Privacy Nursing Pillow

Abstract

A nursing pillow that provides support and privacy to a mother and her infant while nursing in a seated position. The case of the pillow has three collapsible panels sewn-in around its perimeter—one of which runs lengthwise while the other two extend perpendicularly from its ends on either side in a widthwise manner. These panels can be raised and secured with a fastening mechanism in order to create a three-sided barrier around the perimeter of the pillow providing the mother and infant privacy when used during nursing. The inner support structures of the panels providing rigidity can be removed from the fabric panels of the pillow case in order for the case to be washed. The pillow case can fit any standard-sized pillow and, when removed from the pillow, can be folded in on itself to minimize its footprint for easy portability.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to nursing pillows.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Experts tend to agree that breast milk provides infants with a unique source of nutrition that cannot be perfectly supplemented by infant formula. Numerous studies have demonstrated that breast milk provides benefits over formula in terms of infant health, immunity, and development. Breastfeeding is also shown to provide benefits to nursing mothers including weight-loss from the additional caloric demands of producing the milk. Breast milk is also far cheaper than having to purchase infant formula and provides mothers with an additional economic incentive. Furthermore, the act of breastfeeding is often regarded as a crucial opportunity for developing a strong bond between mothers and their infants. For such reasons, it is understandable why many mothers aspire to breastfeed.

Despite the potential advantages of breastfeeding, many mothers may either choose not to breastfeed or quit breastfeeding sooner than they'd like to. One of the reasons for this is that breastfeeding is typically regarded as a much more time intensive and inconvenient process when compared to bottle feeding formula. One of such inconveniences experienced by mothers pertains to nursing an infant in public or in front of family members and friends. Breastfeeding, particularly in the earlier months of an infant's life, is required in frequent intervals. During this time, new mothers typically receive many visits from friends and family, which can overlap with feeding times. In such cases, a mother must either nurse in front of her guests or hosts—or if she does not wish to—locate a secluded area requiring her to leave the gathering. Breastfeeding in front of others can cause discomfort for the mother and for others in her proximity since it is difficult to conceal the exposed breast while feeding an infant.

Various products have been designed to try and address the issue of providing a breastfeeding mother with some privacy. Many of these involve a canopy or apron-like device that suspends over the mother's shoulders and covers the mother's frontal region and the infant during feeding. Such designs include U.S. Pat. Nos. 303,995; 5,893,171; and 5,090,059. A primary drawback of such designs is that a mother's view can be obstructed where such a view can be crucial in order to help the infant successfully latch, and remain latched, to the breast. Another concern is that there may not be adequate ventilation for the infant leading to their discomfort and a poorer quality feed. Furthermore, there is a risk that such designs may not be secure and may have a tendency to slip or shift with a squirmy and grabby infant which may reveal the nursing mother. Additionally, such designs do not provide the feeding mother with an included means of supporting their child while using them.

Nursing mothers often find breastfeeding to be done most comfortably while seated with their infants supported on their laps or in their arms. Many products exist that attempt to provide a more comfortable experience during such seated feeds by providing support to the infant and mother. Such designs include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,763,539; 6,061,854; and 5,581,833. These designs typically involve some sort of pillow-like product to provide support to the infant, however, they do not include a means of providing privacy to the mother.

Several designs were found that attempt to solve the issue of providing support while also providing privacy. U.S. Pat. No. 2006/0101579 has a fabric privacy skirt sewn in but lacks adequate coverage while U.S. Pat No. 7,657,955 and 8,418,295 both include fabric privacy covers that will obstruct a mother's view of the infant. None of these designs sufficiently address the issues that the applicant's invention alleviates.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns a nursing pillow that provides support and privacy to a nursing mother and her infant while in a seated position. The pillow case can fit over any standard-size pillow and has three fabric panels sewn-in around three sides of its perimeter—one being positioned lengthwise while the other two are positioned widthwise. The panels can be raised and secured to each other by way of a fastening mechanism, such as hook-and-loop fasteners, in order to create a stable barrier between the nursing mother and the outside of the panels.

Within this established perimeter, the infant is able to lie on the pillow with access to its mother's breast with ample space and overhead ventilation. The mother is also able to view her nursing infant without any obstruction allowing her to ensure a successful latch is maintained while providing her the opportunity to make adjustments to the infant's position as necessary. The panels are configured to have a height sufficient to cover at least the region of her upper chest to allow feeding in privacy.

