iNatal, an app about pregnancy developed by experts on maternal-fetal medicine

Researchers from BCNatal group (Hospital Clínic – Hospital Sant Joan de Déu – University of Barcelona), led by Professor Eduard Gratacós, with the collaboration of “la Caixa” Obra Social foundation, developed iNatal, the first rigorous and customized app for pregnant women which offers guidelines on nutrition and wellbeing based on scientific studies to improve the health of the mother and the baby. The app offers easy and intuitive information on pregnancy and it allows the user to ask doubts on forums, which are coordinated by experts on fetal medicine. This tool allows the user to know about the most important issues of the evolution of the baby and the mother over the 40 weeks of pregnancy, and solve most of the common doubts a pregnant woman usually has.

Nutrition and emotional wellbeing: two essential factors in fetal health

This app is a customized tool for pregnant women who want to play an active role during the nine months of the pregnancy. Among other things, people can find information on nutrition, a personalized nutritional program related to the week of pregnancy. This nutritional plan has been jointly designed by the Fetal Medicine Research Center Fetal i+D –linked to BCNatal and led by Gratacós- and researchers and nutritionists from the Research Group on Cardiovascular Risk, Nutrition and Ageing in IDIBAPS.

Another aspect this app offers is about wellbeing, with a program on mindfulness whose design was carried out by the heads of Fetal i+D and experts on programs based on this practice in the Institute Mindfulness. With a series of videos and audios, this proposal allows people to carry out a ten-session plan over ten weeks and see their progress. Among the other options, iNatal allows users to follow the evolution of the maternal and fetal weight, update it each week of pregnancy, controlling a pregnancy journal and access information on health during this period, which is always rigorous, useful and specific.

It is important to remind that this app does not serve as a diagnostic tool and does not replace any recommendation or treatment given by the doctor in charge of the pregnancy. The app is free and is available in Spanish for iOS and Android devices. The Catalan version is being developed, as well as a 2.0 version with more functions.