Pregnant? There's an app for that

We’ve all been there as expectant parents. You know, the well-meaning but often unsolicited advice from friends and family: ‘You mean I can’t eat soft cheese? I had no idea!’. Kind of the same as when you’re getting married. Or buying a car. And believe me, I’m as guilty of dishing that stuff out as the next person.

So quite early on in the pregnancy of our first child we started to check out what the world of mobile apps had to offer in terms of sage advice. Not so much the medical kind - there was plenty of that available from the excellent doctors and midwives who were looking after us.

What we were after was the kind of resource that we could dip in and out of, that wasn’t too preachy and spoke in plain English. Turned out there were lots to choose from. In fact, there were loads.

So here we’ve rounded up a few apps that the Parenting Daily team has found useful. It’s not a comprehensive list (we’re working on that), and we’re not saying these are the best apps out there, merely that if you want to dive and get started, you could do worse than check these out...

Babybump

We like Babybump not just because it’s free, but because it gives you both a daily and weekly digest of your pregnancy. For example, at Week 6 it will tell you how big your baby is, but it will also give you daily ‘top tips’ covering everything from daycare to the best pacifiers and methods for coming up with names for your child.

And for mums-to-be looking to keep their other halves engaged in the process, there’s also a tip for dads every seven days.

But our favourite thing about Babybump is that it talks in a chatty style in plain English and never, ever patronises.

iTunes Link

Google Play Link

What to Expect When You’re Expecting

Very similar to Babybump in terms of a daily and weekly commentary, but with with one key differentiator - the app also ties in with the accompanying book of the same name.

The book itself takes you through everything from the conception, through every month of your pregnancy and carries on until the baby is six months old.

iTunes Link

Baby Centre

This one is based on NHS best practise and is recommended by the NHS Choices Healthy Apps Library, so ties in tightly with the advice you’d get from a midwife and other medical experts you’re likely to come into contact with.

In terms of functionality beyond general advice and tips, it allows you to set optional reminders of things to do, such as starting a pregnancy diary or cutting down on caffeine and managing nutrition.

iTunes Link

Google Play Link

Full Term

Otherwise known as ‘the contractions app’. In short, it lets you or your partner record and track your contractions - duration, frequency, etc. And it’s east to use, consisting of just a Start and Stop button. I mean, what else would you need? Apart from morphine.

We found this app hugely beneficial and it also helped out the midwives who were looking after us during the labour - I think having a precise record of what was happening meant they could track the various stages more easily (although I’m sure they probably have a natural extinct for all that having seen it so many times. Oh, and their own equipment!).

iTunes Link

Commando Dad

So this gets a mention because it DOESN’T have an app. It really should. Apparently there’s one coming, so keep on the lookout for it.

In short, Commando Dad is a book about parenting written by ex-Commando Adam Lee Potter and it’s awesome. This parent only started reading it three month’s in and wishes he had it from the start.

It’s written in a jokey military style, but the subject matter is 100% serious. Even Prince William used it.

www.commandodad.com

So that should be enough to get you started at least.

We’re working on a more comprehensive list of apps and books for all stages of pregnancy and parenthood, to be published on Parenting Daily East Herts over the coming months - if you have any recommendations, email us at editorial@parentingdaily.co.uk.