Patent Application
20210121367
The present invention relates to neonatal bottles and, more particularly, to breast-like nipples therefor.
Neonates, especially those born prematurely, often experience feeding intolerance with standard bottle nipples. This can cause medical complications and prolonged inpatient stays in the Neonatal ICU.
Moreover, infants who become accustomed to bottle feeding in the first days or weeks of life often refuse to breastfeed because of the functional differences between the breast and the bottle. This refusal is commonly known as “nipple confusion”.
Standard bottle nipples are artificial in their functionality, texture, shape, and size. They require entirely different feeding behaviors on the part of the infant than a human breast does. In addition, standard infant bottle nipples often flow too quickly; flow rates vary widely between different brands of bottle nipples.
As can be seen, there is a need for a bottle that mimics the breast in shape, size, texture, and functionality.
The present invention provides a bottle and nipple therefor that mimics a breast, allowing an infant to control the flow rate of liquid and thereby improving feeding tolerance, particularly for premature or at-risk neonates. It also teaches proper latching and feeding behaviors that will ease the infant's transition to direct breastfeeding, preventing “nipple confusion” or breastfeeding refusal by bottle fed neonates.
In one aspect of the present invention, a baby bottle is provided for improving feeding tolerance and reducing nipple confusion, comprising a substantially cylindrical bottle having a threaded surface on an exterior of one end; a nipple disk configured to mimic a natural breast, comprising an areola portion and a nipple portion with at least one opening; a valve disk having a plurality of openings adjacent to an interior surface of the nipple disk; and a retaining ring having a mating threaded surface to the threaded surface of the bottle; wherein the valve disk is operative to prevent liquid flow until the nipple is elongated to at least a predetermined length.
In another aspect of the present invention, a baby bottle for improving feeding tolerance and reducing nipple confusion, comprising a substantially cylindrical bottle; a nipple disk at a first end of the bottle, configured to mimic a natural breast comprising an areola portion and a nipple portion with at least one opening; and a piston positioned within the bottle and operative to maintain vacuum within the bottle as liquid exits the nipple; wherein the piston is slidably positioned within a second end of the bottle.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description, and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Broadly, one embodiment of the present invention is a baby bottle with nipple configured to mimic a natural breast operatively attached thereto. The liquid flow may be controlled with a valve disk and/or a piston lock.
The inventive bottles may be used with a well newborn when direct breastfeeding alone provides inadequate breastmilk intake. Advantageously, the inventive bottles may prevent infants from becoming accustomed to the unnatural shape, texture, and flow rate of standard infant bottles. The bottles may also be used in the Neonatal ICU setting to promote breastfeeding success during periods when the infant's mother is not present to directly breastfeed.
In some embodiments, the inventive bottle diameter is substantially larger than currently commercially available bottles to accommodate a nipple having an anatomically correct shape.
In some embodiments, a plurality of interchangeable nipple types may be provided. The nipple type may be selected to match the infant's mother's anatomy and appropriate flow range for the child's needs, promoting familiarity with direct breastfeeding. For example, the nipple types may mimick a breast shape such as an everted shape, a flat shape, an inverted shape, and a large (or enlarged) nipple shape and density.
In some embodiments, the inventive bottle further comprises a valve disk to provide stability for the nipple and to prevent flow when the nipple is not extended properly. To allow liquid flow into the space between the nipple and valve disk, the infant may draw the nipple into the mouth as far as the soft palate, releasing the nipple from the valve disk. The valve disk may have a substantially circular shape and may conform to the internal surface of the areola portion of the nipple.
In some embodiments, a piston or piston lock may be provided to release the flow of milk into the reservoir in the tip of the nipple. The piston may also be used to delay flow until the infant is latched and suckling correctly at the nipple or to stop the flow of liquid to the infant at any time. The piston may comprise a substantially cylindrical body and a piston stem. The piston stem may be used to stop the movement of the piston and therefore the liquid flow by pressing the piston stem towards the sidewall of the bottle, i.e., perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bottle.
A retaining ring or lock ring may be provided to secure the nipple and valve disk to the bottle. The ring may be sufficiently tight to form a leakproof seal between the bottle, the nipple, and the valve disk. The retaining ring may be screwed on and may be removed.
In some embodiments, a removable cover may be provided to protect the nipple disk from contamination.
The materials of manufacture are not particularly limited. The nipple may be made, for example, of food-grade silicone. The bottle may be manufactured of any suitable food-grade plastic.
The nipple may be manufactured using any suitable method. For example, the nipple may be molded using three-dimensional (3-D) printed plastic molds. The molding process may be done at about room temperature. The mold design may incorporate an insert to allow easy modification to the inside of the nipple. For example, the insert may be used to create an anatomically correct density. Surface texture features of the nipple, such as “Montgomery Glands” (i.e., protrusions on the breast that look like skin goosebumps), may be manually added to the mold surface, for example, with a Dremel® power operated hand tool. The material thickness may be adjusted in the area supporting the nipple to get proper nipple extension, for example, by adjusting the mold shut height.
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It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 62/925,039, filed Oct. 23, 2019, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62925039 | Oct 2019 | US |
