Discovery Health and Parent Sense partner to provide expectant and new parents with app-based, personalised, expert-led support – at no extra cost

[disclaimer] This press statement is issued by Discovery Health (Pty) Ltd, registration number 1997/013480/07, an authorised financial services provider and accredited administrator of medical schemes on behalf of Discovery Health Medical Scheme, registration number 1125, which it administers.

Key Highlights:

1. Discovery Health partners with Parent Sense to offer all Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) members who register for the My Pregnancy or My Baby Programme free access to the renowned parenting app.
2. Access applies from pregnancy until the baby’s first birthday.
3. Parent Sense Premium provides 24/7, expert-led, medically vetted support, along with personalised milestone tracking, sleep and feeding tools, and over 50 courses developed by medical specialists.
4. Real-time Parent Sense AI chatbot ‘aiah’ fields thousands of day-to-day queries each month, giving app users medically validated answers 24/7.

Johannesburg, Tuesday 23 September 2025 - Discovery Health has announced its new partnership with Parent Sense, giving Discovery Health Medical Scheme members access to the award-winning Parent Sense app. Available immediately, Scheme members who register for the existing My Pregnancy or My Baby programmes will now be able to access a fully funded Parent Sense Premium subscription. The Parent Sense app – created by occupational therapist, author and baby expert Meg Faure – provides access to personalised, expert-led support through pregnancy and baby’s first year, enhancing the existing robust clinical cover and digital support available through the Scheme’s Maternity Benefit.

Partnering to provide clinically sound, emotionally supportive care and practical support to new parents

“We are thrilled to partner with Discovery Health to support DHMS parents through one of the most transformative times of life,” says Meg Faure. “There’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to pregnancy or to raising a child. Parent Sense recognises every baby’s individuality - from sensory personality types to sleep patterns - and gives parents the confidence to follow their intuition while accessing expert-led guidance.”

Dr Noluthando Nematswerani, Chief Clinical Officer at Discovery Health, adds, “Science increasingly shows the early years of a child’s life, from conception to age five, to be predictive of long-term health outcomes - from cognitive and emotional development to disease risk. Discovery Health’s ongoing focus on preventative health and digital enablement makes our partnership with Parent Sense a natural complement to the existing Maternity Benefit available to Discovery Health Medical Scheme members.”

Between 2020 and 2024 an average of 25 800 DHMS members registered on the Maternity Benefit each year, with a corresponding number of babies born each year, with a roughly even split between first-time parents and parents growing their families.

• During pregnancy, the DHMS Maternity Benefit gives Scheme members access to the My Pregnancy programme, giving cover for up to 12 antenatal consultations, essential prenatal screenings such as ultrasounds and blood tests, and one flu vaccination for the expectant mother. Members can also access pre- and postnatal classes and mental health support to help them to start preparing and navigate the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy. Around the clock, 24/7 access to virtual healthcare is available via the Discovery Health app’s Speak to a Dr Now facility, giving expectant parents expert support whenever they need it most.
• After birth, and until their child’s second birthday, DHMS members have access to two visits to a GP or paediatrician for the baby, a six-week postnatal check-up for the mother, and cover for breastfeeding support. Members also have access to Discovery Home Care services (including a nursing consult) and tools to help track their child’s early development.
• Now, Scheme members who register on the above programmes will also be able to access a premium Parent Sense app subscription – which usually costs R499/year – at no cost to the member.

The Parent Sense ecosystem – Milestone tracking, clinically-vetted coursework, and access to an in-app AI coach, ‘aiah’

Launched in April 2020 Parent Sense has to date supported nearly 150,000 parents using the app and more than 300, 000 Webapp parents – with 124,404 baby milestones tracked since inception. Since becoming available to DHMS members, uptake of the Parent Sense benefit has been remarkable, with more than 2,100 members registered on the app within the first two months – two-thirds of them expectant parents preparing for birth. Engagement has been equally strong: live webinars consistently draw hundreds of attendees and more than a third of members are already accessing expert-led parenting courses. Parents are also embracing ’aiah’, the app’s 24/7 AI parenting coach, with nearly 900 personalised messages exchanged since the Parent Sense partnership with Discovery Health launched.

Providing premium access to Parent Sense opens the door for DHMS members to the Parent Sense ecosystem – a content landscape developed by paediatric specialists, dieticians, and occupational therapists.

