Why Should You Use a Feeding Arm Support Pillow?
Of everything we sell for feeding, this is the one I'd ask you to think hardest about before buying, and I say that as the person who specifies it.
It solves a real, specific problem. It's also the easiest thing on the list to skip, because a rolled towel does most of the job.
What is an arm support pillow?
A small firm cushion under the forearm holding the baby's head, usually strapped to your arm or tucked between your arm and your body.
It's a different object from a nursing pillow, which supports the baby's whole body across your lap. This one supports you at one point: the arm that holds her head steady for half an hour at a time.
Why does your arm need support during feeds?
A newborn's head is heavy for her size, so holding it still in one position is hard work for your muscles, and that steady strain is what causes the aching. Eight to twelve feeds a day at twenty to forty minutes each adds up to several hours a day with one arm held still in a slightly awkward position, usually with the wrist bent. That's behind the wrist and thumb pain so many new parents get in the first months, and the shoulder and neck ache that comes with it. It's worse when bottle feeding, because both arms are busy, and worse again after a caesarean, when you're protecting your abdomen. What helps most isn't a cushion. It's bringing the baby up to you instead of reaching down to her, and keeping your wrist straight. If your wrist is bent during feeds, fixing that will do more than any product here.
On the feed itself
Arm pillow or nursing pillow: which one do you need
Most people who need one need the nursing pillow, and a fair number need neither.
A nursing pillow supports the baby's weight across your lap and is the more helpful of the two in the early weeks, when you're holding her whole weight. An arm pillow deals with a narrower problem, pain in the forearm and wrist, and it helps most a little later: for bottle feeding, and for people who are already sore.
Owning both is rarely necessary. If you're choosing, start with the nursing pillow, use it for a fortnight, and see where you hurt.
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Cambrass Arm PillowS$39.00Sold outMentioned above
How to use a feeding arm pillow safely
The same rules as every soft object near a young baby, and they aren't negotiable.
- It supports your arm. It's never a surface the baby rests on independently.
- Never leave her on or against it unattended, and never for sleep.
- It doesn't go in the cot, ever, and it isn't a prop or a positioner.
- Keep it clear of her face throughout the feed, and check that the strap hasn't shifted it.
- Don't use one while lying down or on a sofa where you might doze, which is the most dangerous arrangement there is.
- Move her to a flat firm surface on her back the moment the feed ends.
What I'd want somebody to tell me: try a rolled hand towel under your forearm first. If that fixes it, you've saved the money. If your wrist and thumb hurt and aren't just tired, with pain when you grip or at the base of the thumb, show it to a doctor or a physiotherapist, because it may be a tendon problem a cushion won't fix.
Questions we get
What's a feeding arm support pillow for?
It cushions the arm cradling baby's head during feeds, preventing numb arms and wrist strain while keeping baby at a comfortable angle.
Is an arm pillow different from a nursing pillow?
Yes. A nursing pillow wraps your waist and holds baby's whole body; an arm pillow is a small portable cushion just for your cradling arm.
Can baby sleep on an arm pillow?
No. Use it only for supervised holds and feeds in your arms. For sleep, baby goes on a flat, firm surface with nothing soft around them.
Does an arm pillow help with wrist pain from holding baby?
It eases the repetitive strain behind so-called mother's wrist. If wrist pain persists, have your doctor take a look.
Does an arm pillow help with bottle feeding?
Yes. Any long hold benefits, so bottle-feeding parents and grandparents get the same comfort during feeds and cuddles.
Sources
- NHS: Breastfeeding: positioning and attachment
- American Academy of Pediatrics: A Parent's Guide to Safe Sleep
This guide is general information, written to help you understand a topic and ask better questions. It is not medical advice and does not replace your own doctor, midwife or paediatrician. Anything that worries you about your baby belongs with them.
Further reading
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