Hakuhodo DY Media Partners and NTT Docomo present
The Maternity Notebook information services app:
Linking expectant mothers and obstetrics professionals

The Maternity Notebook (Japanese: Ninpu-Techo) app is a maternity information service designed to alleviate the stress of pregnancy. Jointly developed by NTT Docomo, Inc. (Docomo) and Hakuhodo DY Media Partners (HDYMP), this free¹ app will be released by HDYMP for both iPhone® and Android™ smartphones on Wednesday, December 11, 2013.

The Maternity Notebook lets expectant mothers enter and manage their weight, morning sickness information, and other physical data. It also features a “Today’s Baby” section describing the baby’s development based on the length of pregnancy, a Q&A section that addresses common pregnancy concerns, and a “Best for Baby” section that offers tips about what moms should do for their unborn babies during specific developmental periods. This and other content makes it easy for expectant mothers to learn all they need to know about their pregnancy.

The app can also be linked to medical institutions, allowing the expectant mother’s regular doctor or healthcare provider to send original content and notifications through the program. Eight hospitals are scheduled to be linked with the app upon its initial release, with the developers aiming to increase this number to 500 medical institutions within three years. This is the first time in Japan² that a maternity app has been linked to actual obstetrics providers.

Prior to releasing Maternity Notebook, the developers worked with physicians and midwives to conduct a three-month study that monitored 31 pregnant women receiving regular checkups at the NTT Medical Center Tokyo. More than 60% of the women reported that the app “alleviated some of their concerns” about pregnancy and delivery, “increased their satisfaction with the hospital”, and gave them “deeper knowledge about pregnancy and delivery”. The app thus demonstrated a certain amount of success as a tool for alleviating the stress of pregnancy and supporting hospital care.

 One of the goals for Maternity Notebook is to integrate it with the Watashi Move® (WM) health platform offered by Docomo Healthcare, Inc. by the second half of FY2014. The developers are looking at sharing data with other apps linked to WM as a way of further improving customer convenience—for example, by allowing expectant mothers to continue managing their health even after the baby is born by sharing weight control and other data entered in their Maternity Notebook program.

Hakuhodo DY Media Partners and Docomo will continue working to popularize services that link sei-katsu-sha and medical institutions through a variety of initiatives, including ongoing support to link healthcare and information technology and tie-ups with other medical providers, companies, non-profit agencies, governments, and more.

¹Separate data charges apply. Certain program features (viewing and searching past articles, graphic displays, etc.) are offered as paid services (200 yen/month including tax).

²Source: Hakuhodo DY Media Partners study. Data current as of December 10, 2013.