Pregnancy can be an overwhelming time of life. On any given day, your emotions can range from excitement, to fear, to exhaustion, to contentment, and back again. And of course, let’s not forget the logistics of pregnancy: the doctor’s appointments, the cravings, the aches and pains, the constant need to pee. All while keeping up with the demands of everyday life, like work, school, running a household, or even raising other kids.
Let’s just say it right now: expectant mothers are rockstars.
And they deserve all the help they can get.
Pregnancy apps can be extremely useful to pregnant women who are looking for advice, tips, and answers to their questions. But it’s not always easy to week out the good options from the bad ones.
We’ve weeded through some of the most popular and narrowed it down to a list of four must-have pregnancy apps.
Ovia Pregnancy Tracker
A beautifully-styled app with some unique features, the Ovia Pregnancy Tracker app is one great option for moms-to-be. This app allows you to track baby’s growth (comparing your little one to everything from fruit to baguettes), log your own health data and symptoms (including sleep, moods, weight, and blood pressure), customize the app with your baby’s name and gender, add in your own pregnancy goals, and so much more. There’s also plenty of useful information, including the ability to look up foods and medications to see what’s safe and what isn’t. And the app gives you access to an anonymous community of other mothers so you can ask all your questions without being judged (read: “Are my feet really supposed to be this swollen?”).
One of our favorite things about Ovia that sets it apart from other apps, however, is the fact that Ovia also offers a fertility and cycle tracking app. Using the same familiar interface, you can track your fertility if you’re trying to get pregnant (or trying to avoid it). You can also track your cycle and symptoms, so you can stay on top of your fertility no matter what stage you’re in.
Basically, Ovia is there to make being a woman a little easier, and we’re totally here for it.
What to Expect Pregnancy and Baby Tracker.
This highly-rated app from the well-known “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” empire does just about everything: from calculating your due date, to keeping you posted on daily and weekly development, to sending you personalized updates as often as you want them. The app uses a handy search feature to make articles and other information easy to find, and connects to specialized social communities specific to your location, medical needs, delivery month, etc.
What makes this app stand out is that it takes you beyond pregnancy into the “fourth trimester,” giving you access to advice and articles that will help you well into your baby’s first year.
Pregnancy Tracker by BabyCenter
Highly ranked on just about every pregnancy app list you’ll find, this BabyCenter app is a solid choice for an all-in-one app to walk you through your pregnancy. This intuitive app features the usual tracking tools, but it also includes planning tools (like a place for your registry checklist and birth plan), a photo diary feature (believe it or not, you’ll miss that bump one day), and a countdown to your due date (because sometimes it’s hard to keep track of how far along you really are—and people will ask).
Babylist Baby Registry
Want the stroller from one store but the diapers from another? No problem. Babylist is the app that lets you build your registry, your way, adding items from a variety of stores and creating one unique and convenient list. It’s easier for you and for anyone who wants to buy you a gift. With 4.9 stars and almost 16,000 ratings, you know this app is a winner.
Bonus apps
Can’t get enough pregnancy apps? Here are some more that might be fun to add to your phone.
Headspace. The popular meditation app has a set of pregnancy meditations included in its paid subscription. If there was ever a time to discover your Zen, it’s now.
Baby Names by Baby Center. Need some name inspiration? Look no further. Tell the app what kind of name you’re looking for, rate its suggestions, and it will learn about the names you like to give you more tailored suggestions. Your biggest parenting decision just got a little easier.
Baby 2 Body. Get pregnancy workouts, pregnancy-friendly recipes, and more, all in one convenient app that is focused on helping you have a healthy, happy pregnancy.
CineMama. Create a time-lapse movie of your pregnancy with these easy-to-use app. Created by March of Dimes, it walks you through the process so you have a sweet memory (along with a sweet baby) at the end of your pregnancy.
Pregnancy is different for every mama, but any mama could benefit from using these great apps! Try one and let us know what you think. And congratulations on your pregnancy, you rockstar, you!
