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.

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.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is an overhead perspective view of the invention with the panels collapsed away from the center of the pillow prior to nursing.

[0013] FIG. 2 is an overhead perspective view of the invention with the panels erected and secured to each other during nursing.

[0014] FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view of the invention from the side with the panels erected and secured.

[0015] FIG. 4 is an overhead perspective view of the invention with the panels collapsed inward towards the center of the pillow after nursing.

[0016] 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.

[0017] 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

[0018] 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] 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.