- Monash Health Newborn
- 3 min read
Monash University and Monash Health are developing a new device, powered by science and artificial intelligence (AI), that measures the volume of milk consumed by babies while they are breastfed.
Am I doing this right? Am I producing enough milk for my baby? Are they still hungry? These are just a few of the questions swirling in a first-time mother’s head, on top of trying to recover from the birth of her baby.
To make mum’s life a bit easier, Monash University and Monash Health are developing a new device, powered by science and AI, that measures the volume of milk their babies consume while being breastfed.
The device, Infafeed Smart Feeding Monitor, detects a baby’s swallowing sound and instantly measures the amount of milk the baby consumes at each feed.
‘There isn’t any device in the market that gives parents peace of mind when it comes to how much breastmilk their babies are consuming, especially during a breastfeed,’ said Associate Professor Atul Malhotra, Head of Early Neurodevelopment Clinic and a consultant neonatologist at Monash Children’s Hospital.
‘This device uses Artificial Intelligence to estimate the amount of milk being consumed to inform families whether their babies are getting enough milk.’
It works by placing a small probe on the baby’s neck while feeding. It uses two microphones: one placed on the infant’s neck to record swallowing sounds, and another within the main unit to capture background noise.
A pilot study at Monash Medical Centre involving 24 infants who received bottle or syringe feeds demonstrated the feasibility of this device. The findings were published in the Newborn Journal.
A/Prof Malhotra, who is also from Monash University’s Department of Paediatrics at the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, said further studies with a larger cohort of infants consuming varying milk volumes are needed to enhance swallow detection and milk intake estimation accuracy over a wide range of volumes.
‘One of the primary reasons for early cessation of exclusive breastfeeding is maternal concern over insufficient milk supply, despite actual milk insufficiency being rare.
‘This perception often leads to unnecessary formula supplementation, which in turn can reduce breastfeeding frequency and milk production, ultimately contributing to early weaning,’ he said.
A/Prof Malhotra, who worked closely with Dr Faezeh Marzbanrad, the head of the Biomedical Signal Processing Research Lab and a researcher in the Paediatrics – Digital Health and Informatics group at Monash University, said Dr Marzbanrad came up with the idea of the device based on her own struggles as a first-time mother.
‘My baby wasn’t putting on enough weight, which was a stressful and difficult experience as an overwhelmed new mum,’ she said.
‘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, and many mums I know are now waiting for it and willing to pay for it.’
A/Prof Malhotra said the device is still in the development phase and will take another year or two to be ready for commercialisation.
Original article: https://www.monash.edu/medicine/news/latest/2025-articles/engineer-mum-turns-breastmilk-worries-into-smart-device-for-parents
