JP2000325433A - Nipple protector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a nipple protector that helps a nursing mother carry out breast-feeding without causing a danger of suffocating a suckling, or the like. SOLUTION: In a nipple protector having a breast butting section 11 that butts a breast of a nursing mother and a nipple covering section 12 covering a nipple of the nursing mother, the breast butting section and the nipple covering section are formed integrally of a soft material, and the breast butting section is formed thinner than the nipple covering section, and the breast butting section is provided with a contact avoidance section 11 a to prevent the nose of a suckling from contacting during breast-feeding.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a nipple protector used by a lactating mother, for example, a mother, for example, when breastfeeding a nursing infant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, such a teat protector is configured as shown in FIG. 9, for example. In FIG. 9, the nipple protector 1 has, for example, a breast contact part 2 that is brought into close contact with the mother's breast to be worn, and a nipple part 3 into which the mother's nipple is inserted. The breast contact portion 2 is formed in a substantially perfect circle when viewed from above in the drawing. The nipple 3 is provided so as to rise from substantially the center of the breast contact portion 2, and the inner diameter of the nipple 3 is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the mother's nipple.
Largely formed. Further, a through-hole 3a is provided at the tip of the nipple portion 3. For this reason, when the mother wears the nipple protector 1 on her own breast, the mother's nipple is accommodated in the nipple portion 3. FIG. 10 shows this state. As shown in FIG. 10, a baby is fed while the nipple protector 1 is attached to the mother's breast. Specifically, the baby inserts the mother's nipple into the oral cavity via the nipple portion 3 of the nipple protector 1. Then, the mother drinks milk by peristalsis in the oral cavity. Therefore, the mother's nipples and breasts may be damaged,
Even if the nipple is depressed or flattened, the use of the nipple protector 1 allows the infant to breastfeed without causing the infant to suck a nipple or the like having a wound or the like directly.

[0003]

However, the nipple protector 1 as shown in FIG. 9 has the following problems. That is, when the mother wears the nipple protector 1 on her own breast and intends to feed the infant with breast milk, the infant puts the nipple portion 3 of the nipple protector 1 shown in FIG. Then, the nipple 3 is held. And
The infant will begin a peristaltic movement in the mouth to drink breast milk. At this time, the nipple 3 of the nipple protector 1
Due to this peristalsis, it is pulled to the left in FIG. When the nipple portion 3 is pulled, a force acts on the breast contact portion 2 of the nipple protector 1 in a direction away from the mother's breast. Further, at this time, since the thickness of the breast contact portion 2 to be in close contact with the mother's breast is formed thick, the close contact of the breast contact portion 2 with the mother's breast is weak. Therefore, due to the force acting in the direction away from the mother's breast, the peripheral edge of the breast contact portion 2 starts to separate in the direction away from the mother's breast. In the vicinity of the baby's nose holding the nipple 3, the breast contact 2
Will approach the infant's nose, eventually reaching a position that blocks the infant's nose. If breastfeeding is continued in this state, the infant may be choked. Therefore, it is necessary for the mother to take measures such as holding down the periphery of the breast contact portion 2 with a finger when breastfeeding.

[0004] In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a nipple protector that allows a nursing person to perform a lactation action without causing a danger such as suffocation to the nursing person.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided a nipple protection having a breast contact portion for contacting a breast of a nursing person and a nipple covering portion for covering the nipple of the nursing person. The breast contact portion and the nipple covering portion are integrally formed of a soft material, the thickness of the breast contact portion is formed to be thinner than the thickness of the nipple covering portion, and the breast This is achieved by a nipple protector characterized in that the contact portion is provided with a contact avoiding portion for preventing the nose of the breastfeeder from coming into contact with the breast during breastfeeding.

Preferably, in the structure of the first aspect, the contact avoiding portion is formed by cutting off a part of the breast contact portion.

Still preferably, in the configuration of claim 2, the contact avoiding portion is configured so that the breast contact portion located above the nipple covering portion is substantially semicircular when viewed from the breastfeeding person.
It is formed by digging inward.

[0008] According to the above configuration, the breast contact portion includes:
Since the contact avoiding portion is provided so that the nose of the breastfeeder does not come into contact during breastfeeding, the nose of the breastfeeder is not turned over by the breast abutment portion to block the breast. According to the configuration, the breast contact portion and the nipple covering portion are formed of a soft material, and the thickness of the breast contact portion is formed to be thinner than the thickness of the nipple covering portion. Therefore, the above-mentioned breast contact portion is easily brought into close contact with the breast of the nursing person. Therefore, for example, the peripheral edge of the breast contact portion is hard to separate from the breast of the breastfeeder, and it is not necessary to prevent the breastfeeder from turning over the breast contact portion.

