Your pregnancy journey at your fingertips

Be a part of the expectant moms’ community who receive expert information, insights and daily tips for a healthy pregnancy journey from health professionals through the MomConnect interactive platform.

“MomConnect is a South African National Department of Health initiative which aims to support expectant moms through the use of cellphone-based technologies integrated into maternal and child health services,” explained the City of Ekurhuleni’s Maternal, Child, Women and Men’s Health manager, Thembani Masina.

Masina further stated that once a health practitioner confirms a pregnancy, the expectant mom is, with their consent, registered on MomConnect.

The free service is available in all 11 official languages and functions as a pregnancy registry that allows for health service planning and health informative targeted messaging to mothers.

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Some of the messages sent to mothers are tips on nutrition and diet, week-by-week updates on their growing baby’s development, pregnancy warning signs to look out for and a reminder of their next antenatal clinic visit.

Expectant mom Reitumetsi Langani, who receives an SMS every month reminding her of her next clinic appointment, encourages other women to enquire about MomConnect during their antenatal visits.

“Through this platform I receive tips and alerts for medical conditions that can be aggravated by my pregnancy. Momconnect is so helpful,” she said.

How to register:
• Ask at a public health care facility to confirm that you are pregnant.
• Dial *134*550# from your cellphone to register.
• Answer a few simple questions about your pregnancy.
• You will then be registered – welcome to the family.
• Your pregnancy is registered in the national database.
• You will receive weekly SMS messages about pregnancy and baby health (up to when the child is one year old).

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or Stacy Slatter (news editor) stacys@caxton.co.za

 or Miné Fourie (journalist) minev@caxton.co.za

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