Glass App Aims To Help Mothers With Breastfeeding Their Newborn

Being a mom isn’t easy, especially when you’re a newborn’s mom. This is why, Google decided to take a look into that area and see how their new device could interfere and improve the mother experience. Google keeps paving Glass’s path for its success, so now if you’re a newborn mom you can rely on the device to gather expert help, whenever needed.

Partnering with the Australian Breastfeeding Association, Small World will begin a trial period in which the mothers involved in the test will be able to request specialist help at anytime. And the specialists will be able to see exactly what the mother sees at the time of her call, making the solutions offered more accurate.

In order to begin the ‘experiment’, Small World is scouting for ten future mothers who would be interested in using Google Glass for about eight weeks (six for fast learners) and receive constant coaching during this period. Also, the mothers are expected to give birth in February, meaning the trial will be done by April (when Glass is expected to be launched). Aside from providing video-audio input, Glass will prompt the indications, so the mother will always have her hands free.

When the trial period will be done, mothers that need further instructions can video call via Glass one of ABA’s breastfeeding specialists at any times. Or, if the case, they can create a live stream of the process so that the consultant can see and provide feedback.

One of the main reasons that attracted the women to participate in the process, seems to be connected to the fact that it’s hard to obtain the right information at the right time and that Glass could be the perfect communication channel. Indeed, it is easier when you have professional assistance. ABA’s spokeswoman, Nicole Bridges said that many women stop breastfeeding at about twelve weeks after birth, because they encountered issues along the way and hospitals cannot always provide all the necessary information.

Speaking of the Australian Breastfeeding Association, they also provide a breastfeeding hotline, but as their Nicole Bridges said, some cases are harder and can’t be solved at the phone. At some point, a mother might need special assistance and this is where Glass’s strongpoints lie. If something bad happens along the way, it could take at least fifteen minutes for someone to get to the mother’s location and provide assistance, but with the Glass, she could have assistance in 30 seconds at anytime.

Thanks to their office chief in San Francisco, Kathy Phelan, Small World has now ten Google Glass devices, each having a 5 MP camera for photos and videos, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, a 16 GB memory and weighing around 50 grams.

In order to provide a live stream, the volunteers would use a Google Hangout Account with strict privacy policies, for instance the transmissions are encrypted and won’t be stored or recorded anywhere. Or at least this is what Small World’s user designer Kim Jensen states.

And results of the program have already appeared. Mothers like Sheila French believe that Glass could provide a great help, especially for mothers in limited areas, who cannot reach assistance easily and she also stressed out that for others this could be as well the only source of information.