The NHS across Hertfordshire and West Essex is today launching a new mum & baby app – a definitive personal guide for pregnancy, birth and beyond.
The smart phone app was originally developed by Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and has evolved with new content to deliver on the ambitions of the NHS Better Births to provide women with a single source of trusted NHS information for all their maternity needs at the Diamond Jubilee Maternity Unit at Stevenage’s Lister Hospital, as well as at Watford General Hospital and The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow.
From the start of pregnancy to early parenthood, this app will support women and their families with:
- Choice on where in Hertfordshire and West Essex they would like to give birth and how they would like their birth to go
- Access to essential, clinically-validated information every step of the way from being pregnant, to giving birth and looking after a new baby
- Personalised plans for their care during pregnancy, birth and beyond.
The app offers an easy-to-navigate screen, multiple links and videos of a range of useful topics; emotional and physical wellbeing, mental health concerns, advice for partners, preparing for labour, your stay in hospital, post-delivery care, baby care basics, mum and baby checks, recovering from different types of delivery and medical conditions and advice for when back at home.
Personal preferences for each stage of the maternity journey can be documented, stored within the app for sharing with care providers, generating conversations that support collaborative and personalised care plans.
And, crucially, the app provides users with a single point of access for information on booking in their local area to receive higher levels of continuity of care.
Abby Higgins, who is expecting her first baby in four months, said: “I have found this app really useful as there are many different categories that you can research and go through and if you want to read more there are lots of helpful links where more information is possible.
“ It has made me write down things that I need to discuss with my midwife nearer my due date, likemy birth plan andany thoughts and concerns that I may have – especially during a global pandemic.
“I like that I am able to select the hospital where I am choosing to have our baby in. Sometimes information can be overwhelming in pregnancy, but I find this app really helps to break it down and understand each topic throughout my first pregnancy.”
The app aims to improve women’s experiences of maternity care and ensures that the information they receive is consistent no matter where they choose to give birth in the local area.
Rachael Corser, senior responsible officer for Hertfordshire and West Essex Local Maternity System and chief nurse at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, said: “The mum & baby app is an innovative way to harness digital technology in the NHS to provide mums-to-be in Hertfordshire and West Essex with personal care and access to information easily and quickly.
“This brilliant app allows us to deliver a new model of continuity of care which delivers safer outcomes for mothers and babies by helping women manage their own care throughout their pregnancy, birth and beyond.”
How do I download the mum & baby app?
The mum & baby app is available in both iOS and Android formats – go to your app store (Apple Store or Google Play) on your smart phone to download the app.
