Quantification and inventory management of expressed human breast milk

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for milk expression are provided. In one aspect, a system includes an expression apparatus having an interface configured to engage a breast and an actuation assembly operably coupled to the interface. Actuation of the actuation assembly causes the interface to apply vacuum pressure against the breast to express milk from the breast. The system also includes various sensors for quantifying characteristics of the expressed milk, and a unique identifier allows inventory management of the expressed milk.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for quantifying expressed milk from a human breast, said system comprising:
 a breast milk expression device configured to express milk from the breast;   a reservoir fluidly coupled to the breast milk expression device and configured to collect the expressed breast milk, wherein the reservoir comprises a unique identifier;   a sensor unit configured to quantify one or more attributes of the expressed breast milk; and   a peripheral device in communication with the sensor unit, wherein the peripheral device is configured to associate the one or more attributes of the expressed milk quantified by the sensor unit with the unique identifier of the reservoir containing the expressed breast milk.   
     
     
         2 . A method for quantifying expression of breast milk from a human breast, said method comprising:
 expressing breast milk from a human breast using a breast milk expression device;   collecting the expressed breast milk into a reservoir fluidly coupled to the breast milk expression device;   quantifying one or more attributes of the expressed breast milk with a sensor unit;   generating pump session data comprising a start time of expression of the breast milk and an end time of the expression;   digitally associating the pump session data with the one or more attributes of the expressed milk; and   updating a pump session log with the pump session data, wherein the pump session log is stored on a peripheral device in communication with the breast milk expression device.   
     
     
         3 . A system for managing an inventory of expressed breast milk, said system comprising:
 a reservoir containing expressed breast milk, wherein the reservoir comprises a unique identifier;   an inventory management database comprising one or more inventory items, each inventory item associated with a unique identifier of a reservoir; and   a computing device configured with instructions to:
 receive the unique identifier of the reservoir, 
 receive one or more attributes of the expressed breast milk digitally associated with the unique identifier, and 
 update the inventory management database in response to receiving the unique identifier. 
   
     
     
         4 . A method for managing an inventory of expressed breast milk, said method comprising:
 identifying, from an inventory of expressed breast milk, an inventory item associated with a unique identifier of a reservoir containing expressed breast milk; and   updating the inventory of expressed breast milk with respect to the identified inventory item;   wherein the inventory is locally stored on a computing device, the computing device configured with instructions to provide an inventory management application.