Perinatal Effects of Mindfulness Phone App Use in Pregnancy (PaMPPr Study)

There is evidence to show that mindful meditation has a positive impact on health. To date, all the studies done to investigate the effect of mindfulness on pregnancy outcomes have been done through a traditional 8-10 weeks mindfulness classroom program with some home practice. This time-intensive classroom training may be expensive and not convenient for many busy pregnant women. This study will investigate the use of a smartphone app-based intervention to determine if it has the potential to make mindfulness training more accessible, acceptable, and convenient to a larger number of pregnant women. The use of an app as opposed to traditional structured classes may increase a woman's ability and willingness to practice mindfulness because the app can be used almost anywhere and at any time. This pilot study aims to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a smartphone mindfulness meditation application for pregnant women. As well, this study will compare the pregnancy outcomes of women who use the app to those women who do not use the app.