Due to coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown, people are confined to their homes to curb the spread of the disease. Normal life has almost come to a standstill, and this might cause anxiety to a number of people. Pregnant women feel more stressed as they are unable to go for their regular checkups and reach out to their doctors for timely advice.
iMumz – a pregnancy app has come forward to help expecting mothers during the 21-day lockdown period. The platform is hosting live AMA sessions and addressing queries of pregnant women with the help of more than 100 experts including obstetricians, nutritionists, yoga and mental health experts. Focus on holistic health According to Pruoo Health Tech Pvt Ltd, the company that has launched the app, at least 28 million Indian women are pregnant during this period. Focusing on holistic health of both mother and baby, the app aims to provide information and interaction via activities to help expecting mothers looks after themselves and their babies.
Beginning with British psychoanalyst John Bowbly’s work with Attachment theory in 1969, several research studies have shown that a child’s personality development is affected by the mother’s behaviour and bonding during pregnancy. Some research has also shown a link between prenatal stages and future diseases and mental health.
Echoing these results, Dr Jaideep Malhotra, Co-founder of Pruoo says, “We know that the origin of most of the diseases is from the womb of the mother. We call this fetal origin. Adult diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, many cancers, and more take in the womb. Because of increasing C-section rates and women getting very anxious about delivery, there is not a lot of bonding, which affects the personality building of the child. All that has to begin from early pregnancy stages, so the journey has to be more holistic.” Dr Jaideep is an obstetrician who has delivered over 10,000 babies. She has also served as the President of Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) in 2018.