GB2138686A

GB2138686A - Breast milk extraction apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2138686A
Application number: GB08408022A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lesley Davina Gannon; Raymond Peter Gannon; William Frederick Thoma Oakley
Original assignee: BERNOULLI PRODUCTS Ltd
Current assignee: BERNOULLI PRODUCTS Ltd
Priority date: 1983-03-28
Filing date: 1984-03-28
Publication date: 1984-10-31
Also published as: GB8408022D0

Abstract

A breast milk extractor 10 comprises a manifold 20 clamped to a bottle 10 by a retaining ring 14. The manifold 10 supports a cup body 24, having a flexible breast gaiter 28 detachably secured to its mouth, and is connected to a tap-operated vacuum pump 36. In use the user controls the amount of suction applied to the breast by placing her finger over the open-ended side arm 40. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Breast milk extraction apparatus This invention relates to breast milk pumping apparatus for extracting milk from the breast of a nursing mother.

It is sometimes necessary or desirable in the post-natal period to extract milk from the mother's breast, for example so that it may be given to a premature baby who has to be kept isolated in an intensive care unit or, at a later stage, to a baby who will be apart from its mother for a considerable period.

Two forms of breast pump are currently in use.

The first form is the hand pump which comprises a resilient bladder which has to be squeezed by hand, allowed to resume its original shape to draw in the milk, and then emptied into a suitable receptacle. Besides being painful and tedious to use, the hand pump is difficult to sterilise; the second form is the electric pump which works on a peristaltic principle like a dairy milking machine to provide intermittent suction. Besides having the disadvantage of being over seven times as expensive as a hand pump the electric pump has only two settings, neither of which may suit the user.

The adoption of apparatus according to the invention not only overcomes or mitigates the above drawbacks but may also enable a hospital bed to be released for another occupant. It also promotes the supply of breast milk during the critical initial period, thus enabling subsequent breast feeding with its attendant emotional and financial advantages over artificial feeding.

According to the present invention there is provided breast milk extraction apparatus for extracting milk from a human breast, the apparatus comprising a container for receiving breast milk, a breast cup and a water driven suction pump each connected thereto, and valve means for admitting air to the container, the arrangement being such that when, in use, the pump is operated with the valve means closed or partially closed and the cup placed over one of the user's breasts, the pressure within the cup is reduced and milk drawn into the container.

Preferably the valve means take the form of a simple orifice which may be fully or partially closed or occluded by one of the user's fingers to control the degree of suction.

The container may conveniently be a baby's bottle to avoid the need for transferring the contents before offering them to the baby.

Desirably, the bottle is connected to the cup and pump through a manifold which provides the valve means and has a basal flange enabling it to be clamped to the mouth of the bottle by a standard threaded teat washer retaining ring.

In a preferred form the cup has a bell- or thistleshaped body to the mouth of which a gaiter of suitable form may be detachably secured.

If the apparatus is packed into a suitable box this may be used for sterilizing the apparatus in a suitable sterilizing liquid, as well as for transport and storage.

Not only is the apparatus according to the invention cheap and simple to produce from components that are for the most part readily available but it is also both very comfortable and controllable in use.

Although the invention may obviously be carried out in a variety of ways, one particular embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a milk extractor according to the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded axial section through the cup and gaiter shown in Fig.1: and Figure 3 is an axial section through the manifold shown in Fig. 1.

A milk extractor 10 as shown in the drawings comprises a standard baby's feeding bottle 12 and screw ring 14 between which there is clamped in sealing engagement a flange 16 integrally moulded with the barrel 18 of a manifold 20. The other end of the barrel 1 8 receives a tubular side arm 22 projecting from the neck of a bell-shaped cup body 24 having a lip 26 onto which may be fitted a flexible gaiter 28 provided with a flanged inner rim 30. The gaiter 28 is preferably moulded from a more flexible thermoplastics material than the cup body 24.

One arm 32 of the manifold.20 is connected by a length of flexible PVC tubing 34 to a conventional laboratory vacuum pump 36 which may be fitted to a tap (not shown) connected to a domestic supply by means of a universal tap connector 38. The other arm 40 of the manifold 20 is left open at its outer end.

For use the various components of the extractor 10 are connected as shown in Fig. 1, the side arm 22 being a push-fit in to the top of the barrel 1 8 of the manifold 20 a#d projecting therein well below the arms 32 and 40. After turning on the tap the user then places the gaiter 28 over one of her breasts and a finger over the end of the arm 40.

The pressure within the bottle 12 is consequently reduced by the action of the pump 36 and milk is drawn from the breast through the side arm 22 and barrel 18 into the bottle 12. The maximum reduction in pressure that can be applied is adjusted simply by turning the tap appropriately, while the amount of suction that is applied within the cup body 24 and gaiter 28 is quickly and infinitely variable by adjusting the position of the user's fingers over the end of the arm 40. The user thus has full control of the amount and timing of the suction applied.

The cooperating lip 26 of the cup body 24 and flanged rim 30 of the gaiter 28 allow the gaiter to be readily attached and detached. Modified forms of gaiter suitable for different shapes of breast can thus be readily fitted.

It will be appreciated that the gaiter 30, cup body 24 and manifold 20 may all be easily separated after use for sterilization.

Claims

1. Breast milk extraction apparatus for extracting milk from a human breast, the apparatus comprising a container for receiving breast milk, a breast cup and a water driven suction pump each connected thereto, and valve means for admitting air to the container, the arrangement being such that when, in use, the pump is operated with the valve means closed or partially closed and the cup placed over one of the user's breasts, the pressure within the cup is reduced and milk drawn into the container.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, in which the valve means take the form of a simple orifice which may be fully or partially closed or occluded by one of the user's fingers to control the degree of suction.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, in which the container is a commercially-available baby's feeding bottle.

4. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3 and additionally comprising a manifold through which the container is connected to the pump and to the breast cup.

5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 4, in which the manifold also provides the valve means.

6. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 4 or 5 as appendant to Claim 3, in which the manifold has a basal flange which is securable to the mouth of the bottle by a standard teat washer retaining ring.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the breast cup comprises a hollow body having a mouth, and a gaiter detachably securable thereto.

8. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 7 as appendant to Claim 3, Claim 4 as appendant to Claim 3, Claim 5 or Claim 6, in which said body additionally comprises a side arm detachably securable to the manifold so as to support the breast cup on the container as well as providing fluid communication therebetween.

9. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 8, in which the side arm is a push fit into an aperture in the manifold.

10. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as herein described.

11. Breast milk extraction apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A pack comprising apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim and a container for the sterilization, storage and transport thereof.

13. The features as herein disclosed, or their equivalents, in any novel selection.