This was a project exploring how design could cater to mothers and parents in the stages of pregnancy and childbirth. I was very interested in how the environment of a pregnant mother could affect the development of the fetus.
This project started with a making exercise in which I chose to explore the pelvic bone structure, as it is a large part of pregnancy and child birth and goes through several substantial changes during these stages. During this exercise I plaster molded a top view model of the average female pelvis and was shocked at just how small the space was. This process of visualizing the pelvis ended up leading me to design a seat to accommodate the mother when having to deal with a changing pelvic structure and added weight of a baby.
I went through many stages of sketching and prototyping with cardboard but eventually arrived at this design which is a rocking couch designed to foster positive relationships, enhance practices of care and assist in pain management. It does this by putting the mother into a position of lower gravity and giving a partner or friend the opportunity to rock the couch. Its pillows are designed to be rearranged in many different ways to accommodate the changing body of a mother through pregnancy.