Margie Polden Memorial Lecture: Best Beginnings – working to give every child in the UK the best start in life

Author(s): A. Baum - Pages: 5–13

Abstract

The Best Beginnings charity works collaboratively, innovatively and from the evidence base to help parents make positive healthcare choices, and to enable professionals to support those decisions. This paper explores the development and impact of the Baby Buddy mobile phone application (app), and the role of pelvic, obstetric and gynaecological physiotherapists. The Baby Buddy app is a free personal information source that offers content, advice, encouragement and support on a daily basis throughout the perinatal period. The aim of Baby Buddy is to support women to look after their own physical and mental health, and to help them maximize their child’s physical, social, emotional and language development. By being a definitive, evidence-based source of information that is easily accessed, understandable and relatable, Baby Buddy serves as an influential source of ante- and postnatal information for parents.

Keywords: app, Baby Buddy, Best Beginnings, perinatal period, support.