GROW - SMART ETERNITY RINGS
Grow is a design project focusing on maternal mental wellbeing and human connections.
It includes a pair of smart rings and an assistive app that accompanies expectant parents when they are transiting into parenthood. Providing the target community with a magical tool to connect with each other and their unborn baby while assisting them to document their journey.
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Grow is aiming to support Australian millennial new parents who are welcoming a baby during pregnancy.
With the purpose of building family connections, Grow has the potential to be further developed and meet the needs and values of others community members.
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Instead of providing support to the community when they are stressed, Grow provides interactive information and constant sensory stimuli to expectant parents from early pregnancy and accompanies them until the baby is born. It allows more time for new parents to make adjustments to the next chapter in their lives - parenting. It also supports new parents to prepare for upcoming challenges by helping them to build strong connections with each other and their baby. Grow does not tell new parents what to do, it is a tool for efficient and engaging communications between the two.
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Becoming a parents is a transition in life that’s filled with changes and emotions, but it’s also a time when your mental health can be more vulnerable. Although experiencing emotional changes is common, prolonged stress can cause serious mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Research shows that new parents experience a high level of stress and feeling of disconnections when the baby just arrives. Reasons for this include:
- Mothers and fathers have really different experiences during pregnancy;
- Most support services during pregnancy are not father-inclusive;
- When transiting into parenthood, new parents are lack of experiences and preparations for their new roles;
- There are too many to do and think all at once, new parents have little time to think about their partner’s needs;
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Grow aims to encourage early proactive preparations to expectant parents. It provides expectant parents with a pair of wirelessly connected smart wearable devices that can be used as a magical tool for sharing experiences and feelings anywhere, anytime. Grow uses technology to support new parents by reinforcing a loving family atmosphere. An experience, a feeling, a kick and much more can be shared with your loving one instantly. Understand that your partner cares, and get ready for changes that are about to happen in your lifestyle and family.
