I have been, overall, very lucky and to date have had a relatively smooth pregnancy. This is my second pregnancy however and this time I have noticed that I feel a lot more aches and pains than first time around. I am also MUCH bigger and MUCH more tired than I was with Erin, (might have something to do with running around after a 3 year old!!).
I am due in September and so not long to go now. Apart from suspected SPD which caused some fairly excruciating pelvic pain, one of the main issues I have really experienced is with sleeping. Prior to 20 weeks I slept “like a baby” but as soon as I got an established bump, I’ve been unable to lie on my front which would be my preferred sleeping position! After reading up on it, I found that I shouldn’t be lying on my back and that the left hand side was the way to go. For me this then meant weeks of back ache and discomfort. Nothing major, but enough to have that uncomfortable achy feeling – the one you get after a day of shopping or rushing around. As my bump has grown bigger, I decided to try using a pillow between my legs but being big and rectangular (the pillow that is) it didn’t quite work.
At around 25 weeks pregnant weeks pregnant I was kindly given a Theraline maternity pillow to test from Theraline – and it has made a MASSIVE difference! After using this for some time now, I can share my experience of the product.
About the Theraline Maternity Pillow
The Original Theraline Maternity Pillow is a long v shaped pillow aimed at various stages of motherhood, from pregnancy, to breast feeding, or even general baby support. The pillow has a filling made up of millions of tiny micro beads that are really lightweight, meaning that the filling can conform to the shape of your body during pregnancy, whatever position you are in, whether lying down or sitting up. It offers support without giving way. It is also anti-allergenic, warm, breathable, will double up as a baby feeding pillow and can be washed at 140° F.
As a sleeping aid, the Original Theraline Maternity Pillow offers relief for legs, belly and a stressed back and stable support for the pregnant body, making it easy to change sleeping positions, support your bump ensuring you feel safe and secure, and prevent you from habitually rolling over onto your front.
Once the baby is born, the pillow is also perfect for a breastfeeding aid, with 15 inches of support in the middle. Using the Theraline pillow can help support your back and reduce strain on your neck and shoulders whilst feeding, and is flexible for all types of baby feeding positions, even with twins!!
The Theraline Maternity pillow retails for around £45 or £30 for one without a cover.
My Experience
I used the Original Theraline Maternity and Nursing Pillow as a sleeping aid, and intend to use it after my daughter is born as a breastfeeding cushion. My sister had a c section (and we potentially have one on the cards due to a breech baby), and she found a pillow to support her baby really assisted in getting a good latch position without putting any pressure on her wound.
At first sight, I was really impressed with the size of the Theraline maternity pillow, and it was clear that this would offer me a lot more support than the regular pillow I had been using to date. The pillow was a lovely jade green colour, with an attractive design, and felt very soft to the touch. It was very easy to change the shape of the pillow to suit my needs. The packaging included a number of diagrams showcasing recommended positions, and I had a bit of a try of all of them to try and find which ones were best for me.
It did take a couple of nights to get used to the Theraline Maternity Pillow, mainly because it was a lot bigger than what I had been used to, but after a bit of trial and error, I soon found the right position for me. This was basically lying on my side with the pillow between my legs and under my head. This position really helped support my bump and felt soft and comfortable against my body, without putting strain or pressure on any particular area. I can honestly say its made a massive improvement! The best thing I have found is that it makes turning over a LOT easier, as you can move the pillow around with you, and it quickly readjusts to your new shape, meaning comfort is restored fairly quickly!
Pros:
- Soft and flexible, filled with beans so it provides a better mould to your body.
- Can be used in a number of different positions, including sitting up. This means I don’t need a v pillow as well.
- It would offer good support when nursing / feeding baby and can be used by dads also at this stage!
- Its quiet and doesn’t sound like a bean bag! This might sound silly, but with regular getting up and down for the loo during the night, it means it doesn’t constantly disturb my other half with rustling sounds!
- Its washable, the outer cover and inner bean bag can be separated for easy cleaning.
- There is a good range of colours, patterns and prints to choose from to match your room colour scheme.
- The pillow can also be used for older baby to help with sitting up or as a bumper to prevent falling against walls etc!
Cons
- The main one for me would be cost. At £45 it is an added expense at an already costly time. But then it could have lots of potential uses. In these last few months where sleep is something I need to make the most of, its most likely a wise investment!
- The pillow is quite bulky so not easy to store away in a drawer and also takes up quite a bit of room in the bed! We have a king size bed so this wasn’t a massive problem but in a double it may be a squeeze!
- Another thing I noticed was that the pillow can hold the heat, so I had to regularly rotate it particularly in the summer heatwave recently, as I started to get a little on the warm side. That said, there is nothing worse than your thighs sticking together in the heat, and the pillow definitely prevented that!
Overall, in my experience it’s been a fantastic product and I can definitely recommend to pregnant ladies- particularly in their 2nd and third trimester.
You can learn more about Theraline and their range of maternity and nursing pillows, including videos showcasing their use on their website here –> THERALINE Maternity Pillow
*I was sent a sample Theraline Maternity pillow for the purposes of this review, but all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own*.
