Prior to becoming pregnant, you may have taken your nighttime comfort for granted, but with an impending birth, you may find yourself increasingly uncomfortable. Nights riddled with interruptions and discomfort are, unfortunately, often a part of pregnancy as your body adapts to its changing shape and the many side-effects that it causes.
Luckily there are ways to help alleviate some of the problems you may be experiencing with the help of a pregnancy pillow.
Pregnancy pillows can serve to support and comfort the areas of your body you are feeling the most stress with. Plus, they are helpful in more ways than one, and they are often versatile enough to use within other aspects of your day other than simply for nighttime comfort.
The Sleep Judge has taken a closer look at the many pregnancy pillows available in the current sleep industry, and have chosen some of the best to purchase and try out on our own. The Pregnancypillow.com pillow is one of our top picks, and our experiences with it can be found below.
Breakdown of Pregnancypillow.com
The Pregnancypillow.com pillow is made with only one thing in mind: support for the pregnant body while at rest. The company focuses only on a few products to help with providing comfort both during and after pregnancy, with the pillow created specifically for belly support to help provide proper body positioning through the night.
The unique J-shaped pillow provides special shaping to use for either back or belly support, as well as a choice of cover materials for your personal comfort preferences. Sold only online through Pregnancypillow.com, the company is part of a bigger conglomerate of other mother and child product sites that specialize in quality products.
Having purchased from these other sites in the past, I can attest to the quality, affordability, and helpfulness of the products. To take advantage of the pregnancypillow.com pillow comfort, use code SLEEPJUDGE50 for $50 off your order!
Unpacking
This is a pretty hefty pillow, and I was shocked at how small they could make it by vacuum sealing it into a bag. It comes pretty tightly rolled and compressed, but it does immediately begin to fluff up once you remove it from the packaging. I helped it along with some fluffing, and I’d say it took about an hour to be fully decompressed. There was no off-gassing or any other smells associated with the packing; basically, it comes ready to go!
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Features & Benefits
Anytime you plan on making a purchase that deals with your personal comfort, you should definitely look over the claims the company makes concerning the features and benefits available to you. Since everyone is different in body shape and size, not all experiences will be the same, and it’s important you know what needs and preferences you have to make informed choices before investing in a product.
Here at The Sleep Judge, we’ve broken down each feature of the Pregnancypillow.com pillow and provided our own opinions on each to save you the legwork of having to look it all up yourself.
J-Shape & Size
The 85-inch length of this pillow curves around to form a J-shaped comfort that can be easily manipulated into a slight c-shape, or even rounded out to provide some alternative comfort uses. This is a wholly unique shape that is unlike any other pillow currently on the market.
This longer size is also more comfortable for taller bodies, as many other full body pillow choices are a full 10 inches or shorter- and have more defined curved legs, making them more specific to a certain comfort preference. Also unique to this pillow is the thicker middle, which provides a wide pillow like shelf upon which you can rest your belly, or use as a wedge against your back depending on your needs.
My initial impression of the pillow was a bit skeptical due to the more unique shape, as well as the longer length. The wide center to me looked as if it would be in the way, but the fill (as described below) was more than accommodating to weight and contouring. This ended up being the pillow that we would recommend based upon design for body comfort, rather than aesthetics, although the cover choices do end up making that appealing as well.
Support Shapes
Although not as capable of being shaped as many other pillows for various comfort positions, it does have a bit of flexibility that allows you to create various ways to support your sleep. You can use the wider center to lean against and wrap an arm around your front for arm comfort, or even fold the ends in to provide a thicker back support. It also works well to prop your legs up upon to help alleviate swelling.
When using it to lounge within, or with an arm around your front, you also can create an excellent way to help support your newborn when feeding. The soft material cover choices are great to feel against the bare skin, and the soft, supportive loft is excellent for arms and shoulders to rest upon.
Although marketed for pregnancy, like most body pillows provide the support often needed for recovery from injuries and surgery, or even for those who suffer from arthritis, scoliosis, sciatica, or other spinal related diseases. The shapes of pillows often help keep the head and neck in proper alignment while offering a neutral position to keep the spine straight.
