Why this product
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When I decide I was going to breastfeed my son one of the essentials for me was to have good breast pads or nursing pads depending on which term you prefer. The reason you need these especially in the first few months is: as your milk comes in there is often the inevitable leaks. This is especially true if baby has napped longer and is late for a feed or you hear a baby cry and your body responded with the milk. If you have a good breast pad the only person that will know you have had a leak is you rather than having embarrassing patches on your tops for the world to see. I have tried several makes of breast pad and found the Johnson's one to be the best.

What are they?
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The pads come in boxes of either 30 or 60, personally I have only seen 30 boxes at my local supermarkets and Boots so I think the 60 boxes may only be available on the internet. The 30 box is a pale pink color with a picture of a mother and baby on it and all the information about the breast pad on the back. The box opens by pressing the front and lifting the scored flap to reveal two piles of breast pads.

The pads are a white round contoured shape that curves outwards. There is a slight indentation on the part that you wear next to your breast. On the other side there is a sticky for it to attach to your bra.

How to use a Jillycat guide
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To use it is simple put on your nursing bra then drop down one side of your bra as if you were going to feed your baby.
Then place the pad over your breast ensuring that your nipple is sitting in the indentation.
Take of the sticky strip lift up your bra and smooth it over the sticky pad to ensure it's in place.

I find doing it this way means it is more comfortable and in the right place rather than putting the pad into the bra then lifting it up as then adjustments often need to be made and make the sticky less effective.

Features and opinion
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Johnson's claim that the pads have a "Super absorbent core" which is a special polymer designed to pulls & locks moisture away from skin. I have to agree that this seems to work and I have never felt left with a damp feeling next to my skin which has been the case with other makes. The core can hold quite a bit of moisture and is more than able to cope with those initial days when you're engorged and leaking like a sieve.

The breathable protective cover is very comfortable and unlike some makes that have a plastic backing to them you don't end up feeling sweaty. This dryness is useful if you need to keep airflow to your nipples if they have become dry and cracked as this helps with the healing process.

They are designed to be silent, and rustle-free which is great as some of the plastic ones make a noisy rustle and crackling sound if you are holing your baby close or moving around.

The cushiony soft lining really does provide a huge degree of softness & comfort which is very useful on the days when you nipples are sore. It in some ways wearing these feels not dissimilar to wearing a padded bra in my opinion.

The contoured shape makes it look like your wearing a padded bra really. I have noticed that the raised bit in the outside to allow for the nipple indentation on the inside can look a bit strange if you wear a very tightly fitted top. Think cold days and raised nipples and you will have an image of the look that is achieved! As I don't often wear tight tops especially when I was out and about and breastfeeding this was never really proved a big problems or issue for me, but if you like tight tops beware.

The nipple indentation I did find in the early days helped provide my sore breasts and nipples a good degree of comfort and allowed for me to heal gradually whilst still wearing breast pads.

The Non-slip adhesive strip I found to be more than adequate to secure the pad in place either during the day or at night Secures pad in place for confident protection day or night Plus, they didn't wrinkle under your bra like some other brands. This not only helps with their appearance, but also with comfort.


Overall
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A great breast pad that is very comfortable to wear and absorbent. Unlike some brands there is not a sweaty rustle plastic backing that causes problems. The best pad on the market I have been even know to recommend these to people in the supermarket when they are trying to decide which pad to try.

Where from
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These are sold in most supermarkets and chemists the price ranges from £1.74 currently in Tesco to £3.49 in Boots