This ecosystem includes:

• Access to ‘aiah’ - a secure, highly impactful, on-demand and fully confidential parenting chatbot assistant that provides app users with trusted, clinically vetted content 24/7 to assist them to deal with day-to-day questions, with personalised feedback on everything from the stages of pregnancy to breastfeeding to a schedule for solids, stimulation for baby and much more!
• In pregnancy: Parent Sense offers a personalised digital dashboard with weekly insights tailored to the stage of pregnancy, expert-led content on birth planning, anxiety, and pain management, curated podcasts and articles as well as coaching groups. .
• Following birth: Subscribers receive a daily routine personalised to their baby’s age, as well as intuitive tools for feeding, weaning, sleep tracking, and developmental milestones, including access to sleep and feeding specialists. The app also includes digital health trackers for vaccinations and growth, first-aid guidance for emergencies like choking, and daily play suggestions.
• Subscribers can also access over 50 courses (21 live via the app and the rest on the web) that span critical pregnancy and parenting topics such as caring for a premature baby, birthing, breastfeeding, return-to-work, weaning, feeding, toddler support, first aid, toilet training, play programmes and more. Courses are developed and presented by a range of specialists, from childcare specialist healthcare professionals to legal experts (registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa or equivalent global medical association), for trusted guidance.
• Parent Sense supports multiple caregivers on one baby profile, allowing parents, partners and other carers to coordinate routines and track milestones together.
• Features also adjust for premature babies and multiple births.
• Monthly live webinars with parenting experts.

The Parent Sense team has invested significant time and effort into understanding parents’ greatest challenges. The ‘aiah’ ‘AI’ chatbot fields thousands of real-time, medically curated questions, particularly during late-night hours when expectant parents feel most vulnerable. This unique functionality transforms the app into an always-on, expert-led resource providing scientifically-backed content tailored to each child’s profile.

"Parent Sense is like having a parenting expert in your pocket," says Parent Sense’ Meg Faure. "It’s built to offer clinical credibility at every step – whether you’re trying to decode your baby’s sensory traits, track milestones, manage feeding or sleep, or simply hoping to get answers in the middle of the night when baby is sick. We see a spike in queries to ‘aiah’ about symptoms of illness in little ones, between midnight and 03:00. It’s about being there when parents feel most alone and giving them clarity and calm in real time.”

“The same applies through pregnancy. Expectant moms ask ‘aiah’ about everything from which medicines are safe to take while pregnant, to whether baby is moving enough to what Braxton-Hicks contractions are versus labour, dealing with insomnia and back pain and other common pregnancy symptoms and more. App users are always guided to see their healthcare professional where necessary.”

A shared purpose: Enhancing and protecting life from the very beginning

“We believe that when parents are supported, families thrive,” says Meg Faure. “This partnership helps create calmer babies, more confident moms and dads, and a stronger foundation for lifelong health - something we are deeply proud to be part of.”

“For DHMS members, the combination of access to the existing Maternity Programme and now to and the Premium version of the Parent Sense app brings the best of in-person care and digital intelligence to every stage of pregnancy, and baby’s first year of life,” adds Dr Nematswerani.

“This partnership reinforces Discovery’s core purpose: to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. By combining leading medical scheme benefits with real-time, expert-led digital coaching, Discovery Health and Parent Sense are creating a seamless experience for new parents - one that meets both the clinical and emotional needs of both parents and baby.”

Resources:

Click this link and follow these easy steps to activate your free Parent Sense premium membership: https://www.discovery.co.za/medical-aid/support-for-new-parents

ENDS

Notes to editors:

More information for editors on elements mentioned in this press release:

• Parent Sense is a medically vetted, expert-led app through which qualifying Discovery Health Medical Scheme members will access additional support in navigating pregnancy and parenthood. The team of medical experts that guides Parent Sense’s content consists of the following individuals:

1. Meg Faure (Occupational Therapist): Meg built and created all content and has ongoing line of site of the content and chatbot ‘human-in-the-loop’ oversight
2. Dr Pieter Jooste (Paediatrician): Peter built the medical triage system in the chatbot and tested the chatbot extensively before launch. He also provides ongoing support.
3. Kath Megaw (Paediatric dietician): Kath is on retainer on the Parent Sense Infant Nutrition Advisory Board and oversees all dietary and nutrition content on the app.
4. Prof Welma Lubbe (Nurse and Professor of Nursing at UNW): Welma oversees all premature baby-related content and curates the Parent Sense premature baby course
5. Lactation consultants: Kath Megaw (Paediatric dietician) and Linda Britz (Nurse with the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners)
6. Birth-related input: Tina Otte (Antenatal teacher) and Mama-Aso Peprah (Obstetrician and Gynaecologist)
7. Course content input is given by 12 healthcare providers who are registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa or equivalent global medical association
8. Meg also reaches out additional medical professionals as needed
   

• Parent Sense features the ‘aiah’ AI chatbot. More information on ‘aiah’:

‘aiah’ draws on a rich, expert-curated knowledge base. It has been trained on Meg’s books (eight books in total), over 2000 medical articles, all of Meg’s course materials developed over two decades of work with parents, babies, and toddlers, and it also integrates insights from Meg’s extensive conversations with parents (anonymised), giving it a deep understanding of the real questions and concerns families face every day. Beyond this, ‘aiah’ is supported by a medical triage system and a vast library of evidence-based resources, ensuring that its guidance is accurate, safe, and aligned with international best practice.