GB2494162A

GB2494162A - Knickers for post-operative use

Info

Publication number: GB2494162A
Application number: GB1115064.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Oluyori Kutulola Adegun; Oluwatosin Ebunoluwa Adegun
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-09-01
Filing date: 2011-09-01
Publication date: 2013-03-06
Also published as: GB201115064D0

Abstract

A post-operative lingerie item comprises a pair of briefs or knickers 1 having a pocket or sleeve 3 formed at the interior of the front of the briefs or knickers which, in use, accommodates a low friction demountable padding means 4. The pocket and padding means are preferably located to overlie the area of the operation incision of a transverse Caesarean section incision or lower uterine segment section incision. The padding means may comprise a pad of one or more layers of fabric and may comprise one or more panels of a textile such as cotton together with synthetic fibres, preferably comprising two or more polymer or polymer mixes selected from the group comprising poly cotton, elastane, viscose, polyethylene and polyamide. The padding means preferably comprises an elongate panel that is approximately rectangular, trapezoidal, pentagonal or hexagonal. The briefs may have elasticated banding 2 at the waist, raised marginally to lie above the line of a wearers operation incision.

Description

Post-operative Lingerie

Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns improvements in and relating to post-operative lingerie and especially briefs! knickers that are suitable for use by mothers recovering from Caesarian section.

Background of the Invention

Caesarian section operations, although once treated as an emergency-only procedure for mothers-to-be facing a breach birth or other medical complications, have become increasingly common in the past decade and are now not only elective! planned for medical reasons but even performed to suit a mother's birth preference to avoid the possible extreme pain and disruption of a lengthy labour. Nevertheless Caesarian section operations are of course not without their risks and disadvantages relative to a natural birth and an inevitable one of those disadvantages is the abdominal incision wound left following the operation. The wound can take as little as six weeks to heal but can take up to two or three months or more to heal properly and can be a source of considerable pain! discomfort over that time.

The type of Caesarian section incision most commonly used nowadays is the lower uterine segment section -a transverse cut that is designed to avoid the blood loss risks and other complications that arose from the traditional mid-line longitudinal incision. The transverse incision is, however, located at around the level of the elasticated band in most normal briefs! knickers and thus runs below the band and can be aggravated by chafing from the elasticated band. A common solution to avoid such chafing is to use Victorian style very high waist-line briefs! knickers. Such briefs! knickers are, however, liable to cause some discomfort by virtue of their high waist-line with its tendency to roll down over the wound and are perceived as being far from attractive! alluring and almost the antithesis of the glamorous lingerie that most young women prefer to wear.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide improved post-operative lingerie that provides for both comfort and style and thereby improving the wearer's physical and mental well-being and thereby potentially even enhancing rate of recovery.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided post-operative lingerie that comprises a pair of briefs! knickers having a pocket or sleeve formed at the interior of the front of the briefs! knickers and which accommodates in use a demountable low friction padding means. The pocket and padding means are particularly preferably located on the pair of briefs/ knickers to overlie the area of the operation incision of a transverse Caesarian section incision! lower uterine segment section incision.

The padding means comprises a pad of one or more layers of a fabric adapted to have low friction. The coefficient of friction (static) is at least substantially less than 0.5, and preferably generally below the 0.25 of raw cotton and suitably of the order of 0.2, 0.1 or less. This preferably comprises a textile and preferably comprises a cotton blend with synthetic fibres. A particularly preferred padding means comprises a panel of a textile such as cotton together with two or more polymers! polymer mixes selected from the group comprising: poly cotton; elastane; viscose; polyethylene; and polyamide. The padding means allows for relative motion between the front of the knickers and the padding so that vertical or lateral chafing forces are substantially avoided!not applied to the underlying The padding means suitably is dimensioned to protect at least the area of the operation incision and preferably covers the incision and subsequent scar tissue as well as a zone immediately there-around above and below the incision. The padding means is suitably an elongate panel and may be substantially rectangular! trapezoidal. It preferably is pentagonal or hexagonal.

Preferred dimensions of the padding means comprise a length of the order of 10cm (4 inches) to 18cm (7 inches) to match and cover the common length of the transverse C-section incision. The width! height of the panel is suitably of the order of 10cm (3 inches) to 15cm (6 inches). The shape and size of the padding means suitably conforms to the front aspect of the pair of briefs! knickers to be discreet.

The modest thickness of the padding means also renders it discreet. A major effect of the padding is to minimise any chafing friction with the skin as well as cushioning the wound area. However, it is not at all obtrusively thick. The thickness of the padding means need only be of the order of between 0.5mm (0.02 inches) and. 2.5mm (0.10 inches) and can be adjusted to suit the wearers needs by reducing or increasing the number of padding layers used.

