Our mission
To support every pregnancy journey with empathy, understanding and without judgment.
To bereaved parents...
We are so sorry you are here. No one imagines that pregnancy will end in goodbye, in silence, or in a room that feels far too quiet. Yet many of us arrive in this place and are asked to keep going in a world that often has no language for what has happened.
Alongside was created after we lost our baby late in pregnancy. Our daughter was deeply loved and very wanted. We went through labour and birth knowing we would not be bringing her home. Afterward, there were scars, bleeding, an empty nursery and exhaustion but no baby to hold. Postpartum recovery continued in a body that still thought it was caring for a newborn while our arms were empty.
During that time, the pregnancy and baby apps on our phones kept celebrating growth, milestones and first weeks at home. Notifications about nappies, wake windows and tummy time arrived while we were planning a funeral and learning how to live around a grief that would not leave. There were no settings for loss, no gentle mode for bereaved parents and no space that recognised postpartum without a baby.
We started Alongside because we did not want other parents to feel as invisible and unsupported as we did. We are designers, builders and parents who know how it feels when technology adds to your pain instead of easing it. Alongside is our way of saying we see you, we remember our babies and yours, and we believe you deserve tools that honour your reality with care.
Whether your loss was recent or many years ago, whether it was early, late, expected or sudden, your story matters here. Alongside will not rush you, fix you or tell you how to grieve. It will offer a quieter place to track your body, hold your memories and move through this season at the pace that feels possible for you.
With you always, the creators of Alongside
Why we built Alongside
Alongside was born from lived experience and from the realisation that most pregnancy apps were not designed for every outcome.
Built for more than one path
Many existing apps are designed for one assumed story. They celebrate milestones and track development but rarely make space for loss, uncertainty or complex journeys. They do not recognise that pregnancy can end in many different ways.
Understanding loss and fear
When you are facing loss, termination for medical reasons or stillbirth, upbeat notifications about your growing baby can feel deeply painful. When you are pregnant again after loss, constant celebration can feel frightening instead of reassuring. Alongside was created to meet those realities with more care.
Stories from other parents
"I deleted my pregnancy app the day we learned our baby had died. I still needed to track my recovery and I needed somewhere to write about the grief. There was nowhere that felt safe enough to do that."
— Parent after loss
"After our termination for medical reasons, the app recommended by the hospital kept showing us cheerful messages about fruit sizes and baby kicks. It only made it harder to recover."
— TFMR parent
"When we were pregnant again after losing our first baby, I was scared to download anything. I wanted information and tracking but all the apps I've had before revolve around celebration, miletstones and being jolly"
— Parent pregnant after loss
When traditional apps cause unexpected harm
Most pregnancy apps are built around the hope that pregnancy leads to a healthy baby at home. They track growth, count down weeks and prepare you for birth and parenting. This can be helpful when things go as planned. When they do not, the very same features can become a source of pain.
- •Milestone notifications continue after loss and can reopen wounds when you are trying to survive each day.
- •There are few or no options to adjust tone when you are grieving, anxious or in limbo.
- •Postpartum recovery without a baby is rarely acknowledged, even though the physical recovery is the same.
- •Resources for processing loss, trauma and complicated feelings are often missing.
- •Language is usually written for celebration and assumes that everyone wants constant reminders.
These apps are not wrong. They are simply built for a single version of pregnancy. Alongside exists because that version is not the only one and because parents who live other stories deserve support that does not add to their hurt.
Our design principles
Empathy first
Every screen, feature and notification is designed with compassion for different pregnancy outcomes, including loss and uncertainty.
Your journey, your control
You choose what you see, which topics are visible and what tone feels right. Alongside adapts to you, not the other way around.
Privacy and safety
Your journal and tracking data belong to you. We treat them with care and give you clear options for managing and exporting your information.
Informed and thoughtful
We draw on guidance from healthcare professionals, grief and loss organisations and lived experience to shape how Alongside supports you.
Inclusive language
We use language that respects different family structures, identities and pregnancy journeys. We avoid assumptions about who you are or how you feel.
Start your journey with Alongside
Download the app and experience a journal that respects every kind of pregnancy and postpartum path
