New Mothers and Apps: Australian Migrant Perspectives

We invite participants from Sydney and Melbourne in Australia to reflect on their their perspectives and experiences of giving birth during the COVID-19 pandemic and using various digital apps and online platforms for pregnancy and parenting in the perinatal period.

We are specifically looking to interview new mothers hailing from South Asian backgrounds who have given birth during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia (that is, from March 2020) and have used, or continue to use a smartphone apps for pregnancy and/or parenting.

In case you meet the inclusion criteria, you are welcome to participate in an online in-depth interview that will last for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Participation in this research project is entirely voluntary. If you do not wish to take part, you do not have to. If you decide to take part and later change your mind, you are free to withdraw from the project at any stage.

If you do decide to take part, please send us a message on this page. Following this, you will be contacted with participant information sheet and consent form enclosed. The participant information sheet and consent form will provide you with details about this project and the nature of your participation in the project. Once you read the information sheet and agree to participate in this project, an online interview on Zoom or over a phone call will be scheduled with you at a mutually convenient time.

You can use your preferred language, English or Hindi, to communicate with the researchers in this project. The interview will also be carried out in your preferred language, Hindi or English.

There are no costs associated with participating in this research project, nor will you be paid.

If you wish to participate and share your story with us, send us a message on this page and we will get in touch with you within 48 hours.

In this initial communication we will provide you with the project outline and the nature of your participation. We will confirm that you meet the inclusion criteria and set a date and time for an online interview.

The aim of the project is to understand the perspectives and experiences of new mothers hailing from South Asian backgrounds who gave birth during the pandemic. Preliminary reports indicate a heightened level of anxiety amongst all first-time mothers who gave birth during COVID-19, but there is little detail on whether this led to greater reliance on apps, particularly for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) women also who did not have access to family support due to international border closures. This pilot study explores the use of various digital apps and online platforms for pregnancy and parenting in the perinatal period by new mothers from South Asian backgrounds with a view to explaining the scope to other CALD groups in the future.

Additionally, studies suggest there is lack of data on the use of pregnancy apps among CALD women in Australia. This project will shed light on the usefulness of pregnancy and parenting apps during the pandemic, as well as the resourcefulness and specific needs of women from CALD backgrounds who faced additional challenges during this period.

The findings from this research could help related research in the future undertaken by app developers, public policy and health care institutions by drawing upon experiences of first-time mothers and taking into account the specific needs of women from CALD backgrounds.


This research has been funded by VC Research Fellow Start-up funds from Western Sydney University. This research is being conducted collaboratively by RMIT University and Western Sydney University