BabyWatch

What is pregnancy? Pregnancy is all about emotion and excitement. But great excitement generates great stress.

As we were developing a pregnancy home monitoring system, we've realized that as much as 80% of pregnant women ask questions about pregnancy on social networks and search online for medical advice. 

Their biggest concern is: “What is going inside?”

Future moms can have great physicians, but doctors cannot monitor their patients 24/7. So, the problem is, how can a pregnant woman check if her baby is ok from home, in between the examinations. At the moment, the available solutions are either big expensive pregnancy monitoring devices or very simple apps that cannot provide much information.

That is why we’ve developed BabyWatch - a system consisting of:

• a pocket-sized ultrasound Doppler, and
• a mobile application

which makes it possible for you to hear and visualize your little baby’s heartbeat. In other words, you can check up on your baby anytime, anywhere!

• Hear and Visualize your baby’s heartbeat 

• Track, plan and organize your prenatal care

• Watch amazing medical fetal illustrations

• Calculate all relevant dates in your pregnancy

BabyWatch Doppler is a low-cost quantified self device (a device collecting data and then performing visualization and cross-referencing) with FDA and CE approvals. But BabyWatch is special, because it is not only a pregnancy home monitoring system; it’s a whole new interactive experience with your yet unborn baby! That is why we’ve added features that enable you to share those emotions with your loved ones. You can even upload your baby’s heart beat on our GlobalBeat to share it with the whole world.

Behind BabyWatch is a team of great friends and family: Sandro Mur, Urška Sršen, Davor Runje and Petra Črnac MD, as well as our medical advisor Tanja Premru-Sršen MD, PhD.

We have tested BabyWatch on several pregnant women in the last few months and the results and feedback were amazing.

We are not pitching an idea here; we’re talking about a ready product entering the market. BabyWatch app is ready and the devices are being produced and we will begin to ship them in early July.

Opinion by Tanja Premru-Sršen MD, PhD.

The moving of her baby is the only sign that reassures mom-to-be that her baby is doing well. Women probably won’t feel their baby’s movement until sometime between 16th and 22nd week. Women that were pregnant before tend to notice first subtle kicks earlier than in the first pregnancy. Normal weighted women feel their baby's moves earlier and stronger then overweighted women.  Although a baby is moving and kicking regularly, many of its jerks and jolts aren't yet strong enough for pregnant women to feel. At first there are only a few kicks and they are usually far apart. In fact, women may feel several movements one day and then none the next.
But later, in the second trimester, those reassuring kicks become stronger and more regular. Every baby has its own pattern of activity. When pregnant women share their experiences with their friends, they can differ and some of them worry.

Baby Watch is an ultrasound device that can detect fetal heartbeat even before mom-to-be can feel her baby’s movements. Listening to her baby’s heartbeat with normal frequency can reassure her that her baby is doing well also in later pregnancy when her baby already develops its pattern of activity.

Listening to baby’s heartbeat will make her less concerned for her baby’s well being.

How does it work?

The Baby Watch device works using a fetal Doppler transducer. The Doppler transducer uses sound waves to reproduce motion, such as the fetal heartbeat, as signals that can be heard and visualized. When the transducer is pressed against your abdomen you can hear the baby’s heartbeat and observe it on the connected phone’s screen. The app removes noise from the signal, calculates the heartbeat and visualizes it on the screen of your smartphone.

The first time you can hear the baby’s heartbeat varies from one expecting mother to another. In general, you should be able to measure your baby's heartbeat with BabyWatch since sometime between 12th and 16th week.

The sound and visualization of the heartbeat can then be shared by email, via social networks or on our global BabyWatchBeat.com site.

All these functions are incorporated within a functional app that provides all relevant data interpretation, along with organizational tools in order to fully alleviate the stress that occurs in highly unpredictable periods like pregnancy.

Is it safe?

BabyWatch is a completely safe way of seeing and hearing your baby from the comfort of your home at any time.

Safety and health of expecting moms and their newborns are our highest priority. This is why BabyWatch has been tested and has received all needed medical certificates from the FDA and CE for worldwide usage

It is important to understand the differences between the hand-held fetal doppler and a sonograph (2D, 3D, or 4D ultrasound). The exposure to ultrasound in sonography (which uses a 3-10mghz transducer) is much higher than that in a hand-held fetal doppler system, but even sonography has been proven harmless to the fetus (1,2). Fetal Doppler probe, that is used by Baby Watch, has much lower mechanical and thermal indexes (Working Frequency: 2.0 MHz±10%, P-: < 0.5 MPa, Iob: < 10 mW/cm2, Ispta: < 50 mW/cm2, Isata: < 5 mW/cm2) than ultrasound probes for 2D, 3D and 4D sonography. Fetal Doppler monitors are regulated by the FDA which has set limits on its ultrasound emission. 

The purpose of a hand-held fetal Doppler is to find and confirm the fetal heartbeat by measuring blood flow, which takes less than 10 minutes. Hand-held Fetal Dopplers are not sonographs but do use ultrasound and consideration should be taken when using any such medical device. Fetal Dopplers are regulated by the FDA and have been approved for home-use by physicians. Fetal Doppler heartbeat monitors are not diagnostic devices and should not replace consultation with a medical professional.

1. Torloni MR, Vedmedovska N, Merialdi M, Betrán AP, Allen T, González R, Platt LD; ISUOG-WHO Fetal Growth Study Group. Safety of ultrasonography in pregnancy: WHO systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol. 2009 May;33:599-608. doi: 10.1002/uog.6328.
2. Miller DL. Safety assurance in obstetrical ultrasound. Semin Ultrasound CT MR. 2008 Apr;29:156-64

How can I get BabyWatch?

You can preorder your BabyWatch device now for $99 including worldwide shipping and handling. We will ship devices in early July. The steps are:

1. Click on $99 Earlybird BabyWatch preorder perk.
2. Enter shipping information (worldwide shipping and handling is free)
3. Enter you payment method information (credit card or PayPal)
4. Share you contribution on social networks

Why Indiegogo?

Why Indiegogo?

We have completed the research & development phase and have working prototypes of the device and the application. The first issue of 200 devices is currently being manufactured and will be ready for shipment in July. 

We believe that Indiegogo is an excellent way to promote and get feedback on our product. Indiegogo can take us a step closer to assuring that we can easily ship BabyWatch to every country in the world and every expecting mother can acquire BabyWatch and enjoy the sound of expectation.

We will use the funds raised to improve the product with:

• additional features for sharing
• more practical medical advices for pregnancy monitoring
• new generation of the Doppler transducer device

BabyWatch Perks:

SHIPPING IS FREE!