This is another area that was a complete unknown to me before I had children. Now I'm on my gorgeous baby number 3 however and have breastfed all three so me and breast pads have become rather well aquainted. I have tried most of the different brands and varieties and to be completely honest have most rather disappointing.

A breast pad is an absorbant pad worn within the bra. They would be worn while breastfeeding and are particularly essential in the first few months. Leakages occur regularly and it is not all that nice to be out and about and all of a sudden you have two saucer sized wet patches on your front. Breast pads prevent this from happening and instead any excess liquid is soaked up by the pads.

To begin with I tended to use the disposable pads but I wasn't all that impressed with them. No matter how soft they felt to the touch, when you put them in the bra, they felt itchy and uncomfortable. They seemed to get soggy very quickly and I just hated them. I searched around for an alternative and decided to buy a pack of these Avent Washable Breast Pads from my closest branch of mothercare. A pack containing 6 cost a reasonable £4.99.

These pads are made from a soft cotton and are machine washable and you can also dry them in the tumble drier. They do feel really thick and have to admit that I was a little conscious that they could be seen through my clothes but after a few washes they seemed to slim down and I would now wear them with any top.

They are just so much more comfortable to wear than the disposible variety. I actually can't feel them when I am wearing them, they just slot in and I can forget about them, with no itching or irritation. The only downside compared to the disposible is that they obvious don't have the adhesive strip to keep them in place. You just have to remember you have tham when feeding otherwise them could just fall out.

This doesn't bother me and it is definately worth it for the comfort. I intend to but a couple more boxes and use just these in the future.