Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an assistive garment and a method for Kangaroo
Mother Care for low birth weight neonates. More particularly the present invention
relates to assistive garment with ergonomic design to minimize fatigue and maximis5 e
the duration of Kangaroo Mother Care for low birth weight neonates wherein the
expression of milk is done without separating the neonate from the mother.
Background of the Invention
Low birth weight babies are pre-maturely delivered babies with weight of less than
10 2000g and constitute 30% of all the babies born in India. Premature low birth weight
babies, born before 37 weeks of gestation are vulnerable to temperature instability,
feeding difficulties, low blood sugar, infections, and breathing difficulties. Only 5%
of premature babies need intensive care such as ventilation. Yet many of these babies
die needlessly due to want of simple, essential care such as warmth and feeding
15 support. Similarly, low birth weight babies that are usually growth-restricted in-utero
are also at risk of temperature instability and low blood sugar. They also require
essential newborn care including warmth and optimal feeding.
The results obtained after Kangaroo Mother Care’s interventions have shown to save
20 lives of low birth weight babies in low and middle income countries. In Kangaroo
Mother Care, the premature neonate is put in prolonged and continuous direct skinto-
skin contact with the mother or another family member to provide warmth. A
systematic review and meta-analysis of several randomised control trials found that
Kangaroo Mother Care is associated with a 51% reduction in neonatal mortality
25 when compared to incubator care in stable babies weighing <2000g if started in the
first week of birth. Kangaroo Mother Care is more health-system friendly as it
3
reduces hospital stay and nursing load and therefore gives cost savings. Garments
and devices are present in the art to assist such Kangaroo Mother Care.
US20120234877 describes a single continuous garment consisting of side and central
panels that holds the neonate and wraps around the torso of the adult, however thi5 s
garment does not support the neonate’s head.
US5946725 discusses an article of clothing such as a shirt or blouse which allows for
kangaroo care by providing skin to skin contact between a person and neonate which
10 includes a pouch or pouches on the inside of the shirt centrally located thereon in
which the neonate may be placed. However there is no provision for expression of
milk while holding the neonate. The pouch is simply attached inside the upper body
garment, there is no separate inner layer for securing the neonate, and the said
garment does not have an ergonomic support for the wearer.
15 All these prior arts suffer from the drawback that the provision of a pouch or a seat to
hold the neonate reduces the skin to skin contact with the mother and additionally
there is no provision for expression of milk while holding the neonate.
In order to harness maximum benefits of Kangaroo Mother Care, the neonate must
ideally be on a continuous skin-to-skin contact with mother. However, currently it is
20 not possible to achieve more than two to four hours of Kangaroo Mother Care per
day. The four major reasons for frequent interruption of skin-to-skin contact that
limit Kangaroo Mother Care are:
(1) Frequent expression of breast milk by mothers (every 2 hours) for feeding
the baby;
25 (2) Limited mobility of mother while providing Kangaroo Mother Care due
to the need to support the neonate, which restricts ambulation and
attending to their personal needs;
4
(3) Exhaustion and fatigue in mother due to having to sit in the same position
while providing Kangaroo Mother Care;
(4) Social reasons whereby the mother is the sole provider of Kangaroo
Mother Care in most instances.
5
A functional Kangaroo Mother Care garment that provides good support to the
neonate and allows the mother to be mobile and be able to express milk during
Kangaroo Mother Care would address the above-mentioned limitations. Having such
a garment would facilitate prolonged and even continuous Kangaroo Mother Care
10 (18 to 24 hours) in low birth weight babies. Therefore there is a need in the art for a
garment that addresses the above said problems.
Objects of the Invention
An object of the present invention is to provide an assistive garment for facilitating
Kangaroo Mother Care for low birth weight neonates to securely hold a neonate
15 against the wearer’s chest.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an assistive garment for
Kangaroo Mother Care for low birth weight neonates to securely hold a neonate
against the wearer’s chest that allows expression of milk without separating the
neonate from the mother.
20 Another object of the present invention is to provide an assistive garment for
Kangaroo Mother Care for low birth weight neonates with ergonomic design to
minimize fatigue on the wearer’s body.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an assistive garment for
Kangaroo Mother Care for low birth weight neonates with additional support to the
25 neonate’s head without additional usage of a sash or some such additional layer.
