When I unearthed my brestfeeding supplies for my new baby I found a lot of washable breast pads I bought seven years ago when nursing my son.
It reminded me that back then I never found the nursing pad of my dreams: washable, leakproof, thin, soft, and not too expensive.
Seven years ago I dutifully followed the advice not to use pads with a waterproof backing, but I have a very fast let down and a lot of milk, and I always leaked through (including once, embarassingly, at work). Once I decided to abandon that advice and purchase ones with waterproof backing I found only ones that made it look like I had saucers in my shirt. I considered wool, but I've never been able to wear wool without getting some skin irritation. Disposables worked, but if we were cloth diapering didn't it make sense to use washable pads? And the kinds they had back then looked, as one mom told me, like I had oatmeal cookies in my bra.
I'm sure that most people do just fine with soft cotton pads. But they just don't work for me.
I began the search again when my daughter arrived, and was happy to find that, as is the case in so many baby products, there have been some great improvements since 2003. The one that I'm the most happy about is the use of PUL fabric. It's the same stuff used on a lot of cloth diaper covers, and it's really working for me. It's waterproof and flexible and thin. The other improvements have been in the types of fabrics used; now you can find bamboo, hemp, and silk, all of which are quite absorbent.
The pads to the right,* which are made by Bamboobies, work really well at preventing leaks, are cute, and are super, super soft. They're made with organic bamboo fabric, hemp, and a PUL backing. And the heart shape contours nicely so they don't show through my shirts. They also make overnight bamboo sets without PUL which are thicker and also incredibly soft.
I also tried pads with PUL made by Knicker Nappies, which were not quite as soft but also very leak-proof. They're larger and thicker (maybe a little too thick for me, tending to bunch up around the outer edges), and made with a microfleece outer layer and a hemp inner layer. I use them when I'm out in the morning, when my supply is especially high, or when I'm going to be nursing a long time straight (like through the baby-friendly movie I'm seeing today!)
In the end I bought a bunch of pads with PUL (picture to the left) made by a stay at home mom who sells them on eBay. They're very thin, with an outer PUL layer and inner layers of cotton, with a flannel top layer. They aren't as soft as Bamboobies, but they do the trick, and at $2 a pair and very cheap shipping they fit the bill. She'll also add extra layers up on request.
Not everyone needs this kind of protection, but if you do it's nice to know that there are some good options out there.
* All pads mentioned here were purchased by me with the exception of those made by Bamboobies.
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