[0009] Preferably, claims 1 to 3 are provided.
In any of the configurations, the outer diameter of the nipple covering portion,
It is formed substantially the same as the outer diameter of the nipple of a nursing person.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the outer diameter of the nipple covering portion is formed to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the nipple of the nursing person. It is easier for the breastfeeder to perform peristalsis and to breastfeed.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. still,
Since the embodiments described below are preferred specific examples of the present invention, various technically preferred limitations are added.
The scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise specified in the following description.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a nipple protector 10 according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, the nipple protector 10 has a breast contact portion 11 that is a breast contact portion and a nipple portion 12 that is a nipple covering portion. At the tip of the nipple 12, four through holes 12a are provided. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the nipple protector 10 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the breast contact portion 11 of the nipple protector 10 has a shape in which a part of a perfect circle is missing. That is, a cut portion 11a, which is a contact avoidance portion obtained by cutting off a part of the breast adhesion portion 11, is illustrated above the breast adhesion portion 11 in FIG. In addition, a nipple portion 12 is provided so as to stand up at a substantially central portion of the breast contact portion 11. The tip of the nipple 12 has a through hole 1
2a are provided as described above. FIG. 3 shows a cross section taken along line AA ′ of the nipple protector 10 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, this nipple protector 1
Numeral 0 is hollow, the thicknesses thereof are not all the same, and the nipple contact portion 11 is formed thinner than the nipple portion 12. Specifically, for example, the portion of the nipple contact portion 11 is about 0.5 to 1.0 mm, and the portion of the nipple portion 12 is 1..
It is about 0 to 1.5 mm. The nipple protector 10 is made of a soft material such as silicone rubber or isoprene rubber.

The nipple protector 10 according to the present embodiment comprises:
The configuration of the nipple protector 10 will be described below. The breastfeeder using the nipple protector 10 according to the present embodiment is a mother who can not directly breastfeed for some reason among mothers who breastfeed a baby who is a breastfeeder. For example, mothers who cannot directly attach their nipples to infants due to wounds in their nipples, or mothers who cannot directly attach their nipples to infants due to depression or flattening of their nipples is there. Such a mother first
The nipple protector 10 is mounted on the user's breast. FIG. 4 shows this state. As shown in FIG. 4, the breast contact portion 11 of the nipple protector 10 is formed thinner than the nipple portion 12 as described above, and the material of the nipple protector 10 is made of a soft material such as silicone rubber. Therefore, the peripheral portion of the breast contact portion 11 is deformed and comes into close contact with the mother's breast. Then, when the infant is added to the nipple protector 10 for feeding, the mother's breast and the nipple protector 10 are sucked.
Is closed and a negative pressure is generated due to peristalsis as described later, so that the nipple protector 10 sticks to the mother's breast like a sucker and is firmly fixed. Therefore, even if the nipple portion 12 of the nipple protector 10 is pulled by the infant due to the peristaltic movement for drinking the mother's milk, which will be described later, the peripheral portion of the breast contact portion 11 does not turn over. Need not suppress the peripheral edge of the breast contact portion 11.

When the mother wears the nipple protector 10, as shown in FIG. 4, the mother wears the nipple protector 10 so that the cut portion 11a is positioned above the breast. When worn in this way, when feeding a baby, the nose of the baby is located in the cut portion 11a, so that the periphery of the breast contact portion 11 does not come into contact with the nose of the baby. There is no danger of blocking the nose and choking. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the nipple portion 12 of the mounted nipple protector 10 has an outer diameter substantially similar to the outer diameter of the mother's nipple. This means that the peristalsis performed when the infant drinks breast milk becomes easier. Here, a peristaltic motion performed when the baby drinks breast milk will be described. Generally, for an infant to drink breast milk while holding the mother's nipple, see FIGS.
As shown in (1), the infant's tongue performs peristaltic movement.
FIGS. 5 and 6 show continuous images of the state in the oral cavity where the infant's tongue is performing peristaltic motion using an ultrasonic tomography apparatus. In FIG. 5A,
In the infant, there is a depression called the baby socket 220. The nursing cavity has only a period during which the infant performs a lactation exercise for nursing, and then disappears when it grows up. By the way, as shown in FIG. 5, the mother's nipple enters this baby cavity 220 in the infant's mouth. In this state, in the oral cavity, the tongue 230 of the baby hits the nipple from below, and the side surface of the tongue 230 further lifts up and comes into close contact with the nipple.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C,
The front (left side in the figure) of the tongue 230 rises, and the nipple is pushed from below. As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, this movement gradually moves to the rear of the tongue 230 in a wave-like manner. In this process, the tongue 230 performs a peristaltic motion in a wave-like manner from the front to the back, the nipple is squeezed from the root to the tip, and a closed space E is formed between the nipple, the tongue 230 and the upper jaw. Will be. Since this closed space E is in a closed state, the pressure increases,
Thereafter, when the closed space E is opened due to the peristaltic movement of the tongue 230, a negative pressure is generated, and the breast milk is squirted vigorously in the direction of the epiglottis of the infant, and by swallowing the spouted breast milk, the sucking movement of the infant is increased. Will end.

