Earth MamaBooby Tubes | Gel-Free Hot & Cold Compress Nursing Packs for Breastfeeding & Tender Breasts, 4.2-Ounce

I struggled through the early days of nursing with painful, plugged ducts from overproduction. Even with regular pumping/nursing, it easily led to mastitis - sometimes as frequent as bi-weekly. Initially, I attempted to treat it with homemade hot compresses, but the hot water soaked rags left me stuck in one place, constantly needed reheating, were quite messy, and not exactly discrete when you have company. This meant I wasn't doing them as often as I should have.. worsening the problem.The booby tubes (LOL the name..) allowed me to have all the heat with none of the water/mess. Unlike many other compresses, they are also free of plastic and toxic inserts, which is important to me. Booby tubes are filled with flax seeds, which have natural oils that trap heat when warmed. The "tubes" also allow you to shape the compress as needed, and it fits well within a bra. With a slightly flowy shirt, I've found you can easily use these out and about or with company in the house -- which means you can stay on your regular schedule to fight plugged ducts when they strike.Two small downsides...1- When heated, they can sometimes form hot spots. I found just giving them a good shake or quick massage after taking them out of the microwave solved the issue.2 - These are not washable (again, because they are filled with flax seeds; which is a good thing!), so just be careful you are leaking any milky while using them : ) I found the best "plugged duct fighting routine" was to take a hot shower, nurse/pump, and then use the hot compress between feeds after emptying.

Great product. Wish I had this when my other 2 children were born. With my second, I ended up having mastitis 2 weeks apart from each other on the same side. After the second time, I gave up nursing and went to bottles. My babies seem to not like that side, they have to nurse harder on that side. So before this baby was born, I was determined not to get that again! I bought 2 sets of these. When you put them in the microwave, be sure not to get them too hot. It didn't seem too hot to the touch, but when I put them on, they were too hot to that sensitive skin. I ended up burning myself. I found that putting a small hot washcloth on first and then put the heated thing on, it works better than if you just put it on dry. I secured it in place with my nursing bra. So whenever I feel really hard spots on my breasts, I get paranoid and get these out. I also used them cold. My 5 yr old son had tonsils surgery and I tried to use the cold ones on him. They wrapped around his neck like a necklace. They would have worked great if he would have kept them on for longer than a second! They were not too cold even after I left them in the freezer for several hours.

Really helps with the pain and the milk flow. Very soft an comfy to wear

I've used these with two children. With my first child, I used these periodically mostly around the two bouts of mastitis that I had. With my second child, I use them consistently and I haven't had any issues with mastitis so far.With both of my children, I went through long stretches of pumping exclusively so I know exactly how much I produced during each session. I have an average supply, and WITHOUT using Booby Tubes I was able to manually express about 1 ounce after each pumping. WITH Booby Tubes on the breast (warm during pumping), I consistently got a much better yield and when I manually express at the end of my pumping session, there's very little milk left in the breast -- nothing measurable. They also help me relax while I pump which probably helps my yield too. So based on my experience, this product helps empty the breast.I have used Booby Tubes cold as well, and they're much less intense than a traditional ice pack.Unfortunately, I haven't found a use for them when I'm done breastfeeding, and I can't pass them on to someone else for hygienic reasons, but I'm grateful for them now, would recommend them, and would buy them again.

I ordered these when engorgement made my already large breasts boulder-like (both in size and texture!). While I appreciate the general concept, I had some issues with them that relegated them to the deep freeze.My main issues were:1. Like another reviewer, I thought that these would somehow fit and stay on. OK, I didn't think that one through, because now I am not sure how that would work. But it would be terrific. They worked OK by slipping them into my bra, but this wasn't great for me.2. They are really floppy, and feel underfilled.3. Related to point #2, the temperature (hot or cold) never lasted long for me. I tried them as hot packs to ease engorgement, but they didn't stay hot for long. I ended up using a larger, thicker flax heating pad (I used to drape this over my shoulder/neck for neck and shoulder pain) draped over the breasts. I put the tubes in the freezer to ease pain, but they didn't stay cold long enough for my needs, either.4. They were small for my breasts (K cup - the size, not the coffee things!). I did expect this, mind you. It wasn't a dealbreaker, just something to know.On the positive side, they are versatile. I used them to heat my toes (on top of my toes, in socks), elbow, etc. They are also well made and feel like quality items. The design could use a little tweak.

I love how soft and comfortable these are. I just wish they got a little bit colder and held that coldness!