Throwback Thursday: Softies Nursing Pads Review (If You Breastfeed, You NEED These!)

            Hey, ladies! I don't know about you, but I found it hard to find any nursing pads that were actually worth a damn when I started breastfeeding! It's really annoying to wake up soaking wet every night, amiright? I tried several different brands and types, including some I made, and they just weren't cutting it.
            I was so excited to try out the Softies nursing pads from Fairhaven Health because they looked so soft and, more importantly, absorbent! Now that I'm on my second time around using these, I can tell you they are totally worth the investment! They are big enough to not shift around much at night and hold an incredible amount of milk without leaking. Do yourself a favor and skip trying other brands like I did and go straight for these. You won't regret it!

             Hey breastfeeding mamas! Is there anything worse than leaky boobs? Well, ok, there are a lot of things that are worse, but work with me here. How many times have you woke up in the middle of the night with a wet shirt plastered to you or had an “uh oh” moment in public? Whether you pump or give it to your baby straight from the source, chances are one of these things has happened to you at least once. With that being said, I think we can all agree on the importance of investing in a good quality nursing pad!

             I recently had the chance to try out Softies nursing pads from Fairhaven Health. I've been meaning to make or purchase some more absorbent reusable nursing pads, especially for nighttime, for awhile, so I was more than happy to give them a shot! Softies consist of three layers, the inner layer being microfiber and the layer next to the skin being bamboo rayon, making them nice and thin, but surprisingly absorbent! It should go without saying that they are super soft too! Much softer than any of my other reusable nursing pads.

             There are a couple of things that make Softies especially great for nighttime usage. The first, and most obvious reason, is that they are super absorbent! These blow all of my other nursing pads out of the water. Naturally, Ripley seemed to start a growth spurt right after I started trying these out (in other words, eating more and me leaking less) AND I think my body finally got the message to stop leaking quite so much in general, but I did get to really put them to the test a couple of mornings.

             My worst “leaky times” are the mornings Ripley sleeps through the night. If I don't wake up with wet spots on my shirt, I soak through the pad half of the time on the side I'm not nursing on to start. One morning I had just a teeny tiny spot, but I'm pretty sure that was just due to the pad shifting around some while I slept. (I move around a lot most nights, in all fairness, and I've not had ANY of my pads not move around while I sleep.) Another morning it got pretty soaked on the side I wasn't nursing on, but it didn't make it to my shirt, and that's what counts! I'm pretty sure there were a few times during the day that I actually leaked, but just didn't realize it because these soak so much up!

             The second reason these are perfect for using at night is their size. They're quite a bit bigger than the nursing pads I have seen and tried. I like that they're larger, though, since it provides extra coverage. It gives you extra leeway for shifting in your bra. (Especially if you toss and turn like me. ;) ) You can get a better idea for their size in the pictures below.

This bra is a generic “XL”, so I would say it's roughly between a 38C and 40D since that's about what I wear in “real sizes”.

Most of my nursing pads are about three inches in diameter, so you can see just how big these are.

Other things you should know about Softies:

-They have darts, which I like because they conform better to your bra and there aren't any weird corners sticking out.

-They are very affordable. You can purchase a set of three pairs for just $14.95 on Fairhaven Health. Trust me. They're totally worth the small investment. Plus, think about how much trash you're not making with disposables!

-Unlike a lot of other reusable nursing pads I have seen and currently use, these are machine washable AND you can stick them in the dryer! Since I already hand wash all of my other ones, I did so with these as well so I wouldn't lose them or forget where they were. However, I actually recommend drying them in the dryer, otherwise they take longer than most to air dry.

-One more tip: If you happen to wear the sports bra-like “sleep nursing bras”, you may not want to wear these with them in public. I noticed they were noticeable (how's that for redundancy?) and I definitely do not wear tight fitting shirts! Other than that, you're good to go...I'm also sure this is probably an issue with my other nursing pads, but I've just never paid attention.

             If you're looking for high quality nursing pads, skip the junk and invest in some cost efficient Softies. I wish I had known about these when I first started nursing and was in the super leaky phase. They would have come in so handy!

             You can purchase your own Softies on Fairhaven Health, along with all of their other great fertility, pregnancy, and nursing products. Be sure to stay up-to-date with them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

I was not compensated for this post. I received product in return for my honest opinion, which may differ from your own.