Aalto University introduces 12 new world-changing innovations at Slush. On of them is digital doula Natal Mind, a mobile app designed to support the emotional and mental journey undergone by mothers-to-be. Alongside the app’s development, a clinical study is currently being carried out at Aalto University to identify and address the fear of childbirth.
‘The aim is to use the app to increase psychological resilience and emotional management, to increase the sense of agency and capability. Women often feel insecure before giving birth because antenatal coaching is so scarce,’ says Aura Pyykönen, medical lead of the Natal Mind project.
The study and the treatment will be entirely digital. Artificial intelligence models have been used in the design of the Natal Mind app and especially the cartoon-like digital therapists. In addition to Pyykönen, the research team has included commercial director Annika Järvelin and psychologist Riikka Lemmetyinen from the start, and the research data is currently being analysed by researchers Henni Tenhunen and Enrico Glerean.
‘In the mobile app, the user selects emotions from negative to positive and passive to active, and the intensity associated with each emotion. Based on this, the user is shown a vocabulary of emotions to help them better understand their feelings and learn how to regulate them. They will also receive exercises related to their emotions. They can help them learn to relax or communicate their needs, or prepare for childbirth with a partner,’ says Pyykönen.
Two hundred women who gave birth this year are currently taking part in the study, divided in half between the study and control groups. They are also normally using in the maternity and child health clinic services.
In the video, Aura Pyykönen is pitching the Natal Mind innovation in an ice cold water.
Preliminary results show that the fear of childbirth decreases in app users as they approach labour, while it seems to increase in the control group. The results are also promising for caesarean sections.
‘None of the individuals in the treatment arm expressed a desire for a caesarean delivery, while 10% of participants in the control group opted for caesarean sections due to fear of childbirth’, says Pyykönen.
As part of a normal pregnancy, childbirth brings up strong feelings, and it’s common for a fear of childbirth to increase as labour approaches. Even though it is common, especially when severe, fear of childbirth is a risk factor for postpartum depression. Research also shows that such fear predisposes the birthing parent to a bad birth experience, which can subsequently lead to a greater chance of postnatal depression.
Many psychologists and therapists have said that the app could be useful in any therapeutic setting, yet the researchers are also interested in lateral approaches.
‘The next step is to develop a tool to support the birth partner. The role of the support person and their preparation are crucial in childbirth. There is a lot of lack of information and uncertainty also for the partner, and that affects the outcome of the birth,’ says Pyykönen.
It is hoped that the Natal Mind innovation could also be exported to African markets if funding is available, with clinicians in South Africa and Rwanda already indicating strong interest in the pilot.
‘According to our African partners, mental health care in pregnancy and postnatal care is very poor in these countries. The problem is recognised, but resources are limited, which is why there is a high demand for digital health services,’ says Järvelin.
Aalto-yliopisto osallistuu kasvuyritystapahtuma Slushiin esittelemällä 12 uutta innovaatioprojektia, jotka muuttavat maailmaa. Tänä vuonna osastollamme on mahdollisuus tutustua myös uudistavalle liiketoiminnalle olennaisen radikaalin luovuuden työkaluihin.
The Natal Mind research team won the Polar Bear Pitching competition last weekend in Oulu. Obstetrician Aura Pyykönen tells us what it was like to pitch in the ice-cold water. Annika Järvelin, Riikka Lemmetyinen and Henni Tenhunen are other members of the winning team at Aalto Department of Industrial Engineering and Management.
Future maternity and child health clinics and positive birth experiences may be built on 3D-video conferences and avatars but also traditional child health clinic cards and genuine human interaction.
