By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Feb. 17, 2026 (HealthDay News) — First-time moms are facing a potentially overwhelming amount of stress, caring for their new baby while also managing their own recovery from pregnancy and birth.
But a new smartphone app can provide them much-needed support, according to a study presented at a meeting in Las Vegas of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
First-time moms armed with the Baby2Home app had fewer symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety, as well as better overall health, results showed.
“Evidence-based digital tools like Baby2Home are opening the door to a new era of postpartum care. We can now extend high-quality support beyond hospital walls and into families’ everyday lives,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Miller said in a news release. She’s division director of maternal-fetal medicine at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island in Providence.
“The mental health improvements we saw underscore just how transformational that support can be,” Miller said.
The Baby2Home app provides new mothers with an array of helpful features — mental health screening, baby tracking, parental education and real-time support from an online care manager.
To test its effectiveness, researchers recruited 642 first-time moms between November 2022 and July 2025.
All were provided usual postpartum care during the first year following delivery, but half were chosen at random to get the Baby2Home app as well.
Compared to moms receiving usual care, those armed with the app had better mental health, better physical health, higher relationship satisfaction with their partners and family, and greater confidence in their parenting abilities.
“The first year after birth is a critical period for parental mental health. Baby2Home helped new parents feel more confident, more supported and more connected,” Miller said. “That translated into better health outcomes for them and their families.”
Researchers presented their findings at the meeting on Feb. 11.
Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
More information
Johns Hopkins Medicine has tips for first-time moms.
SOURCE: Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, news release, Feb. 11, 2026
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