Pregnancy is a time of continuous change – not just physical, but social, emotional, and psychological.
While this can be exciting – it can also be stressful. There are dozens of books, websites, and apps out there that tell expectant mothers how big their baby is, what to eat and all the possible complications that might occur, but there is much less about the thoughts and feelings that evolve during pregnancy, how to handle the worries, shifts in relationships, and hassles, and how to use the time during pregnancy to build resilience and plan a healthy future for the whole family.
Now theres an app that covers all that. A team from the University of Waikato School of Psychology, headed by Dr Carrie Cornsweet Barber, has been working for the last three years to develop ‘Positively Pregnant’ – an app for pregnant women.
Positively Pregnant includes tools for self-assessment, taking inventory of the mother’s strengths, stressors, support, strategies for coping, health behaviours, and more. From each of these, the woman receives feedback with links to New Zealand resources and information. Other modules include guides for talking or thinking about plans for things such as parenting, the birth, finances, and family traditions. There are activities for relaxation, affirmation, journaling, and just taking a break, as well as information related to the social and emotional side of pregnancy.