Polyester Fiber Filling
Naturally hypoallergenic polyester fiber filling is one of the most popular and affordable materials used within pillows to provide comfort and support. It is a strong synthetic that keeps from crushing under the weight to provide good airflow and soft contouring. It takes on your weight with a firmer underlying support, but when enough is used will not bottom out.
The fill of this pillow is sewn into a soft, cotton casing that helps provide excellent fill redistribution when pressed upon, and keeps from getting lumpy or otherwise uneven through use. At first, I felt the pillow may be slightly firm due to its overall size, but even though the filling is very uplifting, it moves well under your weight, and also provides excellent pressure point reduction.
6 inch Loft
With at least 5,000 cubic inches of polyfill in each pillow, it sits right about at 6 inches in height when resting on a flat surface. Although this may seem fairly high, and belay a sense of firmness, the pillow is a very comfortable plush feel which takes on your weight with ease without lifting up and around your body.
Pillow Cover Material Choices
The pillow does come in your choice of a minky or soft cotton-poly blend that allows for an easy stretch due to the addition of spandex. It also comes in your choice of colors to best match your decor. Our pillow cover was a soft, bumpy, and minky. It is so popular due to its feel against the bare skin. This choice feels pretty luxurious and is an awesome choice for anyone who has been having issues with pressure sensitivity.
Minky fabric has a slightly bumpy surface that is part of the overall thick velvet feel. It is a synthetic material though and is more likely to create heat sinks than the cotton blended choice. Although this was a favorite pillow in our trials, it was not the best match for warmer autumn nights, and we felt the fabric was better served for the winter months. I was able to procure a sample piece of the cotton-poly/spandex blend to compare the difference, and found it to feel a bit like a jersey t-shirt knit. It was smooth and comfortable, and it would have been nice to have one cover of each to trade out when needed.
Hidden Zipper
The cover is also easily removable and has a hidden zipper that runs up the length of the outside of the long side of the pillow. This is awesome in a sense that there is no real seam that you can feel, and no way to snag your sheets, pajamas, or anything else upon it. Sometimes these types of zipper seams can catch easily on the inside and jam up, but I experienced no problems at all when using the zipper. It unzipped smoothly and easily each time and closed back up with just as much ease.
Care
As mentioned, the cover is easily machine washable and dryable. The minky cover, in particular, is nice and thick and also wipes clean if a spill occurs. I suggest washing both types of covers on a gentle cycle and drying on low heat to ensure you keep the soft feel of both in order to last the life of the pillow.
Consumer Reviews
Although this is a fairly new product, and one that is only available through the Pregnancypillow.com website, it does have a pretty strong following through independent bloggers and other everyday users who have taken the time to mention it in social media. It is popular due to its unique shape that provides excellent support for a growing belly. Plus, some commenters love how it replaces the multiple pillows they had been using to get comfortable each night.
The minky cover is absolutely loved, especially against bare skin. And although our comments were echoed concerning heat retention, many new mothers were very happy with its use due to how soft it is against the babies skin as well, especially when it is used as a nursing aide.
30 Day Returns and Refunds
You may return your pillow within 30 days of receipt if there is a defect in the product. This is also true if you received the wrong item, color, or cover choice and need to exchange. You must contact the company within 30 days and provide a picture of the issue so they can confirm it is the same product sent out to you. The pillow must be returned as it was, and it must be in the original packaging.
Trial Experiences
For our various trials, we used a detailed survey to gauge the needs of our sleepers, as well as comfort level. The stages of each pregnancy, as well as specific problems and wants, were addressed within each survey.
Trial 1: Third Trimester
Struggling to find a comfortable position at night, our first trial sleeper was 8 months pregnant and dealing with long ligament and hip pain. This was keeping her awake, and interrupting her sleep, and she had been looking for relief when approached to try our pillow choices.
Standing 5’10, she was excited with the longer length of this pillow, and how easily it flexed without any tight seams. Normally she has some issues with the wrap around sides of full body pillow because they do not fit her long torso well, but she felt that this pillow was a perfect answer for taller people.
Although she did feel it wasn’t as versatile as many of our other pregnancy pillow choices, she loved how well it cradled her very advanced state of pregnancy. It allowed for a comforting neck and head support through the night. Although it doesn’t wrap around to provide dual belly and back support, she liked how well it supported her hip and legs- and when used with another pillow at her back she found herself most comfortable.
