bbhugme vs Purflo Breathe Pregnancy Pillow: The £54 One Runs Cooler, the £127 One Reshapes Every Trimester

COMPARISON · PARENT CARE

Somewhere around 20 weeks, sleep stops being something that just happens. You are told to settle on your side, your hips start to ache, your bump wants propping up and a regular pillow between your knees keeps escaping onto the floor at 3am. That is the moment most people start shopping for a pregnancy pillow, and two names come up again and again: the bbhugme Pregnancy Pillow and the Purflo Breathe.

On paper they solve the same problem. In practice they are built on opposite ideas. The bbhugme is a long tube of fine microbeads with two sliding "pebbles" that let you tighten or loosen it, so the same pillow can be soft and wrappable in month five and firm and supportive in month eight. The Purflo Breathe is a fixed, pre-shaped pillow with a breathable 3D mesh panel down the middle, designed to keep you cooler and give firm support straight out of the bag.

The price gap is big. The bbhugme sits at around £127 in our channels (RRP £159), while the Purflo Breathe is around £54 and sometimes on offer from £38. So the real question is not "which is better" but "what does the extra £70 or so actually buy you, and do you need it?"

We pulled together what parents tell us about both pillows, checked the specs side by side and looked at how each one copes with the bits nobody mentions in the product photos: washing, overheating, rolling over in the night and what happens to the pillow once the baby arrives.

Lil' Bubba's verdicts

• Best Overall: bbhugme Pregnancy Pillow · 8.5/10 - adjustable firmness that genuinely changes with your body, and it carries on as a feeding pillow
• Best Value and Best for Hot Sleepers: Purflo Breathe Pregnancy Pillow · 8.0/10 - firm, well-shaped support with a mesh panel that runs cooler, for well under half the price

Quick comparison

	bbhugme Pregnancy Pillow	Purflo Breathe
Rating
Typical price	Around £127 (RRP £159)	Around £54 (offers from £38)
Fill	Ultra-fine microbeads	Fibre fill with central 3D spacer mesh panel
Firmness	Adjustable via two sliding pebbles	Fixed, on the firm side
Shape	Long tube, mould into C, U, L or I	Pre-shaped body pillow with curved ends
Size and weight	About 140-145cm long, roughly 2kg	Full body length, roughly 1.5kg
Cover	Organic cotton, machine wash at 40°C	Jersey cotton, machine wash at 40°C, low tumble dry
After birth	Feeding pillow, back support	Back support, feeding cushion, lounging
Extras	Travel and storage bag included	None

How we picked these two

Both pillows are among the most added pregnancy pillows on BubsNest registries, both are stocked by UK retailers we work with, and both come up again and again when parents ask us which pillow to buy. We compared official specs, checked live prices and stock, and gathered feedback from parents who used each one through the second and third trimesters. We have not been paid by either brand, and the ratings reflect what parents tell us rather than what the box promises.

What to look for in a pregnancy pillow

Support where you actually ache. Most people want three things at once: something under the bump, something between the knees to keep the hips level, and something behind the back so you do not roll flat. A good pillow handles at least two of those without you rebuilding it every time you turn over.

Firmness that matches your stage. Early on, a squashy pillow feels lovely. Later, when there is more weight to hold up, soft pillows collapse and stop doing their job. Either buy firm from the start or buy something adjustable.

Heat. Pregnancy makes many people run hot, and wrapping yourself in a big fibre-filled tube can make that worse. Look for breathable covers or mesh panels if you already sleep warm.

Washability. You will be living with this pillow for months. A removable, machine-washable cover is non-negotiable. Check whether the inner can be cleaned too.

Bed space and partner tolerance. Full U-shaped pillows take over half a double bed. Tube and C-shaped pillows are easier to share a bed with.

Life after birth. Some pillows become a feeding pillow or back support, which makes a higher price easier to swallow. Others end up in the loft.

1. bbhugme Pregnancy Pillow / 10 · Best for changing support needs

The bbhugme was developed by a group of Norwegian chiropractors who specialise in pregnancy care, and it shows in the thinking. Rather than guessing how firm you will want your pillow, it lets you decide night by night. Inside the organic cotton cover is a long tube of ultra-fine microbeads. At each end sits a silicone "pebble" that you slide along the tube. Push the pebbles in and the beads pack together, making the pillow shorter and firmer. Slide them out and it becomes longer, softer and easier to wrap around yourself.

That one feature is why parents rate it so highly. A pillow that feels perfect at 18 weeks often feels like a deflated balloon at 34 weeks. With the bbhugme you simply firm it up. It moulds into a C, a U, an L or a straight line, so it can sit between your knees, tuck under your bump, prop your back or all three at once. After the birth the same pillow wraps round your waist as a feeding pillow, which is where a lot of the cost starts to make sense.

What parents love

• Firmness you can change. The pebble system is the headline. One parent told us: "I don't feel like I'm fighting to keep it in the position I need. I just tighten it a bit more each month."
• It holds its shape. Microbeads mould round you and stay put, rather than springing back like fibre. Parents with hip and pelvic pain say it keeps their knees apart all night.
• A genuine second life. It works as a feeding pillow and back support after birth, so it is not just a three-month purchase.
• Easy to keep clean. The organic cotton cover goes in the wash at 40°C, the inner wipes down and the pebbles can go in the dishwasher. A travel and storage bag is included.

