Want to organise your pregnancy? There’s an app for that
There’s an app for just about everything. An egg timer for the prefect hard boiled egg is probably the most ridiculous once I’ve seen. So I thought there must be several to help organise my pregnancy.
Pregnancy companion: This is the first app I downloaded. I like it because you input your due date and then it calculates the status of your pregnancy, along with how your baby is growing. It’s great for when you have a doctor’s appointment and they ask you when your last period was — which feels like ages ago! The drugs section could use some work, most of the drugs come up with ‘Not sure’ if you can take it, and the advice is a bit different from what my doctor has told me. For example, I’m told I can’t take any hay fever medication, yet the app tells me that Benadryl is safe. Though it has a good checklist for what to bring to the hospital. Free from Google Play and iTunes.
Nutrition for pregnancy: What you can eat, and what you can’t eat seems to be the most frustrating thing about pregnancy. This app lists what is safe and what isn’t. For example, it advices that pregnancy women shouldn’t eat soft cheseses that are unpasteurized, mold-ripened cheese, or blue-veined cheeses. You can have cream cheese, yoghurt or cottage cheese. Although I don’t agree that it says you shouldn’t eat butter because of its high fat content. Good for if you’re at a restaurant and an ingredient appears which you’re unsure about, but I wouldn’t waste your app storage otherwise. Free from Google Play and iTunes.
Prenatal workout: Don’t know how to work out during your pregnancy, this app has 20 free workouts. They’re more like a HIIT session, but so much easier. 20 leg raises, then rest, 4 cat cow poses, then rest, alternating lunges, then rest, for example. It’s good for when you feel sick and would rather lay in bed. Not strenuous, but gets your endorphins going enough. If I hadn’t exercised during my first trimester, I’d probably not survive! First trimester exercises are free, second and third are not. Download from Google Play or iTunes.
Baby names: This app just keeps track of your favorite baby names. It’s essentially a long list. It doesn’t tell you anything about the meaning of the names, their popularity, or anything else. Great for if you want to keep track of names, but I’d recommend picking up the book The baby name wizard if you want more info. Download from Google Play or iTunes.
Contraction timer: Well, I haven’t been in labor yet, so I have no idea how good this app is. But I do like the concept. This app times the duration of your contractions and the interval so that you can decide when it’s time to go to the hosptial. I’ll let you know in December if it’s any good … Download from Google Play or iTunes.
