Boppy vs. My Brest Friend

VS.

Let's talk nursing pillows!

Prior to having my son, I knew I was going to give breastfeeding my best shot.  I knew all about the Boppy, and nearly all mommy friends had one, even if they bottlefed. I got it during a great sale at Target for a discounted price and a with a free cover. I was ecstatic and thought I was set. 

We brought it to the hospital, and I enjoyed having something to support his tiny little body with, but I felt like I was doing something wrong.  Not to mention, breastfeeding was NOT going well. (We had a pretty bad tongue tie, which I'll gladly post about later, if anyone is interested.) 

We went home still having extreme difficulty with his latch, so at 6 days old, I attended my hospital's support meeting. I brought my Boppy with me, but they had several of these pillows I had never seen before. It was the My Brest Friend nursing pillow. I tried it out and immediately went home and ordered one (after hunting for the best price, of course). Here's why:
The Boppy was constantly sliding away from me and the baby was sinking between me and the pillow. It also was a little too rounded on top, making it uneven for the baby.
Now I know there are many who say they didn't need any kind of pillow, or that regular bed pillows were sufficient, but because of the tongue tie, I had to be able to use both hands to help the baby latch, so I couldn't hold the baby up and steady the way others can. We also were stuck on the couch nursing for nearly an hour at a time.
 What makes the My Brest Friend pillow different, is the shape and the strap. It goes around your waist from the side and clasps into place. It can be tightened to stay close to the body. It's top is mostly flat with two raised spots to boost the baby's head, but my lactation consultants had me boost the baby even more with rolled up blankets. There is also a little bit of cushion on the strap up against your back. It felt nice as I tried to get comfortable. Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate my Boppy. I used it in our bedroom at night prior to figuring out how to side lie nurse, and then found other great uses for it.  I'll break down the pros and cons of both, because what worked for me, may not be best for you. Also, Boppy has now come out with a nursing pillow that has a similar strap feature. We stopped using a pillow at all around 5-6 months, just because he's tall enough to have his bottom on my lap now.  If you have the opportunity to buy secondhand or receive a hand-me-down, don't pass it up! The covers for both are washable!

My Brest Friend
Pros: straps to you, tighter fit, more firm and flat top surface, handsfree (and standing) capability, can be worn higher on the waist-closer to breasts.
Cons: Some don't like the shape, higher price (between $35 and $50)

Boppy
Pros: slides on quickly, lower price (about $29), great for children holding your baby, great for helping baby learn to sit up
Cons: slides away too easily, too rounded on top
Overall, it depends on what aspects are more important in your situation.  I'm grateful that I had the chance to own both, but for breastfeeding, My Brest Friend was the clear winner.  Having said that, I credit the Boppy with helping my son learn to sit up.  It provided the right amount of support for him to work on reaching forward and build his core muscles.

^These were all taken just days apart. I was amazed at how fast he got himself sitting up.

^I don't have photos of myself using them, but here is my niece! Both pillows help support her elbows so that she can handle the weight of the baby.

^Another use for the Boppy, aside from nursing (He hated tummy time, but didn't mind it this way!)

Hope this was helpful! Comment with your opinions so others can see. Feel free to post questions if you have any!