Well, it’s late in the afternoon –too much Tramadol in last night’s pasta sauce I’m afraid– I just woke up to the sad but not unexpected news that Pep Guardiola has chosen not to renew his contract as sexypants manager of futbol juggernaut Barcelona and the mango I just chopped up for breakfast tastes like onion because I gambled on “is this knife clean or dirty” and lost, so I guess now is as good a time as any to admit a deep, dark secret:
I sleep with a stuffed animal.
>Richard Parker, generally referred to simply as “Tiger” (hey, not even we creative types can be creative all the time) is a six foot-long Bengal tiger and my constant bedtime companion for close to two years.
I’ve always eyed with suspicion grown women whose beds are covered with plush bunnies, fuzzy bears and other infantilizing paraphernalia. If you are old enough to afford your own bed, you are old enough to spend the night without Mister Floppers and company. Still, when Tiger came into my life, I knew we were meant to be.
Tiger has served as my go-to body pillow since I first brought him home, adherent to his duties where many other body pillows have failed. He regally bears the indignity of being used as a knee-stabilizer on nights when sleeping on my back is a must, he plays the role of “little spoon” with silent hauteur and when I need a bit of lift to write in bed, he’s got my back, literally. Not bad for being purchased while in a 3 a.m. fugue state in the Hallmark aisle of my local Walgreen’s.
My best friend in the entire universe (“and beyond!” she’d add) is also a body pillow enthusiast. She’s a big girl too but unlike me, is naturally endowed with what is known to medical science as “spectacularly ginormous bazoongas”, so much so that, when unfettered or only slightly battened down via stretch cami, they make sleeping comfortably a serious challenge.
Last year she spoke longingly of some firm looking double-pronged pregnancy pillow she saw in either a Jennifer Aniston or Jennifer Lopez movie where the lead Jennifer was in The Family Way (I don’t know, nor am I interested, in what the movie is called. Best friend though she is, she also has the singularly worst taste in movies of any person I’ve ever met, despite having a Very Impressive Degree in film something or other).
A bit of Google-Fu led me to the Leachco Back ‘N Belly Contoured Body Pillow.
It’s her birthday on Saturday (Happy Birthday, Girl!) and this was my gift. Her initial response was “Oh Girl I ruvs it!” which is always a good sign.
I don’t have one myself, but were my sleeping arrangements other than they are, I would willingly retire Tiger in exchange for something that supported my back, thighs and stomach (my gals are travel-sized so don’t really do much of anything but sit there and tell me when it’s cold).
What about you? Would you wrap yourself in a double-sided body pillow or do you prefer some other method?
prefer to use Nature’s Body Pillow: a man, preferably one with some extra padding for comfort’s sake.
Comment by Margo A — April 27, 2012 @ 5:44 pm
I actually sleep with a body pillow on either side of me already. My husband has gotten so used to it, that when we had a sudden heat wave and the body pillows (and sheets) got evicted from the bed, he had a hard time sleeping because there wasn’t a body pillow next to him. That pillow you bought your friend looks fascinating! I will definitely have to investigate it, as it may be a good replacement for my current body pillows.
Comment by Jennifer K. — April 27, 2012 @ 6:44 pm
I’ve wanted a body pillow since I saw that godawful movie, but I can’t find a cotton one that’s not insanely expensive.
Comment by Bethany — April 27, 2012 @ 7:30 pm
I don’t sleep with a body pillow – or any pillow for that matter. I do, however, have a wonderful and rather hard triangular prism pillow that I use to prop myself up when I read in bed. It was my parents’ 16th birthday present to me and it’s brilliant.
This is probably a really stupid question, but what are body pillows for? I’m also a big girl and I also have “spectacularly ginormous bazoongas”, but it’s never even occurred to me to use one. What kind of benefits do they bring?
Comment by Liz — April 27, 2012 @ 8:57 pm
With bad knees and a bad back, i need a pillow under the knees and/or, between them if on my side. Although the body pillow looks awesome, I think I’d prefer Richard Parker-looks cooler on the bed
Comment by Klee — April 27, 2012 @ 9:40 pm
I’ve been putting little pillows between my knees (which knock) and under my belly (which is in a current state of burgeoning), but my 6’2″ husband gets fussy when there are excessive pillows in the bed, so my basic body pillow comes out for solo naps only. In return, he agrees to be my little spoon and upper leg rest… I like that, “nature’s body pillow.” :)
Comment by KESW — April 28, 2012 @ 12:28 am
I have a body pillow from the company store. It’s ok. It has a twist in the middle, for some high-minded ergonomic reason, but what that really means is that all the feathers make a beeline for the ends and there where I need it the most (my knees) it collapses in disgrace. When I was pregnant and needed it the most I had to shake it out like a million times a night.
I haven’t used it since I had the baby thought (8 months now) because she somehow or other always ends up in our bed and there’s just not room in our bed for three of us AND the pillow without someone being suffocated or pushed out (probably hubs). Now I wrap my comforter around myself and tuck it between my knees. Not as awesome, but better than nothing.
Comment by Rebekka — April 28, 2012 @ 2:56 am
Get a DreamGenii. I think they’re on Amazon. Magic.
Comment by Margaret — April 28, 2012 @ 3:09 am
My bed accessories when the spouse is MIA consist of one nine-pound Brussels griffon and two twelve-inch accent pillows: pillow #1 supports the small of my back while pillow #2 serves as a cuddle bolster/breast rest for me and a butt anchor for the Brussels.
Comment by Desideria — April 28, 2012 @ 8:07 am
I sleep with real-life animals–two dogs–and a human SO. I don’t think that any of the lot of them are good for my back or knees or neck in any way, seeing as they hog both the space and the covers, and they like to drape paws, arms, and legs all over me (The dogs are over 40 lbs a piece). I often wake up stiff and in uncomfortable positions. But the emotional benefits outweigh the physical pains. :)
Comment by wildflower — April 30, 2012 @ 2:02 pm
I own that exact leachco pillow and L.O.V.E. it. my husband is a little bitter that he bought it for my birthday because the pillow gets all my sleepy-time cuddling these days, but my beloved body pillow doesn’t make me hot or roll away when i need it. anyway…
i wanted it because i am a super heavy sleeper and have a tendancy to roll over onto my stomach in the night and don’t notice until i wake up crippled, so i needed something that would not allow me to end up on my stomach ever – works like a charm. worth every penny.
Comment by Liz — April 30, 2012 @ 2:45 pm
I’m another with “s.g.b.”s and I can’t figure out, from the picture, how that pillow is supposed to work. Do you lie on your back in the hollow space? On your stomach? What goes where? If there’s sleep-relief to be found, I’d love to figure this out.
Comment by Nomi — May 2, 2012 @ 9:25 am
@Nomi: It comes with a little booklet on the many different positions you can use with the pillow both lying down and sitting up. If you click on the Amazon link the image section will show you a few.
Comment by Miss Plumcake — May 2, 2012 @ 2:33 pm