Health Professional Review

October 2007

The DreamGenii Pregnancy Support Pillow is designed to aid restful sleep during pregnancy by comfortably supporting the abdomen, back and knees simultaneously, and following birth, can be used as a feeding support pillow.

Efficacy, Relevancy and Practicality

The main objectives of the support pillow are to aid sleeping comfort during pregnancy and following birth as a feeding support pillow. The design does appear to do what the literature says in terms of supporting pregnancy bump, back and knees simultaneously which would significantly increase maternal comfort during the day or night and may contribute to a more restful sleep. Other benefits of comfortable positioning in pregnancy may include assistance with increased blood flow to lower limbs, reducing leg cramps and reducing the incidence of lower back pain.

It is clear to us on examination of this product how the unique shape of the DreamGenii can serve to assist and support mothers choosing to breastfeed. This pillow provides support to mothers back whilst also supporting the arm she uses to hold her baby while feeding. This may reduce the strain often felt by mothers when holding baby for extended periods of time and especially for mothers who may still be recovering from their birthing experience. In our experience if a mother feels comfortable whilst breastfeeding, this will enable her to relax. This relaxed state may have a positive physiological effect on the ‘let down’ process that occurs during breastfeeding, giving mother and baby a more positive and satisfying breastfeeding experience. Mothers choosing not to breastfeed may also find this cushion supportive when positioning baby for feeding.

The pillow is very simple to use and due to its flexible design can be easily positioned to offer comfort to mothers during pregnancy and following birth when feeding baby.

Disposability and Storage

The product has multiple uses and the limited packaging makes it environmentally friendly. The cushion is stored in a reusable bag, which is very positive in terms of being eco friendly.

The soft pillow can be easily folded and placed back into the specially designed reusable storage bag. The storage bag is compact enough for effective storage and can be easily transported from one place to another such as to the hospital with the mother or on a weekend away.

Health, Safety and Quality

The support pillow has a soft white cover, which offers a feeling of cleanliness, and its pattern-less design may make it appealing to a variety of users with different style tastes. A small selection of pillow covers can be purchased separately from the DreamGenii website if so desired. All the materials covering the pillow are machine washable. This is vitally important in terms of good hygiene for any product used for small babies and young children. We have noted that the company producing DreamGenii (Well Pregnancy Products Ltd) have submitted this product to a UK approved testing laboratory and the product does comply with British Safety Standards. The company are also members of The UK based Baby Products Association which offers good practice guidelines when developing and marketing products for Mother & Baby Markets.

We would however recommend that a caution be placed on all marketing material saying clearly that no infant should be left un-attended on this pillow, and that this pillow is not suitable for babies to sleep on.

Value for money

Although our initial thoughts were that this pillow has a fairly extravagant price tag we also realise that following initial expenditure this product can be used many times and for subsequent pregnancies. The dual purpose of the pillow makes this initial expenditure somewhat justifiable, particularly as it does aid a restful sleep. It could be a great buy for doting grandparents.

Consumer marketing communications

There has been an efficient use of literature with this product. The insert in the sleeve of the packaging contains everything a mother needs to know about the pillow. This literature contains clear instructions for use of the product as well as a description of its advantages. There are signposts to the DreamGenii website where additional information can be found including testimonials from mothers who have enjoyed a positive experience from using the pillow. Health Professionals have also provided written support about the DreamGenii pillow. There is a facility on the website for users to contact the company direct with any concerns about the pillow and a customer care service is provided. (Please note our additional comments for marketing material in the health & safety section of this review).

Conclusion

The DreamGenii support pillow is an excellent design, which seems to have effectively helped many mothers in both achieving restful sleep and as an aid and support during feeding. We have also received positive feedback from a number of mums who used the pillows whilst we were reviewing this product. The positive testimonials on the website are believable and demonstrate the efficacy of this product.

We are pleased to award the DreamGenii our POSITIVE REVIEW from the midwives at midwivesonline.com.

Health Professional Product Review Service

Midwivesonline.com Ltd

Jubilee Mill, North Street, Bradford BD1 4EW

www.midwivesonline.com