I can still remember the day I found out I was pregnant. I woke up one Friday morning for work and thought I’d take a test “just in case”, even though I didn’t think it was going to be positive yet.
My still half-closed eyes quickly changed to bug eyes when I saw the faintest double pink line appear on the stick. I frantically woke up my husband and pulled him into the bathroom to assure me I wasn’t seeing things. Even though he confirmed that he saw it too, I went on to take about five more tests before I believed my dream was coming true—I was pregnant.
Overjoyed with emotion, I went on to download what seemed like a million pregnancy apps during every free chance I had at work. Being a first-time mom, I had already bought some books online in preparation for this beautiful day, but I wanted a more interactive, day-by-day guide to my pregnancy journey. I wound up going through a ton of apps and exploring all they had to offer, but some stood out more than others. Here are my top 5 favorite pregnancy apps for expecting moms.
1. What to Expect
When you think of popular baby books, one of the first that will probably come to mind is What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff. Originally making its debut in the 80’s, this pregnancy bible has helped MILLIONS of expecting parents navigate their way through the complex journey of pregnancy! It’s NO WONDER the app is just as amazing!
Favorite Features:
Weekly Pregnancy Calendar Update
One of my favorite features in this app is the weekly pregnancy calendar update. Here, you can see a snapshot of information on your baby’s growth, your body, recommended products, symptoms you may be experiencing, and questions to ask your doctor.
Countdown
Another feature I really like is located at the top of the app. When you log in, you can automatically see your current trimester, week, day, and how much time you have left until you meet your sweet little bundle!
It also tells you the size of your little one, with an accompanying picture of its food equivalent for the week. If you swipe to the left, you will see a daily tip/fact that changes each morning and night, which I enjoy!
Community
The What to Expect Community Feature has been my favorite of any others I have come across. There, you have the option to join different groups, such as your birth group (which has women all due around the same time as you!) It’s definitely fun to read about and talk to others who are going through what you are at the same time, but BE CAREFUL! Unfortunately, these boards can also be filled with negative content, or incorrect information, so it is important to remember to ALWAYS seek professional medical advice if you have a concern about your pregnancy.
Test and Screening Guide
Pregnancy is filled with tests. It can definitely be hard to keep track of what test you are supposed to get when. Never fear! The What to Expect App has an awesome tool called “Tests and Screenings” which divides the tests up by trimester and shows you which ones you are supposed to take when.
2. Baby Center
This was one of the first apps I downloaded! Baby Center is a very popular website that helps millions of people MONTHLY! The app is very user-friendly and has multiple resources for both expecting and new parents. I love the daily articles, but there are other features that make this app really stand out!
Favorite Features:
Birth class
One AWESOME perk the Baby Center App features is an online birth class. If you click on the “Tools” function, you can access the online videos, which are divided into 7 chapters. Each chapter covers a different aspect of the birth process:
- Chapter 1: Labor Basics
- Chapter 2: Stages of Labor
- Chapter 3: Managing Labor Pain
- Chapter 4: Medical Procedures During Labor and Delivery
- Chapter 5: Decisions to Make About Your Newborn
- Chapter 6: Pre-delivery Checklist
- Chapter 7: Birth Stories
Clocking in at just over 2 hours for the whole course, this is a great FREE resource that will give you an overview of what to expect during the grand finale of your pregnancy! You can watch the videos right on your phone and can choose to spread them out over an extended time, or dedicate an evening to binge-watching!
Tools
I love the tools offered in this app! They offer different things such as a “Bumpie” feature where you can track your weekly belly progress pictures, add cute graphics, and create a slideshow. They also offer an extensive registry checklist, kick tracker, contraction timer, and baby name finder!
3. Pregnancy + by Philips Avent
I was so happy to have stumbled across the Pregnancy + App by Philips Avent! It is such a user-friendly app with great information and high-tech features to give you a comprehensive, interactive experience throughout your pregnancy.
Favorite Features:
Baby Growth Simulator
One of my favorite features this app has is a baby growth simulator. When you log on to the app, there is a large, computer-generated image of what your baby looks like each week! If you click the little ruler button at the bottom of the image, it will show you the actual size of your baby that week on your device. This was especially fun in the earlier weeks, because I would put my phone up to my belly and show my husband how big the baby was! I love that it allows for a good visual representation!
Daily and Weekly Information
The Pregnancy+ app has both daily and weekly guides, which are both helpful! The daily guides give you information that corresponds to your current day of pregnancy. The weekly guides give you information about your baby’s growth, changes in your body, health tips, information for your partner (my husband likes to read these), and info for moms carrying twins/multiples!
Pregnancy Guides
I LOVE this section! The Pregnancy + App offers guides with loads of information on topics, such as breastfeeding, exercise, food, labor, and medical.
4. The Bump
If you’re married or engaged, I’m sure you’ve heard of The Knot. Well from the same creators of The Knot comes The Bump! The website and app aim to help new parents become educated on fertility, pregnancy, birth, and even babies!
Favorite Features:
Daily Fact
A little but mighty standout to this app. I LOVE this feature! The daily fact usually relates to the size of the baby (or something on the baby) in comparison to an object. If you’ve downloaded any pregnancy tracking apps, you’ve probably seen that most relate baby’s size to a fruit or vegetable. That’s cute and all, but it can be hard to conceptualize how my baby is “the size of a head of cauliflower” when he is supposed to be over a foot long. The daily fact gives an object more relatable in reference to baby’s height, which I, personally, like better. Plus, my husband loves when I text him these fun facts telling him how big the baby is!
Weekly Update
I love the weekly update section of this app. It gives informative details about baby’s progress and your body, as well as an AWESOME 3D image feature!
5. Glow Pregnancy Tracker
To be honest, I had never heard of GLOW before I became pregnant, but I’m so glad I discovered it! They also have an app for Fertility Tracking and one for after your baby is born. There is a premium version you have the option to buy with this app that gives you access to more articles and other advanced features, but I find the free version to be great!
Favorite Features:
Tracker
This is the app I use to track my daily stats (when I remember to). It is by far the most comprehensive tracking feature I have come across. It allows you to track your water consumption, whether you took your prenatal vitamin, sleep, exercise, and any symptoms you may be having. It then takes your inputted information, tracks it, and gives you “insights” on the information you provided.
Countdown by the day
Most of the pregnancy apps have countdowns by the week, but it’s so exciting to see a countdown of how many DAYS you have left until your due date!
I hope you find these apps as helpful as I do! Want to know what pregnancy products you NEED to make your pregnant life better? Check out my favorite products here!
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