Maternity pillow

Abstract

Technology is described herein for providing implementations of a maternity pillow that hugs the contours of a pregnant woman's midsection, providing support to her belly while she is lying on her side and preventing the weight of her belly from pulling on her back. The maternity pillows of the claimed invention are designed so as to negate the need for adjustment every time the woman moves, rolls over, gets up or lies down. Additionally, the maternity pillows of the claimed invention specifically target the midsection of a woman's body that needs support while lying down, without providing unnecessary and/or unwanted bulk.

1 . A maternity pillow to provide comfort for a pregnant woman lying on her side comprising:
 an annular pillow structure adapted to be worn around a torso of the pregnant woman, wherein the pillow structure comprises a belly portion to accommodate the belly of the pregnant woman, a back portion to be worn at the back of the pregnant woman and two side portions: and   cushioning members positioned at each side portion, wherein the cushioning members are adapted for nesting against sides of the belly.   
   
   
       2 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 1  further including an upper band attached to a top portion of the maternity pillow. 
   
   
       3 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 2  further including a lower band attached to a bottom portion of the maternity pillow. 
   
   
       4 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 1  wherein the cushioning members have a generally trapezoidal configuration. 
   
   
       5 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 1  wherein the cushioning members comprise a compressible material. 
   
   
       6 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 5 , wherein the compressible material comprises layers of fabric, foam, foam-filled enclosures, fabric-filled enclosures, down-filled enclosures, batting-filled enclosures, or gel-filled enclosures. 
   
   
       7 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 1 , wherein the pillow structure comprises muslin, cotton, silk, wool, polyester, nylon, acrylic, polyurethane, or olefin. 
   
   
       8 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 7 , further comprising Lycra®. 
   
   
       9 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 1 , wherein the maternity pillow is configured to be slipped over a head and upper body of the pregnant woman so as to be positioned around the midsection, or stepped into and pulled up over and positioned around the midsection. 
   
   
       10 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 1 , wherein the maternity pillow is configured to be wrapped around the torso and comprises two joinable ends. 
   
   
       11 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 10 , wherein the ends are joinable by hooks and loops, Velcro®-type fasteners, snaps, hooks, magnets, zippers, buttons or ties. 
   
   
       12 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 1 , wherein the side portions of the pillow structure comprise pockets. 
   
   
       13 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 12 , wherein the cushioning members are positioned inside the pockets. 
   
   
       14 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 13 , wherein the cushioning members are removably positioned inside the pockets. 
   
   
       15 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 14 , wherein the pockets may be secured with hooks and loops, Velcro®-type fasteners, snaps, hooks, magnets, zippers, buttons or ties. 
   
   
       16 . A maternity pillow to provide comfort for a pregnant woman lying on her side comprising:
 an annular pillow structure adapted to be worn around a torso of the pregnant woman, wherein the pillow structure comprises a belly portion to accommodate a belly of the pregnant woman, a back portion to be worn at a back of the pregnant woman and side portions along each side of the belly portion wherein the side portions comprise pockets: and   cushioning members disposed within the pockets wherein the cushioning members are adapted for nesting against and supporting each side of the belly.   
   
   
       17 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 16 , wherein the cushioning members have a generally trapezoidal configuration. 
   
   
       18 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 16 , wherein the cushioning members comprise layers of fabric, foam, foam-filled enclosures, fabric-filled enclosures down-filled enclosures, batting-filled enclosures, or gel-filled enclosures. 
   
   
       19 . The maternity pillow as described in  claim 16 , wherein the pillow structure comprises muslin, cotton, silk, wool, polyester, nylon, acrylic, polyurethane, or olefin. 
   
   
       20 . A kit comprising: an annular pillow structure adapted to be worn around a torso of a pregnant woman, wherein the pillow structure comprises a belly portion to accommodate a belly of the pregnant woman, a back portion to be worn at a back of the pregnant woman and side portions along each side of the belly portion wherein the side portions comprise pockets: and
 two or more pairs of cushioning members adapted to be removably disposed within the pockets, wherein the pairs of cushioning members are further adapted for nesting against sides of the belly, and wherein the pairs of cushioning members comprise two or more different sizes, contours or consistencies of cushioning members.