OCCObaby Pregnancy Wedge Pillow for Sleeping Review

The OCCObaby Wedge Pregnancy Pillow for Back Support is, like it says on the tin, a product designed largely to support your growing bump during the less than comfortable third trimester as you sleep. However, given its light, portable and cosy design, it seems like it would be able to play lots of different functions throughout the pregnancy and even to support the baby once they’re born.

Testing the OCCObaby Pregnancy Wedge Pillow for Sleeping

I’m currently a mum of one, 20 weeks pregnant with my second child. During the first pregnancy, my sleep was terrible in the final few months. Between the baby’s nocturnal partying and the very protuberant bump I carried, I remember waking every 45-60 minutes to reposition myself and try to get comfortable to relieve the back pain of the ‘pulling’ bump. I tried using a number of different pregnancy specific pillows that I’d been handed down, and none of them quite did the trick; they were too rounded out to fit comfortably under the bump, too cumbersome and heavy to move around under the thick duvet (I had a February baby so was largest during the winter months), too bulky to take away places with me for work, etc.

The best thing I found to use was just a small normal pillow, either folded in half and wedged under me or, as I grew, shoved under the bump as it was. This was not ideal, as pillows are naturally quite bulky, but it didn’t require any special equipment being lugged around if I wasn’t at home and it was a cheap fix!

My bump obviously hasn’t gotten that big yet (I don’t think I really ‘popped’ until a few weeks further down the line), but I can already see the benefits of this wedge. It’s really light weight and small, so will be easy to roll over with in the middle of the night without causing me any frustration or waking up my husband. It’s obviously shaped like a wedge so follows the contours of your bump. I found the problem with the bigger pregnancy pillows was that I couldn’t properly tuck them under me so I’d end up perching the end of my bump on them while the rest of the weight felt quite unsupported. And I can really easily take it places with me because it’s so compact and comes with a nice bag to put it in. It’s also incredibly easy to take the cover off to clean it.

Since I’m not using it yet in bed, I’ve been using it as a back support at my desk and it’s doubled up in that function well. I’m not sure I’m getting lots from the ‘versatile 2-sided support’ that it is marketed as having – both sides feel largely the same when I am using it despite them supposedly having different foams i.e. one a memory foam and the other a firm foam – but the foam feels generally supportive, if not perhaps a little bit too giving given how weighty the bump is likely to become. Once the baby arrives, I can also imagine using it in their cot to prop them up (rather than finding a way to prop the whole cot up) if they’re gassy and then down the line to encourage their tummy time. In short then, I think it’ll continue to come in useful even once the bump becomes a baby.

Final verdict

I can definitely see that it fills a particular niche, which is all I need it for, though:

1. It obviously isn’t going to be that useful for people who are looking for a pillow that provides a more full-body support given it’s mainly designed just for the bump while sleeping

2. I worry that the foam might not be substantial enough to provide support to my bump once I enter the final stages of pregnancy, though I did find that it almost supported itself in bed by that point (the rough period for it ‘pulling’ while I lay on my side was 30-36 weeks)

3. It is a fairly expensive product. You can’t put a price tag on a good night’s sleep though during the late stages of pregnancy!

FAQs

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