Pregnancy: There's An App For That
NEW YORK (CBS) When it comes to pregnancy, you'd better believe "there's an app for that."
There are many ways to incorporate technology into your pregnancy. My friend Nathalee is a Microsoft Excel super-user and admits to making spreadsheets to track her trimesters. I did the same with my baby shower gift lists and thank you cards.
I have also logged my entire pregnancy on Google Health. It is a bit controversial but I swear by it. It enables me to record test results, doctor appointments, weight gain, medications, etc. I can also share this information with my significant other and create a profile for the baby when he/she is born to track immunizations, appointments, and more.
As for mobile, here are a few of my favorite apps to help make pregnancy and parenting a little more high-tech and a lot more fun:
iPregnancy for iPhone: This app costs $4.99. It tracks your pregnancy by due date and tells you what is happening as the baby develops week-by-week. You can add information about your doctors appointments, emergency contact information, and even trackbaby names that are in the running.
BabyBump for Android: This app costs $2.99. It tracks your pregnancy on a weekly basis. You can input information into a daily journal with entries that include photos, weight, and stomach circumference, although I opted to pass on that information after about week 25.
RunPee: This sounds silly but I'm actually serious. I've gone to the movies a lot during my pregnancy. What else is there to do? But we all know that pregnancy means frequent trips to the bathroom. RunPee will tell you when there is a lull in the movie so you can dash to the little girl's room without missing any crucial scenes. Genius!
Contraction Timer Deluxe for iPhone: This app will come in handy on D-Day! (D meaning delivery of course.) It tracks your contractions and gives you a chart of how frequently they are coming. It also runs in the background so you don't have to keep the app open for it to be counting contractions. I would wager it is far more reliable than a nervous daddy with a stopwatch!
Contraction Timer for Android: This is a free app. It isn't pretty but it gets the job done. It tracks time of contractions, duration, and frequency.
In addition to pregnancy apps, I have begun researching apps that track infant care activity, such as poopy diapers, feeding, and sleeping schedules. The one I am planning to use is called Baby Activity Logger for iPhone, but seeing as my baby has not yet arrived, I will hold off on reviewing or recommending. Especially because I have no idea if an app will help me sleep-train my baby any better than a lullaby. Here's hoping!