Each panel has a support panel insert within it that can be removed in order to machine wash the fabric case. The support panel inserts will be composed of a sufficiently rigid yet flexible material, such as polyester felt board, to ensure that the panels maintain their structural integrity when erect and secured to each other. The fabric of the pillow case and the panels will be washable in addition to being safe and comfortable for the infant. This may include a cloth made from a natural fiber such as cotton or a synthetic fiber such as polyester, or a blend thereof. The portion of the pillow case within the inside perimeter of the panels may be reinforced with additional layers of fabric, such as quilted padding and a waterproof membrane, to provide additional protection to the pillow beneath it in the event of infant spit-ups or other messes.

When removed from the pillow, the pillow case can be folded in on itself to reduce its size for portability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an overhead perspective view of the invention with the panels collapsed away from the center of the pillow prior to nursing.

FIG. 2 is an overhead perspective view of the invention with the panels erected and secured to each other during nursing.

FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of the invention from the side with the panels erected and secured.

FIG. 4 is an overhead perspective view of the invention with the panels collapsed inward towards the center of the pillow after nursing.

FIG. 5 is an overhead perspective view of the invention with the pillow removed and the panels collapsed and fully folded-in on each other.

The drawings will be described in further detail in the section below. Further, these drawings are meant for illustrative purposes only and the dimensions and geometries can vary from those illustrated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates an overhead view of the mother in a seated position with the invention resting on her lap. The infant is placed and supported on the surface of the pillow case (D) within the perimeter created by the panels (A-1, A-2, B-1, and B-2). In this configuration with the panels collapsed, the mother can position the pillow and infant in preparation for breastfeeding. Once ready, the mother can begin erecting the panels. Panel A-1 will secure to panel B-1 using fastening mechanism C-1. Similarly, panel A-2 will secure to panel B-2 using fastening mechanism C-2. Once the panels are raised and secured as shown in FIG. 2, the mother will be ready to begin nursing. In this case, a three-sided perimeter will be established around the mother and her infant with a height sufficient enough to cover her exposed breast(s), but not her face, from those seated in her proximity. This will provide the nursing mother with privacy to feed her infant without exposing herself to those in her proximity. The infant is provided with ample ventilation and the mother's view of the infant remains unobstructed. The pillow within the pillow case provides the infant with support and allows the seated mother to use both hands if necessary in order to maintain or correct the infant's position, or her breast, to ensure that an adequate latch is maintained throughout the feed.

In order to provide the panels (A-1, A-2, B-1, and B-2) with rigidity, a support panel insert can be found within them. These support panel inserts are enveloped by the exterior fabric layer of each sewn-in panel and are not visible in the figures. The support panel inserts can be removed from within their respective fabric panels. Removing the pillow and support panel inserts will allow the fabric pillow case to be washed by hand or machine.

Once a feed is over, the panels can be detached from one another and folded inward towards the center of the pillow. Panel A-1 and A-2 are folded in first with panels B-1 and B-2 folded overtop of them as shown in FIG. 4. The case may also be fully removed from the pillow and compacted further by folding the case in half down the seam in between panel B-1 and B-2. The final footprint of the case after being folded will take the form illustrated in FIG. 5 and will be highly portable.

Claims

1. A nursing pillow comprising: A rectangular pillow, a pillow case with attached panels, a top surface, and a bottom surface.

2. A nursing pillow as recited in claim 1 wherein said pillow case comprises three fabric panels that are attached to the perimeter of the case.

3. A nursing pillow as recited in claim 2 in which two of said fabric panels are positioned widthwise while the other is positioned lengthwise along the perimeter of the pillow case.

4. A nursing pillow as recited in claim 3 wherein said widthwise fabric panel has a seam sewn down the middle, dividing it in two.

5. A nursing pillow as recited in claim 2 wherein said fabric panels further comprise removable support panel inserts.

6. A nursing pillow as recited in claim 2 wherein said fabric panels comprise fastening mechanisms to securely fasten the two widthwise panels to the lengthwise panel when configured in an upright position.

7. A nursing pillow as recited in claim 2 wherein the top surface of the pillow case within the inside perimeter formed by the panels is reinforced with additional layers of fabric such as padding and/or a waterproof membrane.

8. A nursing pillow as recited in claim 2 wherein the fabric panels can be folded inward towards the center of the pillow and secured when not in use.

9. A nursing pillow as recited in claim 2 wherein said pillow case can be removed from the pillow and folded in on itself.

10. A nursing pillow as recited in claim 2 wherein said pillow case can fit over a standard-sized pillow.