Which pregnancy app is best for me?
Hannah tells me she loves to be notified by her pregnancy app each week as she progresses through her pregnancy. If you feel like the 40 weeks of pregnancy is FOREVER, maybe a weekly progress notification will help you, too. Jess uses her pregnancy app to help prepare her older children for having a sibling. Her six-year-old likes to check the 3D images each week to see how much her sister has grown. There are lots of other features in a pregnancy app, and today we will highlight some of those features, as well as link you to reviews of the most popular apps.
What will my pregnancy app do? Some apps will only do a few things, some will do several. Here is sampling of those functions.
- keep track of how many weeks along you are in your pregnancy.
- describe your baby’s size and features of his or her development.
- shows you pictures or videos of babies the same size as yours.
- links you to pregnancy information for your stage of pregnancy
- has a place for you to track your blood pressure, weight and baby movements.
- showcase baby supplies and links you to purchasing sites or product reviews.
- an “is it safe” feature (for food, medications or activities).
- has a place for you to write down questions to ask your doctor.
- provides information on food choices for pregnancy.
- allows space for journaling about being pregnant.
- transitions from a fertility tracker, to a pregnancy app, to a parenting app.
How do I choose which one is best for me?
The editors at Forbes Health have done the homework for you! Researching the 25 most popular pregnancy apps available in 2021, they provide pros and cons, and a list of the main features. Their top four recommendations are Baby Center, Ovia, What to Expect and The Bump. Using Facebook, I did an informal poll to see which trackers were being used by my friends, and they mentioned exactly those same brands!
How much will it cost?
A pregnancy app can be anywhere from free to about ten dollars. There are lots of free apps with different features and some have in-app purchases for the extras. Seven of the apps reviewed by Good Housekeeping are listed as free. A few more on the list are free for a short trial period. Trying a few free apps will help you figure out which features you really like, and then you can decide if you want to spend some money to get the other features.
Are pregnancy apps just for the mom?
No! There aren’t very many for dad, but Carina Hsieh reviews one called ProDaddy in this article from Cosmopolitan.
As most of these articles point out, a pregnancy app provides lots of information, but can’t replace good medical advice. If you don’t already have a doctor or midwife, or are still trying to figure out health insurance, come and talk to one of our nurses. All of our services are free. Our staff can help you explore the choices for health care, and provide a proof of pregnancy for insurance if needed. A free ultrasound will help you figure out how far along you are so you can put a date in that pregnancy app you just downloaded!