As described above, when the infant performs the feeding exercise,
A peristaltic movement must be performed in the oral cavity, and the nipple needs to enter a baby's oral cavity in order to perform the peristaltic movement (see FIG. 6A). In this regard, the diameter of the nipple portion 12 of the nipple protector 10 according to the present embodiment is, as described above,
It has the same diameter as the mother's nipple, making it easier to get into the baby's nursing cavity. In this regard, in the conventional nipple protector 1, as shown in FIG. 10, the nipple 3 is so thick that the mother's nipple is inserted into the nipple 3, so that the nipple 3 does not enter the baby's nursing cavity. However, the infant was unable to perform proper peristalsis. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state of a baby's nursing cavity. In FIG. 7, the nursing cavity is formed so as to be recessed in the upper jaw of the baby. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the infant holds the breast of the mother wearing the nipple protector 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, since the nipple protector 10 has entered the baby's nursing cavity, the baby can easily perform the above-mentioned peristalsis. As described above, when the mother wears the nipple protector 10 according to the present embodiment and performs nursing on the infant, the infant smoothly performs peristalsis and starts nursing.

When the infant holds the nipple protector 10 and performs peristalsis, a space for generating negative pressure must be created between the nipple 12 and the infant's tongue and upper jaw as described above. Yes, the smaller this space, the easier it is to create negative pressure. In the nipple protector 10 according to the present embodiment, since the diameter of the nipple portion 12 is smaller than that of the conventional example, the nipple space F, which is the internal space thereof, is also small, and negative pressure is more likely to occur. For this reason, it is easier for the baby to perform the feeding exercise. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the inner diameter of the nipple portion 12 of the nipple protector 10 according to the present embodiment is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the nipple of the mother, so that the mother
Even if is attached to the breast, the mother's nipple does not completely enter the inside of the nipple portion 12 of the nipple protector 10. For this reason, the infant holds the nipple and performs peristalsis for feeding,
Even if the nipple is squeezed toward the tip as described above, the mother's nipple is not directly stimulated, and the nipple is not damaged.

In the nipple protector 10 according to the present embodiment, since the four through-holes 12a are provided as described above, the infant can protect the nipple more effectively than is able to breastfeed. After putting on the device 10 and feeding a baby, the mother removes the nipple protector 10 from her breast. Therefore, by using the nipple protector 10 according to the present embodiment, while protecting the nipple and the like from being damaged,
The peristaltic movement for nursing the infant is not hindered, and the peripheral edge of the breast contact portion 11 does not turn over to the infant due to the peristaltic movement. Further, since the cut portion 11a is provided, nursing can be performed effectively without danger of choking the infant.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a nipple protector that allows a nursing person to perform a lactation action without causing a danger such as suffocation to the nursing person.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a nipple protector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the nipple protector of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view taken along line AA ′ of the nipple protector of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a state where the nipple protector of FIG. 1 is mounted.

FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory view showing peristaltic motion in the oral cavity of an infant.

FIG. 6 is a schematic explanatory view showing peristaltic motion in the oral cavity of an infant.

FIG. 7 is a schematic enlarged view showing a baby cavity in an oral cavity of an infant.

FIG. 8 is a schematic enlarged view showing a state in which a nipple protector has entered a baby cavity in the oral cavity of an infant.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a conventional nipple protector.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing a state in which a conventional nipple protector is mounted.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 nipple protector, 11 nipple contact area, 11a
... cut part, 12 ... nipple part, 12a ... through-hole, F ... nipple space, 220 ... baby socket, 230
···tongue

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A nipple protector having a breast abutment portion abutting on a breast of a nursing person and a nipple covering portion covering the nipple of the nursing person, wherein the breast abutment portion and the nipple covering portion are The breast contact portion is formed integrally with a soft material, and the thickness of the breast contact portion is formed to be thinner than the thickness of the teat cover portion. A nipple protector, wherein a contact avoiding portion for preventing the nipple from contacting is provided. 2. The nipple protector according to claim 1, wherein the contact avoiding portion is formed by cutting off a part of the breast contact portion. 3. The contact avoiding section, as viewed from a nursing recipient,
3. The nipple protector according to claim 2, wherein the breast contact portion located above the nipple covering portion is formed in a substantially semicircular shape by hollowing inward. 4. The nipple protector according to claim 1, wherein an outer diameter of the nipple covering portion is formed substantially the same as an outer diameter of a nipple of a nursing person. .