PILLOW FOR USE BY NURSING

Abstract: A pillow for use by nursing, i.e. by breast or bottle feeding, where the mother is in a sitting position, which pillow has a substantially rigid C-shape being determined by the shape of the pillow material, and the free ends of the C-shape are intended for being placed at the mother's back when the opening in the C-shape is arranged around the mother's waist, and the intermediate part of the pillow (1), i.e. in the interjacent part of the C-shape, is at least in its upper surface provided with a hollow (9) which is preformed to the baby. The pillow may be constituted by two C-shaped layers of rubber or plastic material being joined together along their edge and provided with a valve (5) for inflation of the pillow.

Description: PILLOW FOR USE BY NURSING. The invention relates to a pillow for use by nursing. Obviously, many women have problems by placing themselves in a sufficiently relaxed position when nursing or breast feeding their babies, seeing that they have to carry a considerable part of the baby's weight in one arm. For this purpose is known a sausage shaped pillov; with an oval cross section and a length enabling the pillov; to extend all around the mother's waist. The intention by this known pillov; is that the mother should place it around her waist with its two ends in front of her, so that the baby can rest its head on the one end of the pillov;, its legs on the other end and its seat or behind down between the two ends on the mother's thighs. The operations involved in using this pillow are compli¬ cated and require a bed, a couch or a big armchair to get enough space for the pillow, which, furthermore, the mother often has to keep in place or position with her elbows in order to prevent its ends to slide away under the baby. The purpose of the invention is to provide a useful relief means rendering it possible for the mother to concentrate fully on the nursing without having to use her strength to keep the baby or the pillow in position, and whereby the above drawbacks of the known pillow are elimin¬ ated. Said purpose is obtained by a pillow according to the invention, which is characterized in that the pillow in its condition of use has a rigid C-shape which is determined by the shape of the pillov; material, that the free ends of the C-shape are intended for being placed at the back of the mother when the opening of the C-shape is placed around the mother's waist, and that the interjacent part of the pillow, i.e. in the intermediate part of the C-shape, at least on its upper surface, has a hollow or depression preformed to the baby. By such pillow the baby can be placed in said depression in a safe and stable position, and simultaneous¬ ly the weight of the baby via the pillow is transferred to the lap of the mother. The pillow is safely maintained around the waist of the mother due to the fixed encircling form of the free ends of the C-shape around the mother's hips. By a possible embodiment of a pillow according to the invention, the pillow consists of two substantially C- shaped layers of rubber or plastic material, which are joined together along their edges and provided with a valve for inflation of the pillow. Thereby a low-cost pillow is obtained which in deflated condition is not very bulky and is easy to carry. According to the invention the depression in the upper surface of the pillow may be provided along a linear, circular of elongated ovally extending reinforcement of the rubber or plastic material in the upper layer, preferably in form of a joining or connection of the upper and lower wall part of the pillow along the reinforcement curve. As far as production technique is concerned is hereby obtained a simple method of providing the desired depression or hollow in the upper surface of the pillow, seeing that the reinforced areas during the inflation will expand less than the surrounding material. In a preferred embodiment according to the invention the hollow may be elongated and having two ends, and the pillow may be thicker or higher outside the ends of the hollow than outside the sides of the hollow so that the pillow seen in a longitudinal section through the hollow is higher at both ends than at the middle of the hollow. Thereby a comfortable support of the baby's head, body and legs during the nursing is obtained. In another embodiment according to the invention the hollow may preferably be formed by a local reduction of the pillow thickness. The extension of the hollow in the longitudinal direction thereof may preferably be approximately 1:3 of the largest dimension of the pillow in its inflated condition, and the extension of the hollow in the cross direction thereof is preferably approximately 1:4 to 1:3 of the largest cross section of the pillow at the middle of the C-shape in the inflated condition of the pillow. At the inner middle zone, edge or contour of the C- shape in the deflated or uninflated condition the pillow preferably has a curved shape, i.e. a shape which differs from a linear joining edge. Thereby low tensile stresses in the wall material of the pillov; in its inflated condi¬ tion is obtained, especially in case the pillow has been manufactured from two substantially C-shaped plastic layers, and thereby a longer lifetime of the pillow is obtained. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings in which figs. 1 and 2 show flat or uninflated pillows acccording to the invention, and fig. 3 shows a pillow in its inflated condition. Figs. 1 and 2 show flat or uninflated pillows 1 consisting of two substantially C-shaped layers 2 of punched web material, e.g. rubber or plastic material, which layers along their contour or edges have been joined together by means of a known airproof welded seam 3 or in another appropriate way, e.g. by adhesion. The C-shaped layers form in Fig. 1 an annular flange 4 along their free outer edge next to the welding seams 3. For inflation of the cavity between the two layers 2 joined in an airproof manner, a valve device 5 has been provided, said valve device consisting of a velded-in pipe stub 6 and a matching or integrated closing plug 7. In the intermediate area of the layer has been provided a linearly (fig. 1) or elongated ovally (fig. 2) extending reinforcement 8, e.g. performed as a welding seam between the layers 2. In fig. 3 the pillow 1 is shown in its inflated condition. The linear or elongate:! ovally extending reinforcement 8 provides as shown a hollow 9 in the upper surface of the pillow. Said hollow has such a size that the baby may lay safe against rolling towards the sides. The free ends of the C-shape are flexible for arrangement against the hips of the mother so that the free ends oppose each other at the mother's back. In igs. 1 and 2 the pillow has a curved shape at the inner intermediate zone or edge 10 of the C-shape in the uninflated condition of the pillow, seeing that the intermediate zone or contour 10 in Fig. 1 has a convex curved shape and in Fig. 2 has a concave curved shape. Said details will reduce the tensile stress in the intermediate zone 10 to lower values in the inflated condition of the pillow than if the intermediate zone 10 had been rec¬ tilinear. The invention is not limited to the measures shown and descried, and modifications of the pillow shaping and the choice of material will be possible vithin the spirit of the following claims.

