We barely go anywhere without a smartphone in tow these days, which is why an encyclopaedic library of apps is now available for us to download and interact with both at home and on the move. You no doubt already have lots of favourites, from news providers and shops to GPS locators. However, did you know that you can get scores of apps that have been designed specifically with pregnancy in mind? The reason we ask is because we’ve seen lots of them cropping up on our phones and tablets lately, so we thought you may be interested in a round-up of some of the best.
Some are just for fun, while others could prove really useful, so we’ll break them down into categories below.
Pregnancy advice and information
As soon as you find out you’re pregnant, you’ll no doubt have 1,001 questions to ask. While some of these can be fielded by friends and health visitors, it’s handy to be able to look up snippets of information too. This is where advisory apps really come into their own. They can cover everything from calculating due dates to how big your baby is week by week, meaning you’ll have the equivalent of several books in your pocket to check up on at any given time.
Try:
- What to Expect – from the people behind the bestselling book What to Expect When You’re Expecting (Free)
- BabyCentre My Pregnancy (free)
The name game
Coming up with lists of baby names is a fun way to pass the time on a train journey, but you might want to check the meaning of some, or have some random ones suggested for you. Enter the apps – they’re just like the books you can get, but much more portable and interactive.
Try:
- Baby Name Generator
- Baby Names
- 50,000 Names (all free)
Keeping you occupied
You’ll probably find you do a lot of waiting around for appointments when you’re pregnant and it’s annoying if you’ve got nothing to do. Why not keep a couple of games on your phone or tablet to distract you and keep you occupied? They’re not just for kids and they might help prevent the dreaded baby brain if you choose puzzles.
Try:
Where’s My Water? (69p)
Words with Friends (free)
What’s the Phrase? (free)
Scoring style points
If you shop with Seraphine, we know you’ve already got great maternity style. However, it’s fun to keep on top of the trends by checking out what bloggers, fashion experts and other people are wearing too. Lots of apps provide daily updates on what to wear for certain events, which colours are in vogue and much more, so keep a few handy and you’ll never commit a faux pas again.
Try:
- Guardian
- Daily Mail (You Inspire)
- Style Star Fashion Advice (all free)
During labour
Keep your smartphone handy when you go into labour, as you may find it’s really useful for things like timing contractions if you want to be sure how frequent and long-lasting they are.
Try:
- Contraction Timer Lite (free)
When you’re breastfeeding
Once the baby arrives, you won’t have as much free time for playing games and looking up articles. However, that doesn’t mean apps can’t still be useful. Check out some of the great breastfeeding ones, which allow you to record how many feeds you’ve completed, alert you to when the next one is due and can even produce graphs to tell you if you’re on track with your feeding goals.
Try:
- iBaby Feed (free)
- The Breast Start App (free)
We’d love to know what you think – have you used these apps? Or do you know any others that could be useful for expectant mums? Do drop us a line in the comments section below!