LatchAid: Modernising breastfeeding support services to help mothers and babies breastfeed during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond

英国的母乳喂养支持服务参差不齐，资金不足，主要依赖面对面分娩，由于社交距离措施，这种服务现在因COVID-19大流行而瘫痪。数以百万计的母亲和婴儿被隔离在家里，当他们遇到母乳喂养问题时，他们默默地忍受着痛苦。研究表明，90%的母亲在他们想要之前就放弃了母乳喂养。其中超过60%是由于不正确的闭锁（婴儿如何贴在乳房上）和缺乏适当的支持而导致的疼痛和健康问题（即乳头破裂，乳房感染）。迫切需要使用数字解决方案提供母乳喂养支持。该项目为在六个月内逐步实现这一目标提供了平台。LatchAid的Beta移动的应用程序包含3D互动母乳喂养动画，母乳喂养支持聊天室和婴儿喂养常见问题解答。它已经被6大洲10个不同国家的用户称赞为急需的革命性创新。这笔资金将扩大我们的覆盖范围，并加快开发为应对新型冠状病毒疫情而量身定制的三项额外功能。它们能够大规模提供数字母乳喂养支持：（1）虚拟母乳喂养支持小组;（2）虚拟母乳喂养支持者;（3）互动专家网络研讨会。在人工智能的支持下，我们的虚拟支持小组建立了一个可扩展和可访问的生态系统，母亲可以在其中学习母乳喂养技能，并与他人联系，随时随地获得重要的点对点和专业支持。虚拟母乳喂养支持者聊天机器人使我们能够全天候支持全球数百万用户。我们致力于改善母乳喂养的效果和提高女性的自我效能感，从而为家庭和社会带来实质性的好处。受新冠肺炎疫情严重影响的母乳喂养组织和专业人士可以通过我们的平台恢复提供服务。在短期内，我们的目标是支持英国的母亲谁是挣扎与母乳喂养现在。从长远来看，我们的使命是使英国每年出生的80万名婴儿和全球每年出生的1.4亿名婴儿的母亲能够轻松获得可靠和值得信赖的信息和支持，以满足他们的母乳喂养需求。影响力扩展资金将使我们能够利用该项目的研发成果，并将LatchAid产品推向B2C和B2B市场。在项目延期期间，我们计划进行公开测试，在AppStore推出LatchAid应用程序，并开始在三家NHS信托机构（包括切尔西和威斯敏斯特医院、托尔拜和南德文郡NHS基金会信托基金和布莱克浦教学医院）的准妈妈和新妈妈中试用LatchAid应用程序，以探索将LatchAid解决方案整合到其产前和产后护理系统中的机会。

Breastfeeding support services in the UK are patchy, under-funded, and predominantly rely on face-to-face delivery, which is now paralysed by the Covid-19 pandemic due to social distancing measures. Millions of mothers and babies are isolated at home and suffering in silence when they experience breastfeeding issues. Research shows that 90% of mothers give up breastfeeding before they want to. Among them over 60% are due to pain and health issues (i.e. cracked nipples, breast infection) caused by incorrect latching (how the baby fastens onto the breast) and the lack of appropriate support.Using digital solutions to deliver breastfeeding support is urgently needed. This project provides the platform to achieve this gradually during six months. LatchAid's Beta mobile app contains 3D interactive breastfeeding animations, breastfeeding support chat rooms, and infant-feeding FAQs. It has already been commended as a much-needed, revolutionary innovation by users in 10 different countries across 6 continents. This funding will scale our reach and fast track the development of three additional features, tailor-made in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. They enable the delivery of digital breastfeeding support at scale: (1) Virtual breastfeeding support groups; (2) A virtual breastfeeding supporter (3) Interactive expert webinars. Powered by Artificial Intelligence, our virtual support groups foster a scalable and accessible ecosystem where mothers can learn breastfeeding skills and connect with others for vital peer-to-peer and professional support anywhere, anytime. The virtual breastfeeding supporter chatbot enables us to support millions of users globally 24/7\. We are passionate about improving the breastfeeding outcome and women's feeling of self-efficacy, which will in turn bring substantial benefits to the families and society.Breastfeeding organisations and professionals severely disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic can resume service delivery through our platform. In the short term our objective is to support the UK mothers who are struggling with breastfeeding now. In the long term our mission is to enable the mothers of 800,000 babies born in the UK and 140,000,000 babies born worldwide every year to easily access reliable and trustworthy information and support with their breastfeeding needs.The Extension for Impact funding will allow us to exploit the R&D outcome of this project and deliver the LatchAid product to both B2C and B2B markets. During the project extension, we are planning to conduct an open Beta testing, launch the LatchAid app at AppStore, and start to pilot the LatchAid app among expectant and new mothers at three NHS trusts (including Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, Torbay & South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals) to explore opportunities of integrating LatchAid solutions into their antenatal and postnatal care systems.