(Iowa State University Digital Press, 2023) Zhang, Ling; Xiang, Chunhui; McKinney, Ellen C.
Breastfeeding mothers frequently rely on nursing pads to prevent leaks and maintain hygiene and comfort between nursing sessions. Despite the widespread use of commercial nursing pads, existing literature has highlighted their poor performance, prompting the need for a quantitative evaluation of their functional properties. To bridge this gap, this study evaluates nine commercially available nursing pads and a proposed new nanofiber material for the nursing pad, assessing their functional characteristics, such as the capacity of absorbing liquid. Ultimately, this research aims to provide new insights into the functional properties of nursing pads and evaluate the efficacy of a new alternative.