During pregnancy, women have lots of questions about their baby’s development, what they can eat and drink, what medication is safe to take for a headache and how they want to give birth…to name just a few. What better way to get answers than looking to the device we all carry around with us – our smart phone or tablet! In the last several years hundreds of pregnancy apps have come out to help expecting families to track everything from their due date to their next doctor’s appointment. Some of these apps are fun and some are very practical.
Let’s look at some few pregnancy apps that our clients tell us they love.
1. Ovia – This one seems to be everyone’s favorite. Ovia is part pregnancy journal, part scrapbook (you can upload pictures of your growing belly) and part medical journal. Our clients love that has FDA recommendations for pregnancy safe medications and suggestions for ways to deal with common pregnancy ailments. Ovia takes it a step further though – users are given real time advice based on what they enter in the app. For instance, if a women reports that she is having a headache the app will actually ping her and advise her to see her careprovider and perhaps add some links about migraines or preclampsia. The final thing our clients love about Ovia is that it gathers info from other users and thus each expecting women can see if what she is experiencing is “normal” based on the crowd sourced data. The feeling that you are “normal” is priceless! (though the app is free)
2. Pregnancy + We see this app a lot on Facebook, maybe because it compares the growing baby to similarly sized food each week? Everyone wants to post that their baby is now the size of a grapefruit (or blueberry or cantaloupe…) on their social media sites so that all their friends can be impressed. ($3.99)
3. My Birth Plan – This app guides you through a list of questions so you can ponder your options and make a birth plan. You can then share this plan with your care provider, your doula and even friends and family if you feel brave enough. The app also includes a pregnancy journal, a place for medical records and appointments, a checklist for the big day and contacts that you will want to keep handy. ($2.99)
4. Baby Kicks Monitor – Some women are told they need to do kickcounts toward the end of their pregnancy and many woman do this anyway for their own peace of mind. This app records how often you feel movement in a set period of two hours or ten recorded movements – whichever comes first. Since most pregnant ladies stay busy right up to the end, this app can help yo you stay connected to your baby and make an OB who asks for kick counts happy. (free)
5. Natural Birth – This is an app designed to prepare you for what to expect in during labor. It explains the stages of labor and recovery. While this app is no substitute for a great childbirth education, our clients say it started them on the road to understanding what to expect on the day of baby’s arrival. (.99)
6. Prenatal Pilates – Easy to follow exercises for pregnant women. The graphics on the site are very clear which is helpful to as you try to actually do the recommended exercises. Most of our clients prefer live classes like prenatal yoga, but they said this app was helpful for the times that they could not catch a live class. It its a workout in your pocket or purse. (free)
7. Baby Names – Unlike the other pregnancy apps, this is just fun. You have to name your baby right? This app has lots of suggestions based on popularity, meaning, first letter etc. (free)
8. The Baby Pool – The Pregnancy Guessing Game – Another “just for fun” one. Take bets and guesses on your baby’s weight, date of birth, height, weight…well everything but who the father is! (.99)
Bonus Pregnancy Apps – You need a contraction timer like Full Circle or Contraction Timer. Gone are the days of timing contractions using a watch with a second hand. Simply download a contraction timer and keeping up with how long and how close contractions are will be a breeze. (Hint – you can even take a screen shot to send to your doula.) Simpler is better when it comes to contraction timers, so pick a free one and let labor begin!
What are your favorite pregnancy apps?