Apps you're going to want for Pregnancy & Beyond!

 Admittedly, when I became a mom, I had ZERO ideas of what I was doing. But boy did I put on a good front. I faked it until I made it. No joke. Thankfully my son turned out okay so far. I suppose I'll update in the future if that changes. Ha. 

One of the things the hospital told me is that at least for a while I would want to track baby's milk intake (via timing breastfeeds or ounces of formula) and track baby's wet diapers. In the hospital they give you this ridiculous chart you have to fill out. Literally a piece of paper and a pencil. If you've had a baby, you know that NO ONE HAS TIME FOR THAT NONSENSE. I tried. I really did. But I needed something quicker, something I wasn't likely to misplace....like my phone! So I set out to find a baby tracker app. 

I also used apps during my pregnancy to track symptoms, baby kicks, and once the time came, contractions. These apps also offer fun week-by-week updates on baby's growth and development which I found fun! 

1) BabyCenter App - This is probably one of the most popular apps for pregnancy and child-rearing. It's free (my favorite part) and offers a ton of encouragement, information, and research in all things pregnancy through childhood. The app has features such as the "Birth Club". The Birth Club is essentially a monitored chat room for each birth month where you can ask all the questions to other moms due the same month as you. I would be lying if I said I hadn't utilized this a few times! The app also has a tools feature which includes: a widget to take pictures of your bump progress with fun graphics to place on the photos, a file dedicated solely to safety in pregnancy, a kick tracker, a registry checklist, a baby name calculator, birth class videos, a birth preferences document creator, and a contraction timer. Lots built into this free app!

2) What to Expect Pregnancy and Baby Tracker - An equally popular app like BabyCenter, it has all the same features listed above PLUS a feeding and development tracker for once baby is born. For any momma's reading this who are currently trying to conceive, there is also a portion of the app dedicated to that!

3) Pregnancy + App - This app is unique from BabyCenter and What to Expect in that it is more personalized. The detailed images of the baby inside your womb are inclusive of all skin types. It also tracks your personal health throughout pregnancy, such as weight tracking. 

4) SPROUT Baby - This is a free app that offers tools to track feeding times, diapers, and even sleep tracking. The cool thing is, you don't have to log and keep track of feeding times. If you're breastfeeding, simply open the app, designate which side you're feeding on and it times the rest! If you're formula/bottle feeding, click the bottle button and you can time that as well as track the number of ounces baby ate. You can also track solid food intake. 

In addition to feeding, this app tracks sleep, pumping times and amount, dirty diapers, activity, and even baby's mood. 

5) The Wonder Weeks - This app, I will admit I was skeptical of. This app does have a fee to purchase. It is not free. However, the Wonder Weeks app is great for new moms because it identifies common fussy periods in baby's life and explains them. They call them "leaps" where you've probably heard the term "4 month sleep regression." This app details WHY those fussy periods and WHY those sleep regressions occur and goes into scientific detail about the development of your child's brain and body during that time that causes the "leap." The reason I was skeptical was because my baby wasn't always on target with when the app said a storm would be coming - but I came to realize quickly that every baby is different and this app is still incredibly useful after a day of a screaming baby or a sleepless night. Unfortunately it doesn't offer a solution to those sleepless nights, but in my eyes, it makes them a LITTLE more bearable knowing WHY they're happening and that my baby doesn't just hate me. 

6) Huckleberry: Baby and Child - The Huckleberry App is very similar to Sprout Baby. It has features for tracking feedings, diapers, sleep patterns, and pumping. It also tracks baby growth and milestones then displays that data in a super easy to read, user friendly graph...if you're a data nerd like me! 

All of these apps are designed to make life easier for you as a mom. Let's be honest, Mom-Brain is a real thing. Scientists need to jump on that diagnosis train because for real. At 3 am, you will not remember which side babe nursed on or how many ounces they ate. These apps take care of all of that so when morning time comes, you're night is tracked - without having to use any of your own brain power....WIN WIN in my eyes!