A particularly valuable aspect of the arrangement is that the padding means may be selected and inter-changed from a set of two or more pads that are of different thicknesses or which may be layered together to provide different thicknesses. This allows the wearer to choose the thickness that best suits her and even to adjust it for a given stage of the post operation recovery period.

The optimum thickness is in particular liable to change as the abdominal swellings reduce over time post-partum but also may need to be adjusted to address changes in sensitivity of the wound area.

The pair of briefs! knickers suitably has elasticated banding at the waist to forestall rolling downwards The pair of briefs! knickers preferably has a waist band that is raised marginally relative to conventional briefs to lie above the line of the transverse Caesarian section incision! lower uterine segment section incision but not substantially above the hips unlike the Victorian style very high waist-line briefs! knickers. The knickers' base is preferably made wide enough to accommodate maternity pad usage therein in the immediate post partum period.

The padding means can be inserted into and withdrawn from the front pocket! sleeve through the same path -e.g. laterally from the left hand side. The distinctive ability to vary the thickness of padding means inserted allows for user customisation as required. Furthermore, the removable padding, fashionable design features and unique combination of knickers' fabrics allows for ongoing use as an everyday undergarment even after full recovery and the need for its use has passed. The padding is not a medicated compress but rather it is a protective cover for the wound in use to reduce or eliminate chafing and cushion the wound.

With the present invention, no more is there a need to bear the discomfort from wearing regular very high-waisted, unattractive plain granny' knickers as currently is the case. The present invention provides luxurious, sexy, fun loving knickers for the recovering C-section mother. The garments are soft, lightweight and comfortably breathable. The unique knicker and padding fabric combinations minimise friction with the skin surface thereby maximising comfort and the slightly high waist protects the incision wound! scar and the areas above and below it. The pair of briefs! knickers by their materials and construction are easy to wash and durable.

Brief Description of the Drawings

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described, solely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an internal elevation view of the front of a pair of briefs! knickers having a pocket! sleeve and with the inset to the right being a front elevation view showing the padding means that is to be inserted into the pocket! sleeve in use; Figure 2 is an external elevation view of the front of the pair of briefs! knickers; Figure 3 is an external elevation view of the rear of the pair of briefs! knickers; Figure 4 is a front elevation view showing an alternative shaped padding means that is an irregular hexagonal shape that has parallel lateral sides and parallel top and bottom edges but tapers towards the bottom edge.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the preferred embodiment of the lingerie as shown comprises a slightly higher-waisted pair of briefs! knickers 1 than is currently normal but which are nonetheless significantly less high waisted than the conventional post-operative maternity underwear. The pair of briefs! knickers 1 has a waist band 2 that is at least partially elasticated and is configured on the pair of briefs! knickers 1 to lie approximately 2-3 cm above where the standard transverse Caesarian section incision / lower uterine segment section incision will run so that it does not overlie the incision and wound. The knickers' base is sized to be wide enough to accommodate maternity pad usage therein. The leg holes of the pair of briefs! knickers 1 suitably each are also at least partially elasticated.

The pair of briefs! knickers 1 distinctively has a pocket 3 that is suitably stitched or otherwise secured to the inside face of the front panel of the pair of briefs! knickers 1 in the fronto-central zone of the briefs! knickers 1. The pocket 3 is open at one side! lateral end 2a and adapted to receive and hold a padding means 4 (see Figure 1 inset) that comprises one or more layers of a slim padding panel formed of a mix of synthetic fibres to have low friction. The fabric of the knickers 1 in a first example is a Euro jersey' type comprising a striped! patterned and! or plain cloth that is 72% Polyamide and 28% Elastane. The fabric of the knickers in another example is a Cotton jersey' type comprising a cloth that is 92% Cotton and 8% Elastane. The pocket 3 is suitably of the same material. By contrast the low friction padding 4 that is to be inserted into the pocket! sleeve 3 suitably is a textile fabric blend of several natural and synthetic fibres -e.g. comprising 70% Cotton, 19% Poly Cotton, 4% Elastane, 3% Viscose, 2% Polyethylene and 2% Polyamide.

The padding means 4 is suitably assembled! layered from discrete padding panels that are each suitably of the order of 0.5mm (0.02 inches) thick into two or more layer pads 4 so that with, say, three such layers the padding means is 1.5mm (0.06 inches) thick. The shape of each padding panel in Figure 1 is approximately trapezoid, with the top edge 4a (edge closest the top edge la and waist band 2 of the knickers I in use) being approximately 15 cm (6 inches) long to correspond to the length of the standard incision 13 cm (5 inches) plus a small buffer zone at each end and the width of the pad 4 between its top edge 4a and bottom edge 4c being approximately 13 cm (5 inches). The shape and dimensions of the pocket 3 of the knickers 1 into which the removable padding 4 is slotted correspond to the dimensions of the padding 4 but slightly larger so that the padding 4 may lie uniformly flat within pocket 3.

