight fit because of my size. The MBF worked well for me with my first, but I still used two flat bedroom pillows underneath the MBF, or else the weight of the baby pushed it down--I wore it rather high up on my waist. Once my baby was older, like near a year, I could use the Boppy, if we weren't lying on the floor to nurse.

With my second, I'm not sure why, but the My Brest Friend didn't work as well. I think it was related to the couch and the velcro fit less well. With my first, I had this deep, low, soft couch. It wasn't particularly supportive and even though I sunk kind of into it, I still needed a lot of lift, I guess because I was actually leaning back. So I'd strap on the velcro pillow before I even sat down. With my second baby, I had a couch that was more supportive, I could sit up straight on it, it wasn't particularly deep so my body was more upright. I used a Medela nursing stool, and I found it was easier to position myself and just put the Boppy on, and it didn't slide away, but it was a little more "moldable" around me in relation to the sides of the couch.

[Beauchamp]

I just got the MBF and my baby fussed and wriggled the whole time!!

What's with those two bumps? My LO's head seems to lay right on that bump.