Essential Coaching for Every Mother: A Postnatal Text Message Educational Intervention for Mothers in Canada and Tanzania

Regardless of where a mom lives, the transition to motherhood is exciting yet challenging. In Tanzania, the predominant challenge during the postnatal period is that babies dying within the first 28 days remains unacceptably high at a rate of 21 out of 1,000 births. In Canada, the rate of babies dying is much lower, at a rate of 3.4 out of 1,000 births. However, Canadian moms face challenges related to confidence in caring for their baby, feeling more isolated, and having higher rates of anxiety and depression. Innovative strategies such as mobile health can be used to improve newborn care and improve moms’ confidence during this critical time period. To address these needs, we decided to create a postnatal educational text message intervention called Essential Coaching for Every Mother that could support moms during this critical postnatal period. This presentation will describe our innovation, Essential Coaching for Every Mother, which will send daily text messages to moms containing information related to caring for themselves and their baby during the first six-weeks after birth, when and where they need it the most: right at home. These one-way messages will be based on the best up-to-date evidence, local guidelines, and existing World Health Organization recommendations. Messages will cover newborn health topics such as breastfeeding, cord care, crying, normal development, as well as maternal health topics, such as signs of postpartum anxiety and depression. The goal of our innovation is to improve moms knowledge and confidence in caring for themselves and their baby. To develop and evaluate our innovation, Phase I pilots and refines the messages with moms and healthcare providers in both Canada and Tanzania. In Phase II, we will conduct randomized controlled trials to determine effectiveness. Our presentation will describe our innovation, our plan for evaluation, and how we are modifying the approach for the two countries.