Claims: C I M S : 1. Pillow for use by nursing, characterized in that the pillow in its condition of use has a rigid C-shape which is determined by the shape of the pillow material, that the free ends of the C-shape are intended for being placed at the mother's back when the opening of the C-shape is arranged around the mother's waist, and that the inter¬ mediate part of the pillow (1), i.e. in the interjacent part of the C-shape, at least in its upper surface, has a hollow or depression (9) performed to the baby. 2. Pillow according to claim 1, characterized in that the pillow(l) consisting of two substantially C-shaped layers of rubber or plastic material being joined together along their edge and provided with a valve (5) for inflation of the pillow. 3. Pillow according to claim 2, characterized in that the performed hollow or depression in the upper surface of the pillow has been provided by means of a linear, circular or elongated ovally extending reinforcement of the rubber or plastic material in the upper layer, preferably in the form of a joining or connection of the upper and lower wall part of the pillow along the reinforcement curve. 4. Pillow according to claims 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the hollow (9) is elongated and having two ends, and that the pillow is thicker outside the ends of the hollow than outside the sides of the hollow, so that the pillow seen in a longitudinal section through the hollow is higher at both ends than at the middle of the hollow. 5. Pillow according to claims 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized iτ that the hollov; has been provided by a local reduction of the pillow thickness. 6. Pillow according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, charcterized in that the extension of the hollow in the longitudinal direction thereof is substantially 1:3 of the largest dimension of the pillow in its inflated condition, and that the hollov (9) in its cross direction has an 'extension of substantially 1:4 - 1:3 of the largest cross dimension of the pillow at the middle of the C in the inflated condition of the pillow. 7. Pillow according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, charac¬ terized in that the pillow has a curvedly extending shape at the inner middle zone (10) of the C-shape in the uninflated condition of the pillow.

Inventors: BYRN HELLE, BYRN, HELLE
Applicants: BYRN HELLE, BYRN, HELLE
Application year: 1989
Main classification: A61G7
IPC codes: A47C27, A47D13, A61G7