Babelt: A Pregnancy Belly Support Belt Connected with an App Designed for Pregnant Women with GDM

Gestational diabetes mellitus, a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy in women who don’t already have diabetes, has a greater impact on the health of pregnant women than is often thought. Research data shows that GDM is caused by hormones produced during pregnancy that can make insulin less effective, which may bring health problems to both the pregnant woman and the baby to be born. There are four main kinds of treatments for pregnant women with GDM to control blood glucose levels: having a special diet in the right amount at right time, keeping regular physical exercise which is moderately intense, monitoring daily blood glucose regularly to ensure it stays in a healthy range and inject insulin if needed. However, pregnant women easily get themselves into trouble during these treatments. Blood glucose measurements cannot always be poked in the same place, as can insulin injections, and pregnant women have limited mobility and often need help from others to complete the process. In addition, pregnant women themselves have some other problems during pregnancy, such as their baby bump getting heavier and heavier, and babies needing regular health data monitoring. This poster proposes a product connected to an App to help pregnant women with GDM to be able to control their blood glucose levels easily and directly during pregnancy while monitoring the health of their baby. This product is in the form of a pregnancy support belt consisting of two belts, the upper belt for different detectors to monitor data and the lower belt for different insulin injectors. Pregnant women can be informed of their own and their baby's health data, receive dietary advice, and set up insulin injections from the App. This design is dedicated to making life healthier and more convenient for pregnant women with GDM.