BabySMS

Pregnancy advice via SMS

BABYsms is a free, SMS-based, pregnancy advice service. Most affluent women have excellent access to information and support during their pregnancy. This information enables them to make informed decisions about a number of factors that influence their health and that of their baby, such as diet and exercise. Unfortunately many expectant mothers in developing countries do not enjoy the same easy access to information. To join the service, just SMS 'baby' to 31186 from a mobile phone in South Africa. Subscribers have the option to specify the month in which the baby is due. The service is then able to customize the advice and personalize the pregnancy journey as much as possible. The target market is women who do not have on-going access to in-depth information, but the service is open to all. BABYsms aims to help bring high quality information to expectant mothers, using cell phones as the medium for communication. The SMS content has been developed in conjunction with local medical professionals, including doctors, midwifes and physiotherapists. It is not trying to replace the advice of medical professionals but merely provide a complementary service, help raise awareness and encourage expectant mothers to go for more regular visits to clinics, etc.