SBIR Phase I: Novel Infant Feeding System for Breastfeeding Support and Biofeedback Analysis

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will address the primary cause of the premature cessation of breastfeeding. Globally, this issue causes 820,000 deaths in children under the age of five and costs the United States over $300 billion in preventable medical costs annually. By creating an infant feeding system designed for seamless and stress-free breast and bottle feeding, with the only nipple that is researched and designed to mimic a mother’s shape, feel, and flow, this project can offer families bottle to breast continuity-reducing latching problems while promoting breastfeeding. In accordance with the market demand found in customer discovery, this project will supply the first bottle to come with tele-health support for the breastfeeding journey and immuno-biome feedback with remote stool sampling and microbiome data driven insights to support families on how to feed their child best during the first three years of life. By combining remote tele-health and immuno-biome testing services, this integrative model improves access to preventative care while providing bio-feedback insights that can save the U.S. economy an additional $10B annually. The proposed project addresses the gap in the $114 billion global baby and femtech industry, where 92% of parents who introduce a baby to a bottle are unable to return to breastfeeding for the recommended two years. The majority of women do not continue breastfeeding after 3 months after introducing a bottle when maternity leave ends. In the hospital, preterm infants are invariably exposed to nipples unnaturally fast milk flow, resulting in infant hypoxia, bradycardia, and long term neurological defects. This problem costs hospitals approximately $50 million annually by increasing consultation and length of stay costs. The proposed technology will mimic unique maternal nipple geometry and evolutionary milk flow specifically with regard to dynamic infant suckling pressures. The technical objectives of initial lab testing are to ensure the prototypes closely replicate the mother’s nipple, in terms of shape and volumetric flow rate, the silicone thickness, the media density, and the proprietary, dynamic valve diaphragm. Initial non-inferiority testing will measure if the project reduces latching problems for mothers after discharge, decreases complications for preterm patients, and the daily $3,000 per preterm infant cost to hospitals associated with flow rate of standard nipples in a quarter-long study. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.