What to know before you buy

• The price. At around £127 it is more than double the Purflo. It only pays off if you use the adjustability and keep using it after birth.
• The cover is fiddly. Getting a long cover back over a bead-filled tube is a two-person job for many, and harder still with a big bump. A parent shared: "Washing the cover is easy. Putting it back on is a workout."
• Not a head pillow. At around 20cm high it does not replace your normal pillow, and the bead feel takes a night or two to get used to if you are used to fibre.

Best for

• Anyone with pelvic girdle pain or hip pain who needs firmer support as the weeks go on
• Parents who plan to breastfeed and want one pillow for pregnancy and feeding
• People who share a double bed and want a slimmer tube rather than a giant U
• Second-time parents who already know a soft pillow will not last the distance

2. Purflo Breathe Pregnancy Pillow / 10 · Best for hot sleepers

Purflo has built its name on breathable sleep products, and the Breathe brings that thinking to pregnancy. Rather than a plain sausage, it is a pre-shaped body pillow with a central panel of 3D spacer mesh, the same open, springy material you find in breathable cot bumpers and sports shoes. The idea is simple: the part of the pillow that touches the most of your body lets air through, so you do not end up lying against a hot, damp wall of fibre.

The top and bottom are curved to cradle your head and support your hips, knees and ankles, and the whole pillow is generously stuffed, so it feels firm and supportive from the first night. There is nothing to adjust, which is either a plus or a minus depending on how you sleep. The cover is soft jersey cotton, it goes in the washing machine at 40°C and can be tumble dried on low, which is handy when you are washing things more often than usual.

What parents love

• It runs cooler. The mesh panel is the reason most people choose it. We hear repeatedly from parents that it is the first pregnancy pillow they did not kick off the bed by morning.
• Firm from day one. Thick stuffing means it supports properly in the third trimester. One parent with pelvic pain put it best: "It's firm and keeps my legs lined up with my hips, so I don't wake up sore."
• Great value. At around £54, and sometimes less on offer, it delivers most of what a premium pillow does for well under half the price.
• Easy care. Machine-washable cover that can go in the tumble dryer on low, and a soft jersey feel that parents describe as silky.

What to know before you buy

• No adjustment. If you find it too firm early on, or want it firmer later, there is nothing you can do about it.
• It will not stop you rolling. The shape supports one side well, but it does not wedge you in, so back-rollers may drift off it during the night.
• Bulky to move. It is lighter than the bbhugme on the scales, but its full-body shape makes turning over with it a bit of a manoeuvre.

Best for

• Anyone who already sleeps hot, or is pregnant through the summer
• Parents who want firm support without spending over £100
• People who like a pillow that is ready to use straight out of the bag, with no fiddling
• Using afterwards as a back support or lounging cushion on the sofa

Head to head: where the extra £70 goes

Support. Both are firm enough for the third trimester. The difference is control. The bbhugme lets you go from soft to firm in seconds, while the Purflo is firm and stays that way. If you are not sure what you will need, the bbhugme is the safer bet.

Heat. The Purflo wins. The mesh panel makes a real difference for warm sleepers. The bbhugme's microbeads let a bit of air move and the organic cotton cover helps, but it is still a dense tube wrapped round your body.

Bed space. The bbhugme is slimmer and more flexible, so it is easier to share a bed with. The Purflo is more of a full-body pillow and takes up a little more room.

After the birth. Both can be used afterwards, but the bbhugme works as a proper feeding pillow, wrapped round your waist and firmed up to the right height. The Purflo is better as a back cushion than a feeding pillow.

Cost per month of use. If you only use a pregnancy pillow for four or five months, the Purflo is much better value. If the bbhugme replaces a separate nursing pillow and you use it for a year, the gap narrows considerably.

What about the Dreamgenii?

The Dreamgenii is another well-known pregnancy pillow with a distinctive shape that props the bump and back at the same time. We do not currently stock it through our retail partners, so we have not included it here. If you are weighing up other shapes, our Purflo Luna vs SnuzCurve comparison covers the sculpted bolster and foam knee-blade styles, and our pregnancy pillows by budget guide looks across the price range.

How to choose

Choose the bbhugme Pregnancy Pillow if you have hip or pelvic pain, expect your support needs to change as your bump grows, plan to breastfeed and want one pillow to see you through pregnancy and feeding, or share a bed and need something slim. It costs more, but it is the more versatile pillow by some distance.

Choose the Purflo Breathe Pregnancy Pillow if you run hot, want firm support from the first night without any adjusting, and would rather spend the difference on something else for the nursery. For most people who just want a better night's sleep in the last few months, it does the job brilliantly.

Add it to your Nest

A pregnancy pillow is one of the most popular things for friends and family to buy, especially for a baby shower or a second-trimester treat. Add your favourite to your free BubsNest registry so the people who want to help know exactly which one you would love, and you can compare prices across retailers in one place.