Dearbump launches pregnancy app offering immediate access to midwives
Dearbump launches pregnancy app offering immediate access to midwives
The Dearbump app aims to help close maternal health inequalities
An entrepreneur who experienced her own birth trauma has launched a new pregnancy app to help better support women through pregnancy and to help close maternal health inequalities.
Liverpool-based Emma Jarvis has launched Dearbump, which offers real-time data tracking and integrated access to real midwives to help women feel more in control of their pregnancy journey and address stark gaps in maternal healthcare in the UK.
According to the APPG group on Birth Trauma, up to 79% of women experience some form of birth trauma, but this issue remains under the radar as most existing pregnancy solutions focus on only sharing information.
Instead, Dearbump offers support tailored to a user’s pregnancy stage and educational content for women, helping them stay informed and empowered throughout their pregnancy journey and up to two years postpartum.
Dearbump offers sensitive and relevant content for those navigating the complexities of pregnancy loss, ensuring that users have access to crucial support during challenging times, often overlooked by other apps.
The app also has a live chat function with expert midwives, enabling expectant mothers to have access to expert advice at the touch of a button and act early if any unusual symptoms arise.
Founder Emma Jarvis said:
“Women will be able to track their pregnancy, log their symptoms and chat to a midwife through the app . This will give us a bigger data picture of each user, which, when combined with their outcome data, means we can ultimately measure patterns, identify risk and generate insights for new users.”
This data collection also means that in time, Dearbump may be able to contribute to a better understanding of the needs of pregnant women.
Commenting on the Dearbump app launch, Dr. Lauren Flynn, OBGYN, said:
“Digital tools like Dearbump not only enhance access to healthcare but also deepen women’s understanding of conditions faced during pregnancy and postpartum. However, McKinsey has shown us that maternal health conditions need more attention. There is a significant lack of comprehensive maternal health data, which leads to inadequate care and increased risks.
“By collecting data through the Dearbump app, we can gain more precise insights into maternal health needs, contributing to clinical research, aiding the closure of the maternal health gap, and ultimately improving health outcomes for mothers and their babies”.
Driven by experience
Emma Jarvis is a FemTech entrepreneur and scientist who left her corporate career due to a lack of support for pregnancy in the workplace.
Determined to grow professionally, Emma earned an MBA from the University of Liverpool, then launched Dearbump, initially as a pregnancy subscription box business.
Realising tech was key to scaling her company, Emma learned to code, securing a Women in Tech scholarship at Northcoders and transitioning into a full-stack developer role. A turning point came when a major influencer accelerated sales, enabling her to raise £150k on Seedrs, followed by investment from Liverpool City Region Angels.
Recently, Emma gained public attention after challenging Innovate UK’s underfunding of female founders in the Women in Innovation scheme. Her advocacy led to a reversal, resulting in £4 million being awarded to female-led tech companies.