BREASTFEEDING PILLOW
A breastfeeding pillow allows easier and more comfortable breastfeeding. The breastfeeding pillow includes a back portion, a side portion, and a laying portion. The back portion is wider at the bottom than at the top. The side portion is of a trapezoidal shape and is thicker toward the back. The laying portion has a raised sub-portion and a flat sub-portion, and has a concave side to fit the woman's waist. The side portion and the laying portion are connected to the back portion in a temporary fashion using elastic straps.
1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to an adjustable breastfeeding pillow, designed to allow a woman to breastfeed an infant in a comfortable position, the pillow having a side portion and a laying portion, said two portions being connected to a back portion using elastic straps.
2. Description of the Related Art
Breastfeeding pillows lift infants closer to a woman's breast, and put a woman in a more ergonomic position, so that she may breastfeed more comfortably and with less muscle strain.
Currently, most breastfeeding pillows available on the market are U-shaped, a design which provides no support for the woman's back. Of the breastfeeding pillows that do provide back support, said support is incomplete, coming only partially up the back.
Furthermore, most breastfeeding pillows available on the market are of a fixed size. As both women and infants come in a wide variety of sizes, fixed-size breastfeeding pillows do not always fit the woman properly, and do not always lift the infant to a position where the infant's mouth comes close enough to the breast. This makes these pillows uncomfortable or even useless in assisting breastfeeding for some women and infants.
A breastfeeding pillow which provides complete back support, and which is flexible enough to accommodate women and infants of different sizes, is therefore desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONWhile not limited thereto, an embodiment of the invention is directed to a breastfeeding pillow comprising a laying portion, which supports an infant and one or both forearms of a woman breastfeeding the infant; and a back portion, which supports a back and a neck of the woman.
According to an aspect of the invention, the breastfeeding pillow may further comprise a first strap which connects the side portion to the back portion.
According to an aspect of the invention, the first strap may be elastic.
According to an aspect of the invention, the first strap may attach to the side portion and the back portion using a hook-and-loop fastener.
According to an aspect of the invention, the breastfeeding pillow may further comprise a side portion, which supports an elbow of the woman.
According to an aspect of the invention, the breastfeeding pillow may further comprise a first strap which connects the side portion to the back portion; and a second strap which connects the laying portion to the back portion.
According to an aspect of the invention, the first strap and the second strap may be elastic.
According to an aspect of the invention, the first strap may attach to the side portion and the back portion using a hook-and-loop fastener, and the second strap may attach to the laying portion and the back portion using a hook-and-loop fastener.
According to an aspect of the invention, the back portion may be of a rectangular shape, and may be wider across the bottom than across the top.
According to an aspect of the invention, a filler material within the back portion may comprise an elastic material.
According to an aspect of the invention, the filler material within the back portion may comprise medium density foam.
According to an aspect of the invention, the side portion may be of a curved trapezoidal shape, and may be higher and wider across the back than across the front.
According to an aspect of the invention, a filler material within the side portion may comprise low density foam pads.
While not limited thereto, another embodiment of the invention is directed to a breastfeeding pillow comprising a laying portion, which supports an infant and one or both forearms of a woman breastfeeding the infant, the laying portion comprising a raised sub-portion and a flat sub-portion.
According to an aspect of the invention, a side of the laying portion may be concave.
According to an aspect of the invention, a filler material within the laying portion may comprise foam flakes.
Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
Although specific terms may be employed and specific embodiments may be described herein, they are used as examples only and not for purposes of limitation. Additionally, unnecessary details and additional embodiments of the present invention that may be appreciated by those skilled in the art will not be described, or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
According to an aspect of the invention depicted in
In at least one embodiment, straps 11 and 12 may be elastic in nature and may be stretched from sixty (60) centimeters to ninety-five (95) centimeters; the elasticity allows accommodation of women of different sizes. Specific elastic materials, which these straps may comprise, are well known to those of skill in the art and will not be elaborated on further. Straps 11 and 12 may also be of eight (8) centimeters in width. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that straps 11 and 12 need not be elastic, and that the measurements for straps 11 and 12 may be adjusted without departing from the scope of the invention.
