Labor is hard. It’s exhausting and uncomfortable, but it’s also a beautiful process that brings your baby into the world.
The best way to make sure you’re doing everything you can to make your experience as smooth and effective as possible? Tracking your contractions.
If you’re like us, then you’ve tried all the apps out there for tracking labor and delivery. We’ve got one for every situation—from the laboring mother who needs to know when to go to the hospital to the exhausted new mother who wants a reminder of what it felt like in case she forgets.
We’ve compiled a list of our top picks below so you can get started on tracking your contractions now!
Best Apps For Tracking Contractions
Let’s start by stating the obvious: You don’t want to be Seth Meyers and help deliver your baby in the lobby of your building. And while there’s no hard-and-fast rule on how long labor can last, or how long it takes until she’s fully dilated and ready to push, contraction timers can at least give you some idea of how things are progressing. Contraction timer apps work by telling you the length and frequency of contractions, and the interval between each one. Some even indicate when it might be time to head to the hospital.
“People have always timed contractions, but [contraction timers are] a simplified way to do that,” says Dr. Sidney Wu, a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology at New York’s Weill Cornell Medicine. The apps “can be helpful as an adjunct. Are they necessary? No. But they’re not harmful. I would caution people to of course to use their own judgment and not just go according to what the app says. Use your common sense. Call your doctor. Everyone’s labor is different. The apps can be helpful and provide general guidance.”
Early labor can last a while. That’s why Wu says it’s important not to go to the hospital too early. You’ll either be sent home or Mom will be stuck in a hospital bed for way too long. “Stay at home until you’re really uncomfortable,” Wu says. A good rule of thumb is to call the doctor when contractions follow what Wu calls “The 5-1-1 Rule”: they’re every five minutes, lasting one minute, and have been going on for one hour.
If this isn’t your first baby, be prepared to head to the hospital earlier in the process. “After you’ve had your first baby, the body is much more efficient,” says Wu, “so call earlier because the baby can come much faster.”
Full Term Contraction Timer
Available for both Apple and Android devices (including the Apple Watch), Full Term is one of the most popular and highly rated contraction timer apps out there. The super-simple interface has a giant bright green start button, so even the least tech-savvy out there can figure out how to use it. You time each contraction, and the app keeps track of the duration and frequency over the previous one hour up to the last six hours. The app also offers kick counter and weight tracking tools for moms who are earlier on in their pregnancy.
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best pregnancy app for second time moms
Pregnancy Apps are such a lifesaver for moms-to-be. It’s never been easier to be informed (and entertained) while pregnant! These are the best pregnancy apps that moms of all ages and stages will love. Pregnancy tracker apps will keep you on track every step of your pregnancy.
pregnancy app image of most popular apps to download
Pregnancy Apps
When I had my first baby back in 2009 I was rocking a Blackberry cell phone, and I thought I was pretty hip.
Just two years later when I was pregnant with my second, I was slowly getting used to my new Smart Phone- using only a few apps regularly.
Now seven years later I am pregnant with my third baby and as we all know- Smart Phones are everywhere! I use my phone for everything and I bet you do, too. It has been fun to be pregnant again after so many years. A lot has changed in the pregnancy and baby world. Mom apps are everywhere, so now I utilize them!
Including how I get my information and how I document every stage of my pregnancy. Back in 2009 I was buying books and using my desktop to find out answers to my questions. Now with my Smart Phone, I literally have anything and everything I would ever need right at my fingertips.
It is a great time to be pregnant! From week to week updates to looking up health questions there are so many apps out there to help you through every stage of your pregnancy.
We’ve done the research and have found ten of the best pregnancy apps out there.
The Best Pregnancy Apps
Web MD Pregnancy
image of woman who is pregnant
Free available for iOS
Web MD is probably the website you find yourself going to most regularly for health questions. Now you can go to it for your pregnancy, too.
With this app comes to access to over 900 doctor-approved articles around all-things pregnancy. You can also find plenty of maternity support and advice in the WebMD pregnancy community. Plus, you’ll love the included belly tracker and pregnancy journal!
Key Features:
• Symptom Checker – Choose your symptoms and learn about potential conditions or issues.
• Medication Reminders – View daily medication schedules and instructions, pill images with dosage and timing information, and receive reminders for when it’s time to take a given medication.
• Local Physician and Health Directory – Find the closest physician, hospital, and pharmacy based on your current location or search by city, state or zip.
• Pill Identifier – Identify medications by size, shape, and color, and read about uses, side effects, and warnings.
• Conditions – Find medically reviewed information about conditions relevant to you and learn more about causes, treatments, and related symptoms.
• News and Lifestyle Section – Stay current on the top stories you care about most with topical articles, slideshows, and videos focused on key health topics.
• Customization and Saving Functionality – Save your conditions, drugs, doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and healthy living articles for secure, easy access and reference.
• Drug Interaction Checker – Find and identify potentially harmful and unsafe combinations of prescription medications by entering two or more drugs in question.
The Bump
the bumb prengnancy app logo
iOS and Android
The Bump is perfect for first-time moms, providing features you won’t find anywhere else. And it’s free!
Including a Planner that prepares every mom-to-be for each doctor visit, an interactive 3D visualization of baby’s growth, Daily, award-winning pregnancy and baby editorial articles, real-time answers to all your questions and a catalog of baby products and reviews from all major retailers.
