Breastmilk sensing device and system for monitoring breastfeeding efficiency

A method for monitoring breast milk sample of a human subject at various stages of breastfeeding from colostrum through transition to fully mature milk, the method comprising:

• obtaining a small volume of sample of breast milk from a lactating human subject;
• placing the sample in a cavity of a milk sample holding chamber;
• measuring in the milk sample a plurality of milk related parameters comprising conductivity and/or resistivity, temperature and sufficiency of volume in the cavity of the milk sample holding chamber;
• receiving a conductivity and/or a resistivity measurement from a sensor arranged to measure milk related parameters in said milk sample;
• receiving a milk sample quantity sufficiency signal from a sensor arranged to measure the milk sample level sufficiency within a milk sample holding chamber during a measurement;
• receiving a milk sample temperature measurement from a sensor arranged to measure the milk sample temperature during a measurement;
• and
• identifying at least one breastfeeding efficiency status values based upon a sufficient milk sample level and the at least one measurement relating to the conductivity and/or resistivity of the milk sample, wherein the conductivity and/or resistivity measurement is adjusted to afford a conductivity output that corresponds to a predefined temperature, by analyzing data related to the milk related parameters and providing an output of the breastfeeding status value.

A computer system configured for measuring indicators in human milk sample in different volumes from initial colostrum to fully mature milk, for use of monitoring breastfeeding efficiency, the system comprising one or more processing units, and one or more computer readable media storing executable instructions, and at least one sensor-set composed of sensor arranged to measure a conductivity and/or a resistivity, sensor indicative of sufficiency of human milk sample volume and sensor arranged to measure the human milk sample temperature, wherein execution thereof by the at least one processing unit configures the computer system to:

• a. process and receive any of a conductivity and/or a resistivity measurement from the at least one sensor arranged to measure a conductivity and/or a resistivity in a human milk sample taken from at least one breast of a lactating person, wherein the conductivity and/or a resistivity measurement is performed in a milk sample holding chamber;
• b. process and receive a milk sample volume signal from the at least one sensor indicative of sufficiency of human milk sample volume in the milk sample holding chamber during a measurement;
• c. process and receive a milk sample temperature measurement from the at least one sensor arranged to measure the human milk sample temperature in the milk sample holding chamber during a measurement, and
• d. determine an adjusted conductivity and/or adjusted resistivity according to the temperature measurement and milk sample volume signal measured by the sensor set in the milk sample holding chamber during a measurement to provide an adjusted conductivity and/or adjusted resistivity measurement, and
• e. generate an output signal representing a breastfeeding efficiency status value, wherein the a breastfeeding efficiency status value includes the milk adjusted conductivity and/or adjusted resistivity measurement or computations thereof generating one or more additional status value selected from a group consisting of:
• a milk maturation percent reflecting milk sample maturation within the full range from initial colostrum to fully mature milk, a predicted milk sample age after birth, a breastfeeding progress rate, and a combination thereof;
• f. compare said adjusted conductivity and/or adjusted resistivity or status value to a reference dataset comprising reference values of a population of lactating females corresponding to each day or day range postpartum;
• and
• g. trigger an alarm or a visual output when the adjusted conductivity and/or adjusted resistivity or breastfeeding efficiency status value is outside of a range, exceeds, or is below a threshold of said dataset of reference values;