For many women – particularly first-timers – pregnancy can mean nine months of questions and confusion. What’s the best time to conceive? Should I eat this cheese? Will this morning sickness ever go away? From hoping for the positive test to sweating it out in the delivery suite, here are five iPhone applications to help you make it through pregnancy and prepare for the arrival of your baby.
1. Free Menstrual Calendar (FMC) – Free; Updated 3 August 2010; Developer Tamtris Web Services Inc. 
All through our teens we’re taught how to avoid getting pregnant. We get information about the pill and may even get to practice putting a condom on a banana. Therefore, it can come as a surprise to some couples that, when they decide it’s time to start a family, they don’t fall pregnant straight away.
The Free Menstrual Calender, draws on the excellent data provided by FertilityFriend.com to allow you to track your menstrual cycle and other monthly changes, and clearly shows you the ideal time to conceive. Inconspicuously named FMC on your application list, it also allows you to pin-code protect your data to avoid a too-much-information moment if anyone else uses your phone.
2. BabyBump Pregnancy Pro – £2.39; Updated 15 December 2010; Developer Alt12 Apps LLC.
BabyBump is packed with handy features for the mum-to-be, including a week-by-week guide to the baby’s development, a pregnancy journal and weight-gain tracker, a video of the birth process, and interactive checklists to allow you to prepare your birth plan and hospital bag. As the baby starts to move, you can also use BabyBump to record kick sessions – and as the end of your pregnancy draws near, you can try to distract yourself by monitoring your contractions.
While the app’s information can be a little US-centric at times, the strong BabyBump community allows you to ask questions of members in your own country and obtain more localised answers and support.
3. Foods to Avoid when Pregnant – £0.59; Released 3 June 2009; Developer LitCharts.
The pregnant woman can become a target for a lot of well-meaning advice. Colleagues may see you with a cup of tea and ask ‘are you sure you’re allowed to drink that?’ Foods to Avoid when Pregnant provides a good overview of what not to eat and drink – from liver to homemade ice-cream to a whole list of types of fish – and why these foods should be avoided.
While it’s always best to get the latest guidance from your doctor or other health professionals, this list may prove a handy reference guide when you’re at a restaurant and wondering whether it’d be safer to go for the swordfish or the snapper.
4. Baby Names – £1.19; Updated 3 March 2011; Developer Schatzisoft.
One of the biggest decisions you make as a parent-to-be is what to call your child. It can also be one of the most controversial. Do you want something that reflects your baby’s heritage? Something popular or unusual? Something with a particular meaning?
The Baby Names application, from American Baby Magazine and Schatzisoft, gives you access to a database of 25,000 names along with information about each one. You can also filter the names by their popularity in 2009 and their origins, and save a list of favourites to discuss with your partner or share with your family and friends (if you’re brave enough to want their opinions before the baby is born).
5. eBay Mobile – Free; Updated 19 March 2011; Developer eBay Inc.
As the months of pregnancy pass, you may find that your developing baby is already having a negative impact on your bank account. From sleep suits to nappies to car seats, it’s amazing how much stuff such a little person will require – and how quickly they’ll grow out of it. According to a 2009 report, a baby can cost new parents £8,853 in their first year!
Luckily there’s a huge market in second hand baby goods out there for those wanting to save a few pounds. Using the eBay application for iPhone, you can use those long waits before your appointments with the doctor/midwife/ultrasound technician to search out the best baby bargains and have your house well kitted out for your bundle of joy long before he or she decides to make an appearance.
[…] of pregnancy applications out there, and while Pregnancy: Week by Week isn’t amongst the best of them, it’s far from the worst. If you can get past the fact that the first screen asks you to provide […]