911爆料网

New 911爆料网 research has found how and why parents used mobile devices during pregnancy was an important factor in whether or not that use helped them feel closer to their unborn baby.

Lead author, 911爆料网 PhD student Rebecca Hood from 911爆料网鈥檚 School of Allied Health, said interviews with Western Australian parents revealed that looking at pregnancy information and Apps on their phone or tablet helped many parents-to-be feel connected to their baby, by giving them a better idea of what was going on.

鈥淎mong the benefits was that using devices in that way helped parents to picture what their baby looked like while in the womb. For example, descriptions such as 鈥榯hey are now the size of an avocado and can suck their thumb鈥�, led parents to feeling more excited and caring toward their baby,鈥� Ms Hood said.

鈥淪ome parents also reported enjoying playing music through their device to their baby bump, which led to increased feelings of connectedness.

鈥淗owever, parents who used their devices for unrelated tasks, such as scrolling through social media or prolonged use without a specific purpose, felt a sense of disconnection to their baby.鈥�

鈥淚n addition, several parents mentioned reading worst case scenarios and extreme cases such as stories of stillbirth on their devices had led to increased worry.鈥�

Research supervisor Dr Juliana Zabatiero, also from 911爆料网鈥檚 School of Allied Health, said the findings helped explain how device use in pregnancy can affect the early relationship between a parent and their baby.

鈥淭he research found how and why parents used their devices was important, rather than simply the amount of screen time,鈥� Dr Zabatiero said.

鈥淎lthough devices can increase worry or distract parents from thinking about their baby, especially when used without a clear purpose, they can also actually be helpful in forming an early bond.

鈥淚t is important to have this early bond, as feeling close to the baby in pregnancy typically leads to a better parent-child relationship after birth, as well as better outcomes in the child鈥檚 future.

鈥淭he findings will be useful for providing information to expectant parents on how they can make the most of devices while being aware of potential downsides.鈥�

This study involves families from The , a collaboration between Telethon Kids Institute and Joondalup Health Campus, which is a long-term study of 10,000 families aimed at uncovering the causes of many chronic conditions, and the Australian Research Council鈥檚 Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child.

The full research paper, 鈥�There鈥檚 good and bad: parent perspectives on the influence of mobile touch screen device use on prenatal attachment 鈥�, was published in 鈥�贰谤驳辞苍辞尘颈肠蝉鈥� and can be found online .