Universal Maternal Language

Since the COVID-19 outbreak has been declared, numerous countries, including the United States, have implemented travel restrictions. These changes disrupt foreign mothers' travel plans during pregnancy. Some of them end up delivering babies here. The pregnancy check-up is a very complicated process. It requires uncommon medical terminologies and in-depth communications. Since most foreign moms don't speak English as their first language, they often face language barriers. Our demographics are in a unique situation no one else has experienced before. The idea of this project essentially came from our common pain points during doctor visits here in the United States. We both grew up didn't speak English as our first language. While describing pain accurately and thoroughly may help health care providers find the cause of the pain and treat it, we often find it challenging to express where and how it hurts. Nearly one-third of U.S. hospitals fail to offer interpreters to patients who speak limited English, although federal law requires it. So we aim to create a common "language" between moms and their medical teams. The "language" should assist foreign moms in explaining their current needs and symptoms efficiently. As new mothers have no experience and don't know what is normal for their bodies, our goal is to ease their fear of the unknown in a foreign country by creating an inclusive experience.

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