I was recently contacted by LilyPadz to try out and review their nursing pads. I don't have a baby yet (due in December), but I do plan on breastfeeding and was curious about their silicone pads that stick in place.
The LilyPadz basically suction on, preventing milk flow--not collecting or absorbing it. One side is a bit sticky and you press the pad on, creating slight pressure.
PROS:
*No bra needed! To me, that seems especially great at night when I'll want to sleep without a bra. (FYI: I have also reviewed reusable, cotton pads--which were very soft and comfortable, but would require a bra).
*Invisible under clothes. They aren't bulky, they're clear and they're like a second skin.
*You can wear them while you're swimming
*One pair lasts (supposedly) for 2 months, with proper care
*Reusable: saves money and better for the environment
CONS:
*As far as I can tell, there aren't any. However, I did some research because I am not yet breastfeeding/leaking and wanted to know more about their durability.
*It seems that most people rave about these pads and they work very well. You can't beat no leaking, reusable, invisible pads.
*However, a few reported that they don't handle a huge milk letdown very well (=leakage). I would guess if you're regularly breastfeeding or on a normal schedule, you'd adjust for this or not have this problem at all.
*Also, one person reported they lasted only 1-2 weeks instead of the 2 months suggested. She said the Padz lost a bit of their stickiness, causing a small leak. She cleaned them off and tried them again the next day--worse leakage. Regarding this--she may have not been cleaning them properly to have caused this to happen. ??
The stickiness of the Padz is renewed with washing and you can only use oil free, cream free or lotion free cleansers and
let them air dry. They only take about an hour to dry! My sample of LilyPadz came with a "Lily Wash" but I haven't seen that online... stick with a mild soap and water and you're set!
I'm excited to have them around to try out once the lil boy comes along! They may be just perfect to wear for those special occasions when I don't want a bra or when I need something invisible under my outift. Totally worth it!
You can buy LilyPadz here for $22.95 + S/H.
Sounds interesting.… I may just get some. Do you think it’s worth it?
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Baby Dickey Reply:
October 6th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
I think if they really last for 2 months it’d be worth it… or if they last for a long time if you only use them on special occasion, that’d be nice. That’s probably what I’ll end up doing, ya know when I don’t want to wear a bra or when I have a fancy top on where I need something like this. Then maybe they’ll last longer and would just be really nice to have!
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I got some, and was not that impressed. I stick to my good old cotton ones (homemade – a lot like the pads actually
) When I started talking with other moms about it we reached the conclusion that no, they are not ideal for a heavy letdown. Also, they are not ideal for the bustier woman…
What i discovered was that, since my nipple is not flat (this is a *good* thing though!) it meant that air pockets got inside the lilypadz when I put them on. Milk could then leak into that space, and would then creep out…OR would make a mess when I went to take the lilypad off. Usually though it would creep along and leak out. I discovered that if I did a lot of skin-pulling and manipulating of my nipple/boob as I put the lilypad on, I could get rid of the air pockets…usually…and in those cases I didn’t get leaking. However it was difficult and not very comfortable to get *ALL* of those air pockets…so I basically just gave up on the lilypadz during that first year.
When my son was quite a bit older (like 18m) I found them in the bottom of my drawer and decided to try again. At that point they worked fine, but my milk production was waaaaayyyy down at that point of course!
Honestly, the most effective nighttime option for me (the only braless one) was to wear a tanktop with a little bralet in it, and use that to hold a hand towel or prefold diaper in place to absorb all my leaking…
Wearing a bra (with pads of whatever sort) is somewhat problematic at night, not just for comfort, but because when you’re laying down, especially rolling from one side to the other, your breasts don’t stay in one place…they shift around in the bra (may even fall out of it, depending on how big you are or how low cut the bra is) and movement=doesn’t stay aligned with the pads. So I very much endorse the tanktop/prefold diaper method. Yeah, it looks dorky, but it totally works.
I know women who sleep topless and just lay a towel under themselves and the baby, but I dripped all over and was waking up sticky from neck to navel so i didn’t like that method at all. LOL!!
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