The methods of attaching straps 11 and 12 to back portion 20, side portion 30, and laying portion 40 are numerous and exist in the art, and may include, but are not limited to, both temporary methods such as hook-and-loop fasteners (“Velcro”), zippers, buttons and button holes, buckles, and clips; and permanent methods such as stitching, glue, screws, and bolts, or any combination of the above. In at least some embodiments, straps 11 and 12 may be interchangeable with each other. In at least some embodiments, only one strap 11 is used, and directly connects side portion 30 to laying portion 40 without the back portion 20 in between.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that straps 11 and 12 may be omitted, and back portion 20, side portion 30, and laying portion 40 need not be physically connected at all, without departing from the scope of the invention.
The material covering the back portion 20, side portion 30, and laying portion 40 may comprise any of numerous materials well known to those of skill in the art, and will not be elaborated on further.
According to an aspect of the invention depicted in
In the aspect of the invention depicted in
In at least one embodiment, the back portion 20 is filled with elastic material that compresses when an external force is applied and restores to its original shape when said external force is removed. Said material is not limited and may be appreciated by those skilled in the art, but can be medium density foam, among other materials.
According to an aspect of the invention depicted in
In the aspect of the invention depicted in
The material filling the side portion 30 is not limited and may be appreciated by those skilled in the art, but can be low density foam pads, among other materials.
According to an aspect of the invention depicted in
In the aspect of the invention depicted in
In at least one embodiment, the laying portion 40 is filled with a material that allows the laying portion 40 to flex and bend around solid objects and hold its shape until flexed back. Said material is not limited and may be appreciated by those skilled in the art, but can be foam flakes, among other materials.
In the aspect of the invention depicted in
The laying portion 40 may also be used to lay the infant face-down for rest or for burping purposes. The back portion 20 may also be used for back support in non-breastfeeding situations.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any one of the back portion 20, side portion 30, and laying portion 40 may stand alone, apart from the other portions, as useful to the primary goal of the invention, which is to provide a more comfortable breastfeeding experience for the woman and/or the infant.
Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A breastfeeding pillow comprising:
- a laying portion, which supports an infant and one or both forearms of a woman breastfeeding the infant; and
- a back portion, which supports a back and a neck of the woman.
2. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 1, further comprising a first strap which connects the side portion to the back portion.
3. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 2, wherein the first strap is elastic.
4. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 3, wherein the first strap attaches to the side portion and the back portion using a hook-and-loop fastener.
5. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 1, further comprising a side portion, which supports an elbow of the woman.
6. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 5, further comprising:
- a first strap which connects the side portion to the back portion; and
- a second strap which connects the laying portion to the back portion.
7. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 5, wherein the first strap and the second strap are elastic.
8. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 6, wherein the first strap attaches to the side portion and the back portion using a hook-and-loop fastener, and the second strap attaches to the laying portion and the back portion using a hook-and-loop fastener.
9. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 1, wherein the back portion is of a rectangular shape, and is wider across the bottom than across the top.
10. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 1, wherein a filler material within the back portion comprises an elastic material.
11. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 10, wherein the elastic material within the back portion comprises medium density foam.
12. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 5, wherein the side portion is of a curved trapezoidal shape, and is higher and wider across the back than across the front.
13. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 5, wherein a filler material within the side portion comprises low density foam pads.
14. A breastfeeding pillow comprising a laying portion, which supports an infant and one or both forearms of a woman breastfeeding the infant, the laying portion comprising a raised sub-portion and a flat sub-portion.
15. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 14, wherein a side of the laying portion is concave.
16. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 14, wherein a filler material within the laying portion comprises foam flakes.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 30, 2013
Publication Date: Jun 6, 2013
Applicant: MOMMY VICKY, LTD. (Beer Sheeva)
Inventor: MOMMY VICKY, LTD. (Beer Sheeva)
Application Number: 13/754,440
International Classification: A47D 13/00 (20060101);