Baby2Home app boosts new mothers’ mental health

First-time mothers using the Baby2Home app for a year after birth reported fewer symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety than those receiving usual postpartum care.

The study found women randomised to the app reported better overall health than first-time mothers who received usual care alone.

Baby2Home is a digital tool to help new families with newborn care and staying healthy.

It offers tailored educational content, infant care trackers and mental health self-management tools, plus access to a care manager for on-demand mental health and problem-solving support.

Emily S. Miller is principal investigator and division director of maternal-fetal medicine at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island.

She said: “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. The mental health improvements we saw underscore just how transformational that support can be.”

Researchers from Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago ran a multi-site randomised controlled trial between November 2022 and July 2025.

The trial enrolled 642 postpartum patients, all first-time parents. For 12 months after birth, all participants received usual postpartum care; half also used the Baby2Home smartphone app.

Participants reported progress electronically at five time points over the first year. Compared with the control group, those assigned to Baby2Home reported significantly fewer symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety.

They also reported better overall health, higher relationship satisfaction with partners and family members, and greater confidence in their parenting than the control group.

Miller said: “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.

“That translated into better health outcomes for them and their families.”