5
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an assistive garment for
Kangaroo Mother Care for low birth weight neonates with modesty coverage with
the inner and outer layers.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an assistive garment for
Kangaroo Mother Care that fits all shapes and sizes of the wearer’s bod5 y
Another object of the present invention is to provide an assistive garment for
Kangaroo Mother Care that is comfortable to wear allowing the garment to be worn
for long duration in hot & temperate climates
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in the preferred
10 embodiments disclosed below by providing an assistive garment for Kangaroo
Mother Care for low birth weight neonates to securely hold a neonate against the
wearer’s chest and allow expression of milk without separating the neonate from the
mother
Summary
15 According to an embodiment the present invention provides an assistive garment
facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care comprising:
an inner layer (001) with a wrinkled pouch (002) that houses a neonate and a
fastening mechanism (008) around the torso of the wearer, an outer layer (003)
comprising a front (012) and rear portion (011) connected together through a neck
20 yoke (010) and a plurality of arm openings (005); the said front portion of the outer
layer further comprises plurality of sections adapted for securing the pouch and
wrapping the inner layer around the torso of the wearer overlapping the ends of the
said front portion with multiplicity of fastening mechanisms;
characterized in that the inner layer is accommodated inside the outer layer and is
25 connected by multiplicity of straps from top terminal extending till fastening
6
mechanism to adjustably couple to one another thereby ergonomically securing a
neonate against a wearer’s chest; the inner layer being positioned adjacent to a
person’s body, and the wrinkled pouch is positioned on the interior area of the front
portion and substantially centrally located thereon, said pouch having an upper
opening in which a neonate is placed in an upright position and supported thereb5 y
providing complete skin to skin contact between the wearer and the neonate.
In another embodiment the present invention relates to a method for facilitating
Kangaroo Mother Care using an assistive garment comprising the steps of:
drawing an inner layer and outer layer (004) of the said garment (001) though the
10 neck and arm portion onto the wearers body and housing a neonate in a wrinkled
pouch (002) thereafter fastening around the torso of the wearer, overlapping the ends
of the said outer layer (004) with multiplicity of fastening mechanisms and wrapping
the inner layer around the torso of the wearer to securely hold a neonate against
wearer’s chest and accessing the neonate through the buttoned opening on the
15 wrinkled pouch of the inner layer;
characterized in that the inner layer is accommodated inside the outer layer and is
connected by multiplicity of straps from top terminal extending till fastening
mechanism to adjustably couple to one another thereby securing a neonate against a
wearer’s chest; the inner layer being positioned adjacent to a person’s body, and the
20 wrinkled pouch is positioned on the interior area of the front portion and
substantially centrally located thereon, said pouch having an upper opening in which
a neonate is placed in an upright position and supported thereby providing complete
skin to skin contact between the wearer and the neonate.
Brief description of the accompanying drawings:
25 Some of the objects of the invention have been set forth above. These and other
objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better
7
understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and
accompanying drawings where:
Fig 1 illustrates a front perspective view of the assistive garment facilitating
Kangaroo Mother Care.
Fig 2 illustrates the construction and the fastening mechanism of the inner layer o5 f
the assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care.
Fig. 3 illustrates the perspective view of the inner layer of the assistive garment
facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care.
Fig. 4 illustrates the conjoining of the inner and the outer layers of the assistive
10 garment.
Fig. 5 illustrates the front view of the assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother
Care with the outer layer in open position.
Fig. 6 illustrates the fastening mechanism of the outer layer of the assistive garment
for wrapping the outer layer around the torso of the wearer.
15 Fig 7 illustrates the placing of assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care
on the body of the wearer.
Fig 8 illustrates skin to skin contact of the neonate with the wearer by means of
assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care.
Fig 9 illustrates the expression of milk without the separation of neonate from the
20 mother
8
Detailed Description of the Invention and accompanying drawings:
The present invention will be described with respect to preferred embodiments but
the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims.
Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of an assistive garment (100) facilitating Kangaro5 o
Mother Care comprising:
An inner layer (001) comprising a front portion and two side portions that houses a
neonate (020) and a fastening mechanism (008) to wrap the inner layer around the
torso of the wearer, an outer layer (003) comprising a front portion (012) and a rear
10 portion (011), a neck portion (010) and a plurality of arm openings; the said front
portion of the outer layer further comprises plurality of sections adapted for securing
the inner layer and wrapping the outer layer around the torso of the wearer with
fastening mechanism; characterized in that the inner layer is accommodated inside
the outer layer and is ergonomically connected to it and the neck portion (010); the
15 inner layer being positioned adjacent to a person’s body, and the wrinkled pouch is
positioned on the front portion of the inner layer and substantially centrally located
thereon, said wrinkled pouch providing an upper opening in which a neonate is
placed in an upright position and supported thereby providing complete skin to skin
contact between the wearer and the neonate.
