Dreamgenii review: This pregnancy pillow made side sleeping a doddle

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Pregnancy pillows can be great tools for preventing and easing the discomfort that can be part and parcel of any pregnancy, from backache to pelvic-girdle pain and leg cramps.

These pillows can even be used to help you maintain more comfortable, gravity-efficient positions in labour, and can be excellent props for feeding once your little one has arrived.

Founded in 2006, UK company Dreamgenii produces a range of support pillows for pregnancy, breastfeeding and medical assistance. This model has a unique patented design to encourage you to sleep on your left side – which many believe is the optimal sleeping position during pregnancy. Designed to be used from 20 weeks onwards, Dreamgenii says the pillow offers optimised foetal positioning and encourages maximum blood flow between mum and baby.

We tested this pillow for several weeks throughout the third trimester of our pregnancy for left-sided night sleeping, and then continued to use it as a feeding pillow once the baby arrived for exclusive breastfeeding throughout the day and night.

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Rating: 7/10

This pregnancy pillow is made of polyester inner, while the removable covers are 100 per cent jersey material that come in a modern colour palette – plain white, grey marl or beige marl. The covers wash well at 40 degrees, while the pillow itself is hand wash only. Arriving rolled up in a zipped bag with a handle, the pillow can actually be stored quite compactly, despite its size when laid out on a bed.

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The pillow is quite strange to look at – a little like a Tetris piece – and it may take a bit of manoeuvring to work out how best to fit it around your body while sleeping or breastfeeding. If you’re struggling, there’s an instructional video. The longer section of the pillow can either be brought up between your legs for knee and hip support at night, or brought around your bump while sitting. The whole thing can also be used as a feeding pillow, once the baby arrives.

One thing we did note, as a straight-sized UK female, is that the gap in padding in which you lie down is not adjustable, so we are unsure how well it would suit a plus-sized buyer.

If you’re prone to sleeping on your back, it might take a couple of nights to get used to this pillow, but we found that it did indeed help encourage a good left-hand tilt. And it’s more comfortable than it looks – we promise.

The back-support end supports the small of the back when you are on your left-hand side, and definitely helps to prevent rolling, while the bump cushion provides vital support for your stomach. The thin jersey central panel joins the two halves of the pregnancy pillow and keeps it in position, providing additional support under our waist.

We found that the leg support comfortably elevated our upper leg, reducing pressure on our knees, back and bump, which really helped with burgeoning pelvic girdle and lower back pain. The polyester filling, paired with the 100 per cent jersey outer case, was lovely against our skin and made us feel cosy without creating too much heat – a no-go during the final trimester!

After the birth of the baby, we used the pillow as a support for breastfeeding. Like working out how to sleep with the pillow, it took a few goes to figure out the optimum position to get both us and baby latched well. Once it worked, it worked, but if time isn’t on your side, you may want to invest in a more traditional pillow for feeding.

While not the standard shape or size of a pregnancy pillow, the Dreamgenii is a useful support if you’re really struggling or worried about rolling onto your back during the night. It will not only give you peace of mind, but the jersey material and soft inner means you’ll hopefully get a great night’s sleep.

Price-wise, it’s at the higher end of the line for a pregnancy pillow, so may not suit all budgets. Some may argue that a pillow shouldn’t need to come with an instructional video, however, we do think it’s a worthwhile investment.