When the padding means 4 is inserted into the pocket 3 of the knickers through the lateral opening in one side edge 3b of the pocket 3, the top edge 4a of the padding means 4 is adjacent to the waist band 2. The side edges 4b of the padding means 4! padding panels diverge from the top edge 4a while the bottom edge 4c is approximately parallel to the top edge 4a forming an approximate trapezium but with the bottom edge 4c and corners' where the side edges 4b merge with the bottom edge 4c being rounded off in a convex manner. The pocket 3 for the pad 4 is itself substantially trapezoid with the side edges 3b of the pocket 3 diverging from the top edge 3a while the bottom edge 3c (that also corresponds to the gusset liner seam of the knickers 1) is approximately parallel to the top edge 3a but with the bottom corners' being concave! truncated by the leg openings of the knickers 1.

As seen in Figure 2, the edges of the knickers 1 are each provided with an enclosed elastic band or elasticated rim suitably of the order of 5mm wide to give adequate support and expandability for shape and function respectively.

The top edge is of the knickers 1 is provided with a zigzagging elastic band with a decorative trim or ruffle edge 5 fitted externally. Similarly the leg openings are each provided with the same elastication and trim or ruffle edge 5.

The central back seam 4d (see Figure 3) also has a 5mm wide elasticated band to provide rouching. A bow may also be provided on the knickers 1, preferably centrally at the front and! or back. In the variant of the padding means 4 illustrated in Figure 4 the shape of the padding means 4 is that of an irregular hexagon, which is to say that the top edge 4a and bottom edge 4c are parallel while the side edges 4b begin parallel to each other at the top and then transition to edges 4d that taper toward each other adjacent the leg openings before reaching the bottom edge 4c.

Claims

<claim-text>Claims 1. A post-operative lingerie item that comprises a pair of briefs! knickers having a pocket or sleeve formed at the interior of the front of the briefsl knickers and which accommodates in use a low friction demountable padding means.</claim-text> <claim-text>2. A post-operative lingerie item according to claim 1, wherein in use the pocket and padding means are located on the pair of briefs! knickers to overlie the area of the operation incision of a transverse Caesarian section incision! lower uterine segment section incision.</claim-text> <claim-text>3. A post-operative lingerie item according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the padding means comprise a pad of one or more layers of a fabric adapted to have low friction with the skin.</claim-text> <claim-text>4. A post-operative lingerie item according to claim 3, wherein the padding means comprises one or more panels of a textile such as cotton together with synthetic fibres.</claim-text> <claim-text>5. A post-operative lingerie item according to claim 4, wherein the padding means comprises a panel of a textile such as cotton together with two or more polymers! polymer mixes selected from the group comprising: poly cotton; Elastane; viscose; polyethylene; and polyamide.</claim-text> <claim-text>6. A post-operative lingerie item according to any preceding claim, wherein the padding means is dimensioned to protect at least the area of the operation incision and in use covers the incision and subsequent scar tissue as well as a zone immediately there-around above and below the incision 7. A post-operative lingerie item according to any preceding claim, wherein the padding means comprises an elongate panel that is approximately rectangular or trapezoidal, pentagonal or hexagonal.8. A post-operative lingerie item according to any preceding claim, wherein the padding means comprise a length of the order of 10cm to 18cm to match and cover the common length of the transverse C-section incision.9. A post-operative lingerie item according to any preceding claim, wherein the width! height of the padding means from its top in use edge to its bottom in use edge is of the order of 10cm to 15cm.10. A post-operative lingerie item according to any preceding claim, wherein the thickness of the padding means is of the order of between 0.5mm and
2.5mm.11. A post-operative lingerie item according to any preceding claim, wherein the padding means may be selected and inter-changed from a set of two or more pads that are of different thicknesses or which may be layered together to provide different thicknesses.12. A post-operative lingerie item according to any preceding claim, wherein the pair of briefs! knickers has elasticated banding at the waist to forestall rolling downwards and the waist band is raised marginally to lie above the line of the transverse Caesarian section incision! lower uterine segment section incision in use.13. A post-operative lingerie item according to any preceding claim, wherein the knickers' base! bottom edge in use is wide enough to accommodate a standard maternity pad therein.14. A post-operative lingerie item according to any preceding claim, wherein the padding means is inserted into and withdrawn from the front pocket! sleeve through the same path.15. A post-operative lingerie item according to any preceding claim, wherein the top edge and leg openings of the pair of briefs! knickers are elasticated 16. A post-operative lingerie item according to any preceding claim, wherein all seams of the pair of briefs! knickers are elasticated 17. A post-operative lingerie item that comprises a pair of briefs! knickers with a padding means, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.</claim-text>