20 Fig.3 shows the inner layer (101) comprising the front portion (001) and the side
portions (007). The front portion further comprises the wrinkled pouch (002) with
front opening (006) for housing the neonate. The wrinkled pouch is provided with a
front opening to accommodate the growing neonate. The pouch maintains complete
skin to skin contact between a wearer and the low birth weight neonate. The pouch
25 has a special wrinkled design to house the neonate even as it grows. The pouch is
designed such that it gives sufficient support to neonate’s head. The side portions of
9
inner layer are further designed in such a manner that it makes expression of
mother’s milk easy and the child need not be separated from the mother for doing so.
The wrinkled pouch is attached to the front portion through the left and the right
panels that extend to the rear portion of the inner layer. The left, right and the fron5 t
portions are attached at the bottom through a belt (008) that also secures the inner
layer around torso of the wearer. Fig. 2 illustrates the belt in the open and tied
positions. The front portion comprises a pair of vertical straps (009) that help
conjugate with the outer layer. The said straps hold the inner layer in place and also
10 attach to the neck portion (010) as shown in Fig. 2. The attachment of the straps, the
neck yoke and the outer layer is ergonomically designed to give the wearer relief by
evenly distributing the neonate’s weight around the wearer’s neck and shoulder.
Fig. 2 further illustrates the joining mechanism of the inner layer with the neck yoke
15 (010). The ends (019) of the straps (009) attach to the yoke in a way so as to
distribute the weight around the lower neck and shoulder.
Fig. 4 shows the outer layer in open position. The outer layer (003) comprises a front
portion (012) and a rear portion (011), a neck portion (010) and a plurality of arm
20 openings (005), the said front portion of the outer layer further comprises plurality of
sections adapted for securing the inner layer and wrapping the outer layer around the
torso of the wearer with fastening mechanism. The fastening mechanism of the outer
layer comprises fastening means extending from opposite ends attached to plurality
of sections of the outer layer such that one section (012A) with fastening means
25 (013) conjugates with the fastening means (015) extending from the lateral side of
the inner portion of the outer layer on the opposite side and the other section (012B)
with fastening means (016) conjugates with the fastening means (014) extending
from lateral side of the outer portion of the outer layer from the opposite side to
10
provide an overlapping fastening mechanism to securely hold the inner layer and
additionally support the neonate against the wearer’s chest. The second layer also
acts as the garment that wraps around and overlaps for additional protection of the
neonate and meets the requirements of modesty of women wearer.
5
The size and shape of each panel can vary such that the garment can be available in
multiple sizes and styles. Both the back panel (011) and the front panels (012A and
012B) can be configured to allow the panels to overlap or cross over each other in
multiple ways such that together they can provide coverage of a desired portion of a
10 wearer’s and a baby’s body, as well as provide support to the wearer and infant.
While the particular shape of each front panel can vary, in one embodiment, as
shown in Fig.1, the front panels can be configured such that the panels can overlap to
create a U-shaped front neckline for the garment. In other embodiments the front
panels can be formed such that little or no overlap occurs. While the garment can
15 have various necklines, the neckline can allow adequate coverage to provide support
for a baby, securely holding it against wearer’s chest and front side. The neckline can
also allow adequate space and air for a baby’s comfort and breathing.
One embodiment of the garment illustrates short sleeves. In other embodiments the
20 garment can have short sleeves, three-quarter sleeves, full sleeves, or the garment
can be without sleeves. The garment can come in multiple pre-determined sizes, e.g.
XS, S, M, L, XL and 2XL. The said garment can be customized in terms of fabric
and design for various factors.
25 Fig. 4 further illustrates the conjoining mechanism of the inner layer and the outer
layer through the straps and the neck yoke. The neck yoke is designed and sewn to
ergonomically distribute the neonate’s weight around the neck and shoulder of the
wearer to reduce fatigue.
11
The fasteners can be configured such that a size of the garment can be adjusted to the
shape and size of the body and to various levels of comfort. As a result, the garment
can allow for custom sizing as the wearer’s and the baby’s bodies change. Though
the illustrated embodiment shows a tie fastener, in other garments fastening means o5 f
the assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care can couple together in
plurality of ways, such as buttons, hook and loop, snaps, zippers, belts, Velcro®,
magnets, and adhesives, by way of non-limiting examples.
