Pregnancy++ App Review

If you're pregnant like me, I'll bet that you have downloaded an app (or two, or three) to your phone. There are loads out there and they can be a good way to keep you informed with what's going on with your pregnancy, as well as being a fun way to while away the time (see the obligatory fruit and veg comparisons!)

I have been using the Pregnancy+ app from Health & Parenting for a couple of months now and it has been really useful. It covers all aspects of your pregnancy from the early stages, to symptoms, to name lists and right up to a contraction timer! Plus it is very customisable so you can add photos and details personal to you.

There are separate sections for 'Baby' and 'Me' with some extras under 'More'. I really like the way that it covers everything all in the same app. You are able to add all your appointments and include a list of questions you wish to ask at each (perfect for combating 'baby brain'), there is a daily blog highlighting various pregnancy topics (today it was about moses baskets, but others have included swollen feet or exercise during pregnancy) and you can receive relevant weekly information for you and your partner via text as well as through the app itself. In addition, there are check lists for your Birth Plan, Hospital Bag, a Shopping List and a To Do List, all of which you are able to personalise to what you need.

There is a kick counter which allows you to record how much your baby is moving. Monitoring the kicks is a way to bond with your unborn baby, but the amount of movement can indicate the baby's well being. The charity Count the Kicks has been promoting this recently so it's a good feature on the Pregnancy+ app.

The other really original thing about this app is that you can share it with your partner, the grand-parents, even a sibling-to-be if you so wish. Everyone is able to see and follow your pregnancy 'journey' (if you wish!)

There are a few things that don't really work for me though. I don't like the generic and dreamy computer generated images and videos of babies in the womb. I would like to be able to add my own scan images to this section, especially if I was sharing this app with other family members. I also found it quite tricky to add photos of my own belly to the app - it doesn't allow you to resize existing images you bring in so it ends up cropping them itself, and in my case losing most of the image! I think it works better if you take the photo using the app though, but this is shame as I have been taking pictures for my blog or Instagram and would like to be able to use these too.

These are quite small gripes though and perhaps they will get ironed out in future updates. On the whole it's a really useful, good looking and fun app - I'll have to let you know how the contraction counter works after we've used it!



Disclaimer: I was given the paid version of this app for reviewing purposes, but all opinions are my own. This version of the app costs £1.99 but there is also a free version available.