WATCH: Canada Teen Has a Way to Treat Postpartum Depression With AI and an App

Shanzeh Haji is developing an app to help new moms track their postpartum journeys so they can coordinate treatment with their healthcare providers.

When now 16-year-old Shanzeh Haji went on a volunteer trip to a girls’ orphanage in Sri Lanka, she learned of a girl at the facility who was orphaned because her mother suffered from postpartum psychosis.  That sparked an interest that led to a passion. Haji began talking to new mothers and family members, including her own mother, who had experienced postpartum depression.

“I realized how big the problem was and how closely connected I was to it,” said the Bayview Secondary School student in Ontario, Canada.

In response, Shanzeh is developing BeBella, a postpartum app designed to help new moms to navigate their postpartum journeys. 

New mothers can track their postpartum health, such as water intake and sleep patterns, and can use artificial intelligence to create a personalized care plan.

Moms can also journal how they’re feeling.

Shanzeh said the data, with its AI component, can streamline and coordinate their health care journeys with their doctors. She added that postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis affects hundreds of millions of mothers worldwide.

“And because of that” she said, “I know that the app does have a lot of potential to impact and transform these people’s lives.”

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