10 Further, the garment can be made from various textile materials. The garment can be
entirely formed of the same material, or alternatively, various portions of the
garment can be formed from different materials. For example, as discussed above,
the front panel can be formed from fabrics that are woven, knitted or a combination
thereof. Fabrics that are soft on the skin of baby made from cotton, polyester, blends
15 or textile fibres, brushed, napped can be used. Reusable or single use nonwoven
fabrics can be used. By way of non-limiting example, the material of the wrinkled
pouch can be soft, breathable, moisture-wicking, anti-bacterial, natural and odorresistant.
In an exemplary embodiment, the material is also elastic.
20 Fig, 5 illustrates the conjoined inner and outer layers with the inner layer in tied
position and outer layer in open position. Fig. 6 illustrates the fastening mechanism
of the outer layer. The fastening mechanism of the outer layer comprises fastening
means extending from opposite ends attached to plurality of sections of the outer
layer such that; one section (012A) with fastening means (013) conjugates with the
25 fastening means (015) extending from the lateral side of the inner portion of the
outer layer on the opposite side and to give the fastened result (017); the other
section (012B) with fastening means (016) conjugates with the fastening means
(014) extending from lateral side of the outer portion of the outer layer from the
12
opposite side to provide an overlapping fastening mechanism to securely hold the
inner layer and additionally support the neonate against the wearer’s chest.
In an embodiment the present invention relates to a method (Fig. 7) for facilitating
Kangaroo Mother Care using an assistive garment comprising the steps of5 :
drawing an inner layer (001) and outer layer (003) of the said garment (100) though
the neck and arm portion onto the wearers body (002) thereafter fastening the inner
layer around the torso of the wearer and housing the neonate in a wrinkled pouch,
overlapping the ends of the said outer layer (003) with multiplicity of fastening
10 means and wrapping the inner layer around the torso of the wearer to securely hold a
neonate against wearer’s chest comprising and accessing the neonate through a
buttoned opening on the wrinkled pouch of the inner layer;
characterized in that the inner layer is accommodated inside the outer layer and is
ergonomically connected to it by multiplicity of straps (009) and the neck yoke
15 (010); the inner layer being positioned around a person’s body, and the wrinkled
pouch is positioned on the front portion of the inner layer and substantially centrally
located between the breasts thereon, said wrinkled pouch having an upper opening in
which a neonate is placed in an upright position between the breasts of the mother
and thereby providing complete support and skin to skin contact between the wearer
20 and the neonate.
Fig. 8 illustrates the method of placing a neonate in the wrinkled pouch giving skin
to skin contact between the neonate and the wearer, the inner and the outer layers
providing support to the neonate.
25
13
The present invention provides following listed advantages over the prior art:
1. Allows milk/breast milk expression while providing Kangaroo Mother Care
thus increasing the duration of Kangaroo Mother Care.
2. Ergonomic design to reduce fatigue and maximize comfort of mother.
3. Good support to the head and body of low birth weight neonat5 e
4. Adjustability to accommodate the growing size of neonate and changing body
size of mother.
5. The upper jacket meets the requirements of modesty of women.
6. Comfortable in extreme weather conditions as experienced in India.
10 7. Provide support for tubings/assistive device attached to neonate.
An assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care described above. The
invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in
other ways without departing from its scope. The phrases and terminology used
15 herein are for the purpose of description and may not be construed as being limiting.
Furthermore, the foregoing description of the embodiments and the best mode of
practicing are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of
limitation, the invention being identified in the claims.
20
25
14

We claim:
1. An assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care comprising:
An inner layer (001) comprising a front portion and a left and a right portion
that houses a neonate (020) and a fastening mechanism (008) to wrap the
inner layer around the torso of the wearer, an outer layer (003) comprising 5 a
front portion (012) and a rear portion (011), a neck portion (010) and a
plurality of arm openings; the said front portion of the outer layer further
comprises plurality of sections adapted for securing the inner layer and
wrapping the outer layer around the torso of the we are with fastening
10 mechanism;
characterized in that the inner layer is accommodated inside the outer layer
and is ergonomically connected to it by multiplicity of straps (009) and the
neck yoke (010); the inner layer being positioned adjacent to a person’s body,
and the wrinkled pouch is positioned on the front portion of the inner layer
15 and substantially centrally located thereon, said wrinkled pouch having an
upper opening through which a neonate is placed in an upright position
between the mothers breasts and supported there by providing complete skin
to skin contact between the wearer and the neonate.
