Who doesn’t love a baby in an old man fishing hat?
Happy Monday to you! How are you enjoying fall? The leaves in Virginia are spectacular. And so is the weather. I spend as much time outside as possible with the littles. The fresh air is good for EVERYONE.
Today’s post is one that takes some time to build, but then all of a sudden it’s ready! I get a lot of recommendations for resources – apps, books, podcasts, handouts….you name it.
As the resources come in, I try to sort through what I think is useful and what isn’t. I also try to categorize it.
These apps all fell into the basket of “postpartum mama.” And I can’t think of a better set of apps to recommend at a postpartum visit or a well woman visit of a mama that is nursing.
See what you guys think and let me know if you have more recommendations for this group!
Wonder Weeks
Navigate your baby’s growth and development in the first 20 months of life! Wonder Weeks refers to the periods of growth as milestones or LEAPS. You’ll not regret learning and following along with each phase of your baby’s growth. My favorite part of the book (also available in the app) was the suggested toys and activities for each age – this was super helpful as a first time mama!) No affiliations here, just love the product. Picture source from app link.
MommyMeds
To start, MommyMeds. This project came out of an amazing program at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Tech runs the InfantRisk Center and the program recognized the need for mamas to have real time evidence on medications they are taking during pregnancy or nursing.
Too often, women are prescribed medications in pregnancy or while breastfeeding and they aren’t counseled on the risks of the medications. Women also take more than one medication at times, and it’s important to know if those medications are safe to take together.
Enter this app. It’s a great resource for any mama to have on her phone!
Download here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mommymeds/id669222544
Hales: Medications and Mother’s Milk
From the app description: “…[an] up-to-date drug reference guide to empower safe breastfeeding. Featuring over 1,300 drugs, diseases, vaccines and syndromes…you can quickly identify hazardous drugs when breastfeeding.
A great resource for any medication that is either prescribed or recommended over the counter while breastfeeding. It also includes vaccines!
CBT-I Coach
CBT stands for cognitive behavioral therapy. The “-I” is for insomnia. This app is produced by the VA (Veterans Affairs). It aims to help people that struggle with insomnia or want to improve their sleep. Postpartum women are usually sleep deprived. But sometimes, postpartum anxiety can cause insomnia. So the app offers a process to learn more about sleep and to improve your sleep routines.
I’ve been fairly sleep deprived for about 5 years (see the three small children)! But also, from working long shifts and at night time. I am the biggest believer in good sleep routines and the postpartum period is a great window to examine ways to improve sleep for everyone in the household!
To me, this is worth the recommendation for someone to have in their back pocket when they need it!
Download here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cbt-i-coach/id655918660
LactMed App
Update: As of 12/8/22, this app does not appear to exist anymore. The link to below is still active. to the webpage with the complete database.
This app is a mirror of the LactMed website. And the LactMed website is the site that I hands down print the most information off of for women to take home and read. I have printed off information about zoloft, oxytocin nasal spray, reglan, flexeril…you name it. It’s such a good compilation of the evidence globally that is available. The quality of the evidence isn’t always great, but it’s the ease of reading what is available about the medication.
The app simply offers the information more easily than looking up the medications on the website. It’s similar to MommyMeds but also different. Having both downloaded is definitely the way to go!
It’s a little funny to download, but you can download it here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547435/
Meet Rosy
This one was new for me this year. But it’s a goody. One of the major postpartum concerns for women is return to sex or struggles to return to levels of sexual health prior to pregnancy. Sometimes a woman’s birth experience impacts her sexual health. A lot of women are hesitant to ask questions at their postpartum visits and end up not asking their questions at all. Or, they ask them to a group of friends instead and get half-answers and familiar hesitancies.
Enter MeetRosy. The app is aimed at sexual health and wellness for women. It’s a good resource for postpartum women as they navigate the post-baby world of sexual health.
If you’re wondering if you should use the app in practice – the creators wrote a blog post about it thats sums up the benefits nicely: https://meetrosy.com/should-i-use-rosy-in-my-practice
Download here: https://meetrosy.com/about-rosy
MoodTools
I have really high hopes for postpartum care coverage expanding to 12 months. States are slowly passing legislation to support Medicaid coverage. Where Medicaid goes, so goes the private insurance. Until then, I am passionate about helping mamas prevent or manage postpartum mood disorders. Be it anxiety or depression, it’s hard to know what’s wrong when all you know is something is wrong.
This is app does a nice job of assessing your mood, offering activities to boost mood, and also providing a safety plan in cases where thoughts of self harm are present.
It’s not perfect. But in the midst of a global pandemic, it’s a start.
Download here: https://www.moodtools.org/
Well there you go! A line up for postpartum mamas: medication education while pregnant or breastfeeding, insomnia and sleep management, sexual health education and mood assessment and boosting activities.
There are new apps every day. It’s amazing to me what these offer. And to think, these didn’t exist even 10 years ago!
Please share you recommendations! Also, postpartum support international, please make an app. I know you have a lot of important things going on in your organization (and you’re doing a hell of a job), but women need an app from your organization.
See you guys soon!
Jamie