One of the first gifts during my pregnancy was a nursing pillow from Canadian company Nneka. Though it may have been premature to think of nursing, I came to love this pillow before my baby even arrived!
The Nneka pillow is shaped like a log, and is filled with 100% buckwheat hull (so it’s like a big beanbag). The advantage of having a straight pillow (unlike most nursing pillows, which are curved) is that it can be used to support a pregnant belly during those awkward and somewhat painful pre-natal nights. Another plus of this pillow is that you can remove some of the filling – perfect for customizing the amount of support you would like when you are using it as a support pillow. I removed about a mason-jar-sized amount during the pre-natal phase. Once the baby was born, I refilled the pillow, and found it extremely supportive during breastfeeding. Because the pillow is flexible, you can adjust the pillow’s position to accommodate the baby. Another use for the Nneka during the newborn phase is to use it to prevent the baby from rolling around on a bed or sofa (of course you would follow all other necessary safety precautions in these scenarios!).
Now that my baby is older (7 months), he can appreciate the adorable pattern on the pillow cover – mine has little cars and buses, and he is fascinated by them. The pillow also has other uses once the baby is older – I often use it to support his back when he is seated so he does not topple backward. This would be the only time when I wish the pillow was curved, to support him on all sides – but placing other pillows on his sides also does the trick.
The Nneka was created by a mom from Quebec. According to their website, you will use this pillow at least 1740 times – you want to be sure you are buying a quality pillow, and I certainly feel that mine is! It can be purchased from Nneka’s website or from other online retailers, listed on the company’s site (about $60CAD).