For more fun be sure to use this app to document your pregnancy by creating a weekly album of your growing belly. And once the baby is born, the album expands to track the first amazing year of baby’s life.
Mommy Meds
mommymeds logo for pregnancy app
$3.99 for iOS and Android
This app is the app for all pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. Because it is hard to know what medications are safe to take during pregnancy or breastfeeding Mommy Meds helps ensures that you will be given the most accurate description of over thousands of medications.
Just search or scan the barcodes of thousands of medications and receive immediate, easy to understand information on drug safety and ingredients.
Features:
-Scan medications for safety ratings
-Search over 20,000 drugs and medications
-Easy to use interface
Ovia Pregnancy Tracker
pregnancy belly image in green
Ovia is a FREE baby tracker and countdown app that tracks your pregnancy and shares information on baby development. Available only for iOS users.
Key Features:
◆ Customizable baby name, gender, goals, and health tracking
◆ Dynamic timeline with articles and tips based on your data
Also included are videos in the app with different specialists in the field, like a nutritionist.
You can look up the safety for medications and foods during your pregnancy, as well as get info on some symptoms to help ease your mind in between doctor appointments.
As an added bonus you can track your sleep, weight, activity levels, daily steps, and nutrition!
Hello Baby
Pregnancy app logo with woman in white dress
iOS and Android
This free Pregnancy app includes adorable images and guides that will make it so fun to follow along! If you’re wanting to keep it light, rest assured this stays away from heavy medical information — only useful practical tips!
Key Features:
You and your body: what’s happening, what’s normal
What’s going on to your baby week by week
What should you do and learn before the baby is here
Shares what is necessary to know about the first six months of your baby’s life to become the best Mommy ever
Over 280 cards written by top experts
Checklists & digests: get prepared for parenthood
Mommy Yoga video classes
3D visualizations of the Womb
Baby Pics App
baby picks pregnancy app logo
$2.99 for iOS and Android
This is a must-have for anyone who loves to share photos on social media.
It includes Pregnancy Milestones, Baby Milestones, and Big Kid Milestones
Capture your baby bump growth week by week and the baby’s firsts for years to come.
It’s easy to use, too! Simply snap the moment as it happens or selects from your camera roll. Then pick and choose from adorable artwork, add text and save and share!
Included are gorgeous filters to enhance your photos.
Here’s a sneak peek via their website of what you can expect to find on this app:
DATES: 1 week, 2 months, 2 years, due dates, birthdays + many more
FIRSTS: First kick, first ultrasound, today I smiled for the first time, today I stood up, my first shoes + many more
PREGNANCY: Getting big, little belly vs big belly, overdue, twins, Mom & Dad are getting me a human + many more
HOLIDAYS: Santa Baby, happy holidays, too cute for the naughty list, happy Easter + many more
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pregnancy announcements, birth announcements, gender reveals, the rumors are true, we’re pregnant, surprise!, due in July, any day now, she’s here! + many more
DAILY: Crazy kid, little man, chubby cheeks, fit mama, spoilt, kissy lips + many more
HUMOR: Available to unlock – milk drunk, poop explosion, bun in the oven, an eviction notice is given, notorious b.u.b + many more
BIG KIDS: Don’t grow up, free-range kid, story time, bookworm, half wild – half child, no no no. + many more
FRIENDS & FAMILY: meet my pals, brotherly love, I’m going to be a grandma, I love Mom, family time + many more
DOODLES: Hearts, borders, banners, butterflies, squiggles + many more
Belly Bump App
belly bump pregnancy app logo
$.99 available for iOS only
This app was created by celeb dads: Justin Baldoni of Jane the Virgin, Travis Clark of We The Kings, and Travis Van Winkle of The Last Ship. So you know it’s going to be good! If you love taking weekly belly bump shots- this is for you!
This app helps you track, store, and share memories of your pregnancy and growing baby with amazing time-lapse videos! A wonderful week by week pregnancy app to keep you focused on your journey.
Key Features:
– Reminders to take your photos daily, weekly, or bi-weekly
– Share each photo individually, or create a time lapse video to document your full journey in one place
– Customize photos and time-lapse videos with text, songs of your choice, and desired speed.
– Save photos and videos directly to your cloud or post to social media with the click of a button.
This is definitely a fun and light-hearted way to track your pregnancy progress.
Sprout Pregnancy App
sprout app logo for pregnancy tracking
Free available on iOS and Android
This app is great for record keeping and memory making. It includes a Pregnancy Journal with FREE PDF to view or print and includes over 350 fun entry ideas!
Key Features:
• DAILY and weekly information about you and your developing baby
• Personalized Pregnancy Timeline*
• Tools (Weight Tracker, Kick Counter, and Contraction Timer)*
• Checklists
There is even a section where you can jot down reminders such as weekly appointments and questions you may want to ask your doctor.
My Baby’s Beat
my baby’s pregnancy heartbeat app logo
$4.99 available for iOS only
Imagine not having to wait in between appointments to hear your baby’s heartbeat. If that sounds like something you’d enjoy then this app is definitely for you.
It’s simple. Just lie down and hold your phone’s microphone over your bump to listen in on your baby any time you want.
If you are unsure of what you are listening for or where to find it, the app includes sample sounds so you know for sure. You can save recordings, too!
It is recommended that for best results, use “My Baby’s Beat” after reaching week 30. Please be aware that this is not a medical device, has not been reviewed by the FDA, and is not intended as a replacement for the medical advice of any kind.
Conclusion
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