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Although the concept of constraining
a women's breasts dates back to 6,500, Mary
Phelps Jacob was granted the first U.S. patent
for the brassiere
(nr 1,115,674), in 1913.
Her invention is most widely recognized as the predecessor to
the modern bra. Taking a cue from Jacob's design,
Ida Rosenthal and Enid Bisset, co-founders of Maidenform were
the first to make modern bras. Maidenform, known as the
leader in design and advancement in women's bras, is responsible
for the invention of adjustable straps, maternity bras, nursing
bras and standardized cup sizes. |
The company, founded in 1922,
provided the basic design that many bra manufacturers work
from today.
Maternity and nursing bras are no exception. Additional innovations,
often made by nursing mothers themselves, aimed at more fashionable
and functional nursing options are being patented on a fairly
regular basis.
Over 71% of women nurse their baby when leaving
the hospital, but that figure drops to an estimated 42% by
the sixth month postpartum.Why the decline? It is, in
part attributed to the number of nursing mothers in the workforce,
the increased mobility of our society and the societal expectations
placed on new mothers. |
Figure 1 - An image of a "bust supporter" from an
1893 patent. |
With more women in the workforce,
women are seeking convenient ways to nurse and pump breast
milk for their babies. Nursing bra manufacturers have
taken note of these developments and have responded to these
new market demands. Savvy manufacturers have answered
these needs with a variety of new products, including nursing
tank tops, camisoles and various types of nursing bras that
allow mom's additional coverage, convenience and mobility.
Maternity and nursing bras are no exception.
Additional innovations, often made by nursing mothers themselves,
aimed at more fashionable and functional nursing options are
being patented on a fairly regular basis.
Over 71% of women nurse their baby when leaving
the hospital, but that figure drops to an estimated 42% by
the sixth month postpartum. Why the decline? It
is, in part attributed to the number of nursing mothers in
the workforce, the increased mobility of our society and the
societal expectations placed on new mothers. With more
women in the workforce, women are seeking convenient ways
to nurse and pump breast milk for their babies. Nursing
bra manufacturers have taken note of these developments and
have responded to these new market demands. Savvy manufacturers
have answered these needs with a variety of new products,
including nursing tank tops, camisoles and various types of
nursing bras that allow mom's additional coverage, convenience
and mobility. |
Several nursing bra patents are
pending, or have been granted for various innovations and
improvements. Mary Sanchez received a patent in 1991
(nr 5,024,628)
for a very popular nursing bra feature; the one-handed fastening
method and variable adjustment of cup size. More recently,
a 2004 patent was granted to nursing mom Line Rothman for
the nursing bra tank (nr 20,040,143,885) designed for Glamourmom®
(www.glamourmom.com).
Unlike previous patented designs such as the
nursing cape (nr 5,848,439)which was used to cover a nursing
mother's upper torso
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and baby to provide privacy,
the Glamourmom Nursing Tank® is designed for traditional
nursing bra convenience with the added coverage of a mother's
mid-section. This innovation has helped nursing mothers
increase their ability to nurse easily in a variety of social
situations, remain stylish and continue nursing their babies
longer than they may otherwise have been able. Combining
fashion with function, this nursing bra/tank is available
in a variety of prints and colors that are sought by fashion-conscience
nursing moms.
Realizing that expectant and nursing mothers
are also interested in keeping their personal style and femininity,
other manufactures, such as Eve Alexander (www.evealexander.com)
have created a line of maternity and nursing bras that are
functional but with a touch of spice. This line features
maternity lingerie in assorted materials and colors to help
expectant and nursing mothers wear a nursing bra while still
feeling good about themselves and their bodies – feelings
that sometimes can be overlooked in a busy new mother's
life.
While form is becoming more important, most moms rate the
functionality of the nursing bra as the top priority.
Design enhancements have been made in this area, which in
the early stages of nursing, can be a formidable obstacle
for some mothers and their babies.
One of those obstacles can be nursing at night. A nursing
bra needs to comfortable, yet provide the extra support recommended
for sleeping. To most mothers extra support does not
correspond with the flexibility and comfort desired for a
restful night's sleep. Germain Caprio was granted
a patent in 2006 (nr 6,983,489) for the creation of an undergarment
designed to replace the need for wearing a nursing bra at
night. Two aspects of night time nursing; the desire
for extra support and leakage prevention, are addressed by
this new design. The design includes panels that
cover both the back and abdomen, providing extra support,
without the need for a traditional nursing bra. Caprio's
design contains “pockets” allowing for insertion
of nursing pads to alleviate the inconvenience of leakage.
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| Another innovative function in a nursing
bra concentrates on the desires for mothers who pump their breast
milk. Pumping breast milk for storage and later
use has become a more common practice, especially among nursing
mothers who work outside the home. Medela (http://www.medela.com/),
a leading manufacturer in nursing bras and breast pumps has
designed the Pumping Free™ Attachment Kit (see figure
3) to allow hands-free single or double pumping using Medela
Nursing Bras. This provides the nursing mother the ability
to maximize pumping time and keep a consistent supply of milk
for their child. |
Figure 2-Nursing bra and breast pump working together |
In less than 100 years since
the first U.S. patent was granted for the traditional brassiere,
the ancient practice of breastfeeding has seen many innovations
and design advances in nursing bras that provide nursing mothers
with more options for the convenient, stylish and most importantly,
continued nursing of their children.
References
http://www.glamourmom.com/
http://www.evealexander.com/
http://madela.com
http://wikipedia.com
Patents
- US1115674 – Brassiere
- US5848439 – Nursing cape
- US5024628
— Maternity and nursing brassiere with strap variations
- US20040143885 – Nursing bra tank
- US6983489 — Nursing garment
and support bra
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