We find the 10 best options, so you can make informed decisions on tons of products and services.
You’re pregnant—woohoo! Whether you got there easily or shed blood, sweat, and tears to make it happen, you’ve finally arrived at the place you always wanted to be.
It’s the best time of your life! It’s also the most terrifying, most anticipatory, most anxiety-inducing, and quite possibly the most uncomfortable time of your life.
And because each pregnancy is different, it doesn’t matter if you’re a first-time expecting mother or a seasoned mom—support is necessary, in some form or another.
Following spousal/partner support, one of the most popular forms of pregnancy support comes in the form of an app. Pregnancy apps can help expecting mothers stay on top of all the things they’re supposed to stay on top of. Because, while pregnancy may be a time to sit back, kick up your feet, and relax (if you can!), it’s also a time to have loads of doctor appointments, keep a close eye on your health, monitor baby movements, and tons more.
If you’re an expecting mom who would like to turn to a pregnancy app to help her do all this, you’re not alone. Millions of women around the world use pregnancy apps to make their pregnancy journey as fun, calm, and organized as possible.
But not all pregnancy apps are created equal. And with all the apps out there, how’s an expecting mama to know which one to choose?
We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 pregnancy apps on the market in the US. Below is a deeper look into what these apps provide and how you can choose the best one to support you through your crazy-awesome journey to motherhood.
Pregnancy App Basics
There are loads of pregnancy apps out there, but the really good ones all offer some variation on the same package. While it’s great that so many apps are in the loop about what features a pregnant woman needs, it can also make it harder to choose which app you want, since they’re all fairly similar.
The features included in all top-rated pregnancy apps may have different names, but they are generally as follows:
Due date calculator
Community/social support
Week-by-week fetal development
Photo uploading/sharing
Informational articles
Weight tracking
Kick counter
Contraction timer
Personalized health insights
Pregnancy timeline
How to Choose
All of our 10 best pregnancy apps—What to Expect, BabyBump Pregnancy Pro, The Bump, Pregnancy Tracker and Baby App from BabyCenter, I’m Expecting, Ovia, Pregnancy+, WebMD Pregnancy, Glow Nurture, and Sprout—are top-rated apps that offer virtually all of the features listed above, if not 100% of them.
Some apps, however, come with extras. For example, Sprout prides itself on offering fully interactive 3D models of fetal development. Glow Nurture offers the added component of postpartum support. The Bump specializes in those trying to conceive and first-time expecting moms, offering an ovulation tracker and fertility charts.
Depending on what stage of life you are at, a certain pregnancy app might appeal to you more than others.
A good way to figure out which app is best for you is to read reviews, ask your friends, and learn through trial-and-error. Perhaps you loved reading What to Expect When You’re Expecting and are drawn to the app of the same name. Perhaps you feel more comfortable with the I’m Expecting platform than BabyBump Pregnancy Pro. The good news is that almost all of these apps are free, so you have the option to try one out and then switch if you don’t like it.
Let’s Be Practical
All of the top pregnancy apps are available on both Android and iOS, but practically speaking, some work better on certain devices than others. If you’ve downloaded your ideal app but it’s not working on your device, try another. Since the basic package is the same, you won’t be missing out on anything drastic.
And if you really want to be thorough, you can Google reviews about your specific device and app compatibility before trying it out. But the best thing to do in many cases is to just try, and see how it goes.
Additional Pregnancy Apps
The top-rated pregnancy apps are fairly similar and mainly include tracking plus community support. But there are a few other apps that have a different focus, so you might be interested in downloading one of them in addition to your typical tracking app.
Who’s Your Daddy? is a pregnancy app for men (finally!), and it offers the man in your life a chance to ride alongside you through your pregnancy as much as possible.
Full Term is only a contraction timer, which means you can download it once, and delete it once it’s served its purpose.
Cinemama is an app that allows you to upload pics of your burgeoning belly, however frequently you would like, and at the end, all of the pictures get made into a short movie. Cute, right?
Be A Positive Pregnant Mama
The idea behind all of these pregnancy apps is to help you, the pregnant woman, not to overwhelm you. They’re apps are meant to calm some of the internal chaos, and most of all, to help you enjoy the entire pregnancy experience.
Because while the actual process of pregnancy can be uncomfortable or exhausting, it can also be wonderful, uplifting, miraculous, and amazing.
So if you forget to upload a monthly image of your belly or skip weigh-in one week—don’t sweat it. Your unborn child will still love you, you’ll still be a great mom, and it’s certainly not a reason to beat yourself up. Rather, it’s a reason to say, “No problem, I’ll do this next week/month. I’m a warrior mama-to-be and I can handle anything the world throws at me!”
Always, always cut yourself some slack. Remember, you’re growing a human being in your belly, for goodness’ sake! It’s not an easy thing to do—but it is a wonderful thing.
And if there’s an app that can help you along the way, then that’s a wonderful thing as well.
