Doctors urge pregnant women to avoid using apps after two tragic stillbirths
Being an expectant mum is one of life’s most exciting adventures, and with recent technology it’s easier than ever to find an app that will satisfy any need you have.
Among these new downloadable tools are pregnancy apps which claim to be able to monitor the heartbeats of babies in their mum’s tums and offer advice and reassurance.
However, in recent months doctors have become increasingly concerned about these apps making mums less likely to see a doctor if they’re worried about their bubs - which could lead to serious problems.
Two patients at Sydney’s Royal Hospital for Women recently suffered stillbirths after relying on the apps according to Dr Lucy Bowyer, Acting Head of Maternal Fetal Medicine.
'In both cases the women were given a false sense of security.'
Dr Lucy Bowyer
‘It’s such a tragedy to deliver a stillborn baby when urgent medical assessment and intervention may have prevented that loss,’ Dr Bowyer told News Corp.
‘One lady was using the app to listen to the foetal heart beat because the baby had not been moving and she had been partially reassured the baby was okay. In both cases the women were given a false sense of security.’
Dr Bowyer urges expecting parents to see a trained professional if they have any concerns about their baby’s movements.
This advice extends to purchasing heart rate monitors to listen for their babies - as only trained professionals know what to look out for.
‘Even if you could hear the heartbeat, if you are not clinically trained you don’t know what you listening out for.’
Approximately six babies a day in Australia are stillborn. The Stillbirth Foundation, in conjunction with the Mater Research Institute at the University of Queensland, are currently trialling a baby movement app but it is not yet available.
If you have any worries about bub - get them checked out with your doctor.
This article originally appeared on marie claire.
