Carrying a baby in your womb for months is not easy on the back and I’d been feeling lower back pains as early as in my fourth month despite a good night’s rest. So after doing some research on maternity pillows, I found a model that had nearly 500 reviews and a 4-star rating on Amazon. The Leachco Back ‘N Belly retailing at US$58.49 with free shipping.

Thanks to W’s 1k status, he was able to lug a suitcase with just that pillow in addition to his other two suitcases from his last U.S. work trip. And thank goodness for our awesome friend, L, who offered her office address (and got weird looks from her coworkers for all the bulky packages that came through) for my online purchases.

The pillow has been a lifesaver so far because I definitely don’t have backaches in the morning anymore. It took a while to get used to the pillow because it is very huge; it takes up at least half of our Asian Queen-sized bed (apparently Asian Queen-size is slightly smaller than US ones) and I try to be very careful when I turn in bed so I don’t take up even more space from W. Fortunately, he seems to love the pillow as much as I do and even tries to persuade me to lie facing away from him so he can hug one side of the pillow.

I think this is definitely a must-buy if you are experiencing back pains during pregnancy. Sleeping on your side is highly recommended and this pillow really helps. Of course, there are others out there and one (also by Leachco) with more positive reviews. Do your research and get one that works for you.