A study conducted by researchers from Flinders University has found that there is a trend in the use of apps to help mothers breastfeed, but these apps are not as helpful as they seem. The objective approach of infant feeding (IF) apps is to give mothers perception of greater control, confidence and a feeling of efficiency during the early stages of pregnancy. There are over 100 IF apps on the market, some are free with in-app purchases and some are a purchase premium subscription.

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IF apps can be useful for storing health information for the baby and mother. IF app can track feedings, sleep, growth, diaper changes and more. They make it easy to show healthcare providers how the baby is feeding, which further helps the doctors give personalized medical advice.

Many factors go into a mother’s decision-making regarding infant feeding, including community and health professional support, self and social perceptions, lifestyle choices and physical or psychological issues. IF apps can both help and overwhelm new parents.

Mobile content from IF apps, while sometimes helpful, can give moms a whole new set of worries. They can make moms feel overwhelmed with information. Moms can become too dependent on the apps and ignore their own maternal instincts. Moms can also find themselves questioning the app’s advice, which can cause them to be confused about what they should actually do. Also, some of the apps may provide inaccurate information because their plans are not tailored to each user.

During the study, researchers interviewed nine nursing mothers who used eight different IF apps over 12 months. All the women live in Southern Australia and all nine women felt overwhelmingly positive about IF apps. Some said they may have given up on breastfeeding completely if they didn’t have the apps. The mothers reported that it was incredibly important for IF apps to make moms feel encouraged and supported.

The mobile health app market is expected to exceed $30 billion by 2020. Studies like these are very important to make sure that these apps are being more helpful than harmful.

The study was published in the Health Informatics Journal.