I’ve blogged about a few apps that are available for iPhones, but did you know there are many pregnancy apps for other smart phones as well? Android phones are becoming very popular these days and offer quite a few apps via the Google Marketplace.
This month I had the thrill of test driving an EVO 4G for the purposes of trying out some of the pregnancy apps, courtesy of the generous people of Sprint. (Can I just note that I am in love with this phone and I’m already mourning having to mail it back this week? It’s a fun toy for a mom. Do you think I could convince my friends at Sprint to let me keep it? In my dreams, right?) I downloaded several free pregnancy apps from Google Marketplace: Mom 2 Be, My Days, iStorkTalk, OB Wheel, Kick Count and White Noise.
Mom 2 Be: This app keeps track of your pregnancy stats and also provides weekly tips. It will even tell you the approximate size of your baby according to how far along you are in your pregnancy. I like the journal, which you can use to jot down notes or thoughts about your pregnancy. You can use it to keep track of things you learn at the doctor’s office, or you can use it as a journal. It is completely up to you.
My Days: If I had a cycle to keep track of currently, I would love this app. It’s a nifty little color coded calendar to track everything you don’t want taking up space in your regular calendar for all the world to see: your menstrual cycle, when you have sex, when you take your pill, when you ovulate, and your BBT (early morning, resting temperature, to track ovulation). It will help you calculate when these events will happen next, as well. There is a free version, but there is also a “pro” version that is available and it has more features.
iStorkTalk: This is a pregnancy forum right at your fingertips. We all know our friends and family get sick of hearing about every pain and symptom, so why not share it with other pregnant women whenever the mood strikes? When the audience is right in your pocket (or purse), why not?
OB Wheel: This app is definitely created for doctors, not for patients. It keeps track of multiple women and their due dates, as well as images of their sonograms. I could see a humorous application of this app among pregnant women and their friends, however. I am right in the middle of a baby boom amongst my circle, so it would be nice (and a little funny) to keep track of all their due dates in my phone. Then I could creep them out by always knowing exactly how many weeks and days along they are.
Kick Count: I could have used this app when I was pregnant. I used a timer and a written tally. The only problem was that sometimes I would forget when I started or where I left off. I would sometimes lose track if I got a phone call in the middle my count. This app makes things really simple. All you have to do is press start and then press a button every time you feel a kick. As soon as you hit 10 kicks, you are congratulated and it tells you how long it took for your baby to kick ten times. (For your reference, a baby should be kicking about 10 times in one hour during active periods.)
White Noise: This was my favorite app that I tried, by far. First of all, it features several different sounds, and all you have to do is slide your finger across the screen to switch to the next available sound. Second of all, each sound has its own beautiful wallpaper background. Some of the sounds include a ticking clock, a thunderstorm and a train clicking across the tracks. If you’re not already familiar with the effect that white noise has on a newborn, you’ll find out soon enough. Sometimes the sound of a gushing waterfall is the only thing that will get your little one to calm down. White noise also relieves stress for adults. Pregnant woman are supposed to avoid stress, so everybody wins.