More first-time moms surfing Google for pregnancy queries

The Google search engine has come to the rescue of would-be moms. According to researchers, more and more first-time mothers are using the internet to seek answers to their queries related to pregnancies.

"We found that first-time moms were upset that their first prenatal visit did not occur until eight weeks into pregnancy," said Jennifer L. Kraschnewski, an assistant professor of medicine at Penn State University's college of medicine.

"These women reported using Google and other search engines because they had a lot of questions at the beginning of pregnancy, before their first doctor's appointment," she added.

Following the women's first visit to the obstetrician, many of them still turned to the internet to find answers to their questions because they felt the doctor's advise was insufficient and the literature outdated.

The researchers conducted four focus groups, totalling 17 pregnant women - all of whom were over 18 and owned a smartphone.

Most of the mothers-to-be agreed that the structure of prenatal visits are not responsive to their individual needs. So they turned to technology to fill their knowledge gaps.

"We have found that there is a real disconnect between what we're providing in the office and what the patient wants," Kraschnewski noted.

The study was published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.