App developed to help new parents monitor mental health

A Belfast entrepreneur whose own experiences during pregnancy inspired her to set up her own business is launching a campaign to encourage new parents to download a free app she has developed to help them check their mental health.

Nuala Murphy, who is the CEO and founder of Moment Health, hopes her #CheckYourSymptoms campaign will help some new mums and dads deal with the anxieties that they may not realise they are suffering from.

Ms Murphy said: “Some 70 per cent of new mums aren’t aware they are suffering from maternal mental health and related issues so at Moment Health we are launching our #CheckYourSymptoms campaign in order to appeal to mums to acknowledge they could be suffering and to speak up, seek help and ultimately save their life.

“This is a global issue. And that’s why we have developed the #CheckYourSymptoms campaign so new and expectant parents can download the app and check their symptoms to prioritise their mental health at this crucial time and ultimately catch any issues early so they can be recognised and treated.”

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The tech entrepreneur, developed her app – available on iOS and Android – with both mums and dads in mind and is launching her campaign during Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week which runs until May 5th.

She hopes new parents will use it to track their moods and check for symptoms.

Ms Murphy said: “They can do so with the confidence that the app, which has been developed with the help of clinicians and medical professionals, uses evidence-based screening tools.”

“We all know new mums and dads – so we all have the power to look out for new parents around us, to ask them if they are okay, to let them know they are not alone, to remind them if they are struggling that it is nothing to be ashamed of,” Ms Murphy said.

The tech entrepreneur, who is also the founder of Lean in Belfast, initially self-funded her start up before securing early stage investment from techstart NI last May.

Over the next two years she hopes that Moment Health will provide a mental healthcare service to parents, partners, resellers and health trusts.