20 2. The assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care as claimed in claim
1, wherein the fastening mechanism of inner layer comprises of a fastening
means (008) for wrapping the inner layer around the torso of the wearer and
thereby securing the neonate against the wearer’s chest.
25 3. The assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care as claimed in claim
1, wherein the fastening mechanism of the outer layer comprises fastening
means extending from opposite ends attached to plurality of sections of the
outer layer such that one section (012A) with fastening means (013)
15
conjugates with the fastening means (015) extending from the lateral side of
the inner portion of the outer layer on the opposite side and the other section
(012B) with fastening means (016) conjugates with the fastening means (014)
extending from lateral side of the outer portion of the outer layer from the
opposite side to provide an overlapping fastening mechanism to securely hol5 d
the inner layer and additionally support the neonate against the wearer’s
chest.
4. The assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care as claimed in claim
10 1, wherein the inner layer and the outer layer are coupled in a manner to
facilitate expression of milk for feeding the neonate.
5. The assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care as claimed in claim
1, wherein the garment provides skin to skin contact between the low birth
15 weight neonate and the wearer.
6. The assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care as claimed in claim
1, wherein the front opening in the wrinkled pouch is positioned so as to
place the neonate between the breasts in the wrinkled pouch of the inner
20 layer.
7. The assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care as claimed in claim
1, wherein the wrinkled pouch of the inner layer has buttoned opening so as
to accommodate the growing neonate.
25
8. The assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care as claimed in claim
1, wherein the outer layer has arm openings (005) adapted to cover at least
part of the wearer’s arms when worn.
16
9. The assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care as claimed in claim
1, wherein the fastening means can couple together in plurality of ways, such
as by being tied together, buckled, using fasteners, as hook and loop
fasteners.
10. The assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care as claimed in clai5 m
1, wherein the material used for making the inner layer, the outer layer and
pouch is the same or different.
11. The assistive garment facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care as claimed in claim
10, wherein the material used for the wrinkled pouch is soft, breathable,
10 moisture-wicking, anti-bacterial, natural and odor-resistant.
12. A method for facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care using an assistive garment
comprising the steps of :
drawing an inner layer (001) and outer layer (003) of the said garment (100)
through the arms and neck portions onto the wearers body, fastening the inner
15 layer around the torso of the wearer and housing a neonate in a wrinkled
pouch (002) thereafter, overlapping the ends of the said outer layer (003) with
multiplicity of fastening means and wrapping the inner layer around the
torso of the wearer to securely hold a neonate against wearer’s chest
comprising and accessing the neonate through a buttoned opening on the
20 wrinkled pouch of the inner layer;
characterized in that the inner layer is accommodated inside the outer layer
and is ergonomically connected to it by multiplicity of straps (009) and the
neck portion (010); the inner layer being positioned adjacent to a person’s
body, and the wrinkled pouch is positioned on the front portion of the inner
25 layer and substantially centrally located thereon, said wrinkled pouch having
an upper opening in which a neonate is placed in an upright position and
supported thereby providing complete skin to skin contact between the
wearer and the neonate.
17
13. The method for facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care using an assistive garment
as claimed in claim 12, wherein the fastening mechanism of inner layer
comprises of a fastening means (008) for wrapping the inner layer around the
torso of the wearer and thereby securing the neonate against the wearer’5 s
chest. The method for facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care using an assistive
garment as claimed in claim 9, wherein the fastening mechanism of the outer
layer comprises fastening means extending from opposite ends attached to a
plurality of sections of the outer layer such that one section (012A) with
10 fastening means (013) conjugates with the fastening means (015) extending
from the lateral side of the inner portion on the opposite side and the other
section (012B) with fastening means (016) conjugates with the fastening
means (014) extending from lateral side of the outer portion from the
opposite side to provide an overlapping fastening mechanism to securely hold
15 the inner layer and additionally support the neonate against the wearer’s
chest.
14. The method for facilitating Kangaroo Mother Care using an assistive garment
as claimed in claim 12, wherein the inner layer and the outer layer are
coupled in a manner to facilitate expression of milk for feeding the neonate.