A world-first device that accurately tracks how much breastmilk a baby drinks in real-time has been developed by Australian scientists.
Dr Fae Marzbanrad, from Monash University in Melbourne, said the technology aimed to address Perceived insufficient milk supply (PIMS), which was one of the leading reasons women stopped breastfeeding before six months, the time recommended by Australian guidelines.
Dr Marzbanrad said the development of the device was inspired by her own experience as a new mum.
She said for countless new mums, one of the hardest parts of breastfeeding wasn’t the latch or the logistics, it was the uncertainty of whether the baby was getting enough, or if the mum was making enough.
“My baby wasn’t putting on enough weight, which was a stressful and difficult experience as an overwhelmed new mum.
“I also found that this was a common experience for other women in my mother’s group. So, I developed a device to solve this problem.”
Dr Marzbanrad said the device worked by placing a small probe on the baby’s neck while feeding, with the sensor recording signals that used AI to instantly measure the amount of milk the baby consumed per feed.
She said in a pilot study of 24 newborns, the Infafeed monitor successfully showed that it could track newborn feeding accurately, addressing a longstanding gap in neonatal feeding assessment with a non-invasive, AI-powered solution.
“Maternal concern about insufficient milk supply is a major cause of premature cessation of exclusive breastfeeding.
“The Infafeed monitor provides a non-invasive objective tool for assessing neonatal milk intake, with the potential to reduce unnecessary supplementation, enable early identification of feeding problems, and support breastfeeding continuation.”
Read the full study: Infafeed Monitor Pilot Study: Measuring Ingested Milk Volumes in Neonates.