A self-proclaimed hot sleeper, she was suspicious of the minky cover but found that she had no issues with it since it didn’t wrap up around her in any way which allowed plenty of good air flow. She mentioned she wouldn’t use it on a warmer night, but really liked how comforting it was on cooler evenings. She also liked using it while working on the computer, when sitting on the couch, and leaning against it with the curved side used to more comfortably prop up her belly.
Trial 2: Second Trimester
At 16 weeks pregnant, our second trial sleeper has been getting frustrated at being unable to sleep on her stomach, as she was used to doing. By using multiple pillows, she had been creating some more supportive situations that allowed her to be more comfortable, but she was looking for a full body pillow that would stay in place when she shifted. Her husband was also frustrated with the pillow barrier that was taking up the majority of the bed.
The J-shape of this pillow was a nice change from the more wrap around styles she had been checking out, and she really loved how well she could kind of drape herself over it and have her stomach well supported. This also allowed her head and neck to be positioned in a comfortable place. She thought the pillow was a bit firm at first, but after settling into it she mentioned that by laying her shoulder up on the pillow it gave her head and neck great contouring and allowed her to rest in a semi-side, semi-stomach position.
She was a bit put off by this pillow not being quite as versatile as other full body pillows since it didn’t fold to create a seat-like support. She did find it very comfortable to lounge back against after placing a pillow under the hooked end to raise it slightly for her to sit in. She also bent the long side of the pillow up under her legs to be able to lay back and be somewhat cradled by the pillow as a seat.
She loved the minky cover and said she could ‘live in it’ if given the chance. She didn’t experience any heat issues either and thought the softness was perfect to curl up against at night.
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Personal Opinion
I wasn’t too sure how well this pillow would work for me, a non-pregnant person, due to the wider middle made to support a growing belly- but I was surprised to find that it served as an excellent support to my hip, which I struggle to relieve the pressure points due to some past sciatic problems. As a body pillow, this truly is an excellent choice as you can almost lay upon it; resting your head, neck, shoulder, hip, and leg along its length helps create proper spinal alignment and relieves stress along your back.
I just fell in love with the pillow due to the minky cover from the start. It is incredibly soft to touch, and combined with the plush filling, creates an excellent pillow to lounge around. I agree the cover doesn’t make the best warm weather pillow, and so the cotton blend cover is probably a better go to for year-round use, but it is pretty comforting on cold fall nights.
It really isn’t as versatile as many other full body pillows, but it does make a great pillow to lounge against. I took a page out of our pregnant trial sleepers and I found it to be quite comfortable along the arm of the couch as it provided great arm support, as well as cushioning the lumbar region of my back. Since I often like to work in the living room when my kids are playing, this made for a comfy workstation!
Conclusion
Despite the lack of overall versatility the Pregnancypillow.com Pillow provides, the unique shape and choices offered by the company for your personal comfort are unparalleled within the sleep industry. As a newer design it still remains to be seen whether it can stand the test of time against other long-standing brands, but against our own personal tests, this is a pillow worth checking out.
The wider centered construction is an amazing comfort for both pregnant and non-pregnant bodies alike as it helps support belly and hips respectively. The minky cloth cover choice is a nice touch as well, and the cotton-blend counterpart is equally comforting. Perfect for your choice of belly or back support, the overall shape allows you to choose which side to sleep against depending on your personal needs. Plus, the J-shaped end can be used for shoulder, head, and neck support, or you can turn it around for additional leg and hip support.
Searching for the perfect pregnancy pillow can be a daunting task, but having checked out some of the best in the industry, we feel confident in suggesting for you to take a closer look at Pregnancypillow.com Pillows. Designed specifically for pregnancy support, this pillow also works well for supporting anyone needing a little extra comfort and body contouring through the night.
We particularly liked the choices in covers and the wider center for additional belly or back needs. The extra long shape and flexible curves make it easy to manipulate to meet your specific preferences as well. Even though everybody is different in their needs, reviewing the features and benefits of this particular pillow are worth the time it takes to determine if it’s a good fit for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What sleep position is this best suited for?
Side and Back.
What is the loft?
6 inches.
Will I experience a lot of offgassing?
Minor- should clear off within 24 hours.
Is it organic?
No.
What’s the warranty?
30 days.