This post you are reading is a sponsored post but how I wish it was a review. If only I had known about this product when I was pregnant with my daughter! I’d have been begging for one to road-test for My Mummy Reviews but sadly I didn’t know such a product existed when I was expecting my daughter a few years back.So instead of reviewing the product I am going to write a post to introduce you all to it.

I bet you’re all wondering by now what I’m talking about…well, it’s the holo! It’s an ingenious British invention by mumpreneur Emma Benson – an inflatable lilo (airbed) with a hole in it for your pregnancy bump.

The holo will allow all you pregnant mums-to-be out there to once again lay on your tummy. Be that on land or water! This means you shall be able to indulge in a much needed pregnancy back massage, lounge around on your side with bump supported and catch up on the soaps, lay on your tummy whilst you sunbathe on the beach and of course, relax on the holo lilo in the swimming pool on your summer holidays.

The holo is available in pink or blue and it comes in it’s own drawstring bag for you to pack it away in. It can be inflated by mouth or by a foot /electric pump (which you would need to buy separately). If you are planning to take your holo on holiday with you then you may need to know that it weighs approx 1.5kg in it’s box. The dimensions of the inflated pregnancy lilo are 185 x 65 x 18cm (max 21cm at hole) and the diameter of the hole is approx 30cm.

You can use the holo at any stage of your pregnancy and it has been specially designed so that when you have your bump in the hole your hips will sit on the raised rim which will prevent any arching of your back when you are lying on it.  The raised rim is what makes the holo work and it provides support for your back when pregnant.

The holo has two inflatable sections: head and body. If you use the lilo on water then you must always inflate both sections but if you are using it on land you can choose to either inflate both sections or just inflate the body section and use a pillow for your head for more comfort.

Emma has written on the holo website that ‘more and more professionals are realising that lying on your tummy is not just an essential part of getting your baby into optimal position for birth, but quite often a way of relieving aches and pains in the pelvis and allowing total relaxation, which in the build up to birth is often hard to achieve.’ She also says that ‘the holo has revolutionised tummy lying in pregnancy. Midwives, osteopaths, yoga teachers, physiotherapists, obstetricians, all who have seen the holo approve of its use and are amazed nothing like this has been developed before.’ I must agree…. it’s one of those products that you just wish you’d thought of.

I’d like to say well done to  Emma for developing the holo and thank you for taking the time to get the product to market. I have seen from your website that it has taken a good few years for you to finally get the holo just as you’d like but I am 100% sure that any mum who uses one will be grateful to you for putting in all that time and effort. It must have been hard work with you bringing up your family at the same time as launching the holo…you are an inspiration to us all.

You can read the story of how the holo came to be here and if you have a minute then listen to this interview Emma did on BBC Radio Leeds about her invention.

The holo has become a hit with pregnant mums since it was launched in October 2009. Emma has even received celebrity endorsement from Kirsty McCabe from ITV’s Daybreak and Jenni Falconer from This Morning. Kirsty said that ‘The holo was good for getting back massages from my partner in the last few weeks. I have now passed it on to a pregnant friend who loves to sleep on her front and she is very grateful for it” and Jenni sent a tweet saying ‘…Thank you so much! It’s brilliant & I love it! Will be especially handy for sunbathing when it gets hot! X’ .  It’s even been mentioned that Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) used one when she was pregnant and then told everyone how much she liked it on her Heart FM radio show!! How fab is that!

If you would like to read some more reviews and testimonials from mums that have used the holo then you can see them all here. I’ve also found a link to a review written by American mommy blogger ‘In The Know Mom‘. If you read the review you’ll see she loved the holo!

The holo has been reviewed by the ACPWH (Association of Chartered Physiotherapists for Women’s Health) and they have approved it for use at home by pregnant mums who want to lay on their tummies to relax.

Some of Emma’s customers include top obstetrician and founder of the Gentle Birth Method Dr Gowri Motha who bought 10 holos to use in her clinic and Prophysiotherapy (Wimbledon and Earlsfield) who bought a holo to use with their patients.

This is what Prophysiotherapy had to say about their holo:-

“We use it with nearly every pregnant patient now. As health care professionals, finding a comfortable position to treat pregnant women in, can be difficult. The holo solves that problem easily. We can more effectively assess back pain and pelvic pain when they are on their fronts. We love it and recommend other clinics to give it a try.” Peter Mulvey, Director ProPhysiotherapy, MSc MMACP MCSP

If you are reading this post and thinking that you would love to buy yourself a holo then you can buy one from the holo-lilo website. The holo will cost you £39.99 which includes standard uk delivery. You can however choose to have a quicker delivery method, (if only that was possible with the birth of the baby as well!!)  if you really can’t wait to lay down on your tummy once again. The prices can be found on the main page of the holo website. The holo is also available all over the world and you can see the list of worldwide distributors here.

Close to £40 may sound expensive but if you think about the fact you can use it from the moment you are pregnant until the time you give birth then that works out at around £1 a week as you are pregnant for 40 weeks. £1 for a week of being able to lie down on your tummy comfortably sounds like a bargain!

As I already mentioned this is not a review of the holo so I cannot vouch for whether or not I found the holo useful in pregnancy. But I can say one thing….If I do become pregnant again …one thing I shall be wanting from the moment I find it too difficult to lay on my tummy is a holo! It sounds like a very useful product for expectant mums and the fact it can be deflated and taken with you when you go on holiday is excellent. It might be a bit of chore to have to inflate it again but if it gives you a chance to relax in pregnancy then it’s worth every minute …. of asking your partner or friends to inflate it for you! :o)

(Above video is from the Bizzie Baby YouTube channel)

Make sure you follow holo on Twitter and if you have Facebook you must go and ‘Like’ the holo lilo  facebook page. Emma also keeps a blog which is updated with all the latest news and offers about the holo.

If you have any questions about the holo please email Emma at info@holo-lilo.com or call 07786 440392. I’m sure she’d even love it if you just send her a quick email to say congratulations on having had the holo shortlisted in the 2012 lovedbyparents awards for the ‘Best Maternity Product’ and also for being in the final line-up of last year’s 2011 Mumpreneur Awards.

The holo has been featured in Practical Parenting magazine and now on My Mummy Reviews too!

Thanks for reading this post everyone.

* All photos are courtesy of holo-lilo.com