Parents-to-be benefit from new maternity smartphone App

Parents-to-be who are accessing maternity services at PAHT can download a smartphone App with guidance to support them every step of the way.

We are working in partnership with The Lister Hospital and Watford General Hospital – which are part of the wider Hertfordshire and West Essex Local Maternity and Neonatal System – to offer localised information for parentsto -be via the new Mum & Baby App.

The Mum & Baby: Herts and West Essex Local Maternity and Neonatal System App launched on 2 November and is designed to be a personal guide for pregnancy, birth and beyond. From the start of pregnancy to early parenthood, this App supports women and their families with:

Choice on where 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 provides users with a single point of access for for women, their partners and information on booking in their families, together with other local local area to receive higher levels hospitals. of continuity of care. The App offers an easy-to- parents-to-be who are accessing navigate screen, with multiple our services to download the links and videos on a range App and access the wealth of useful topics. This includes of information available. This emotional and physical wellbeing, App enables us to enhance our mental health concerns, advice for support of women, their partners partners, and preparing for labour. and families during pregnancy and Additionally, parents-to-be can new parenthood. find out about a stay in hospital, post-delivery care, baby care The app was originally developed basics, mum and baby checks, by Chelsea and Westminster recovering from different types of Hospital and their charity CW+ delivery and medical conditions, with Imagineear, and has evolved and advice for when back at with new content to deliver on the home. Personal preferences ambitions of the NHS Better Births for each stage of the maternity to provide women with a single journey can be documented and source of trusted NHS information stored within the App for sharing for all their maternity needs. with care providers, generating conversations that support To download the App collaborative and personalised The App is available in both care plans. iOS and Android formats. Go to Jacqui Featherstone, associate GooglePlay) to download the App. director of midwifery, said:

We are delighted to be able to provide this fantastic resource

We would encourage all your App store (Apple Store or