I’m Kayla, currently a very tired, very happy mom. When I was pregnant, my phone became my little nurse, coach, and friend. Some apps stayed. Some I deleted after a week. Here’s what really helped me, with honest pros and cons, and a few 2 a.m. moments. If you want the cliff-notes version, I broke down my entire shortlist in this separate piece too.
By the way, none of these replace your doctor. They just make the ride feel less bumpy.
The one that saved lunch: Ovia Pregnancy
Ovia became my “Can I eat this?” buddy. I used the food safety tool a lot. One day at work, I stared at a plate of brie and crackers. I typed “brie” into Ovia. The app said, “Nope, unless it’s pasteurized.” I sighed, grabbed cheddar, and moved on. No drama.
P.S. For pre-pregnancy planning, the same team also makes Ovia Fertility, an ovulation tracker that syncs smoothly if you bounce between trying-to-conceive and pregnancy modes.
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What I liked:
- Daily updates felt short and helpful. No fluff.
- I tracked symptoms like nausea and heartburn. It showed little trends, which made me feel less weird.
- The baby hand size feature made my husband grin. We held our hands up to my phone and said, “So tiny!”
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What bugged me:
- Push alerts got loud. I turned off half of them.
- The UI is busy. Not bad, just crowded.
Jaw-drop visuals: Pregnancy+
This app is the one with the 3D baby. At 21 weeks, I laid on the couch, pinched and zoomed, and honestly teared up. It helped me picture our girl as more than “a mango.”
If you’re browsing from South Africa (or just want another slick option), the iOS-specific Pregnancy Tracker app offers a similar week-by-week overview with tidy widgets and reminders.
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What I liked:
- Clear weekly growth pics, not cheesy.
- A simple kick counter and a contraction timer. I used both.
- The daily blog posts were short enough to read in line for coffee.
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What bugged me:
- Heavy product ads. Lots of baby gear nudges.
- A couple features sit behind a paywall.
- It drained my battery more than others.
Community that talks back: What to Expect
At 2 a.m., I felt a sharp tug. Round ligament pain? I searched the May due date group. Moms described the same “lightning crotch” zaps. I laughed out loud. Then I tried their pillow trick. It helped.
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What I liked:
- Due date groups are active at weird hours. Someone is always awake.
- Daily tips match your week. Short, practical.
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What bugged me:
- Some threads get wild. I learned to scroll and verify with my OB.
- Lots of ads. It’s fine, but busy.
Handy checklists: The Bump
I came for the cute fruit sizes. I stayed for the registry checklist. One Saturday, I used it to plan our baby shower list and hospital bag. It felt like a project plan, but softer.
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What I liked:
- Clean design. Easy to read on a sleepy brain.
- 3D models and quick week-by-week changes.
- The registry tools kept me organized.
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What bugged me:
- The shopping push is strong. I snoozed “deal” alerts.
- Articles can feel basic if you like deep science.
Old-school solid: BabyCenter
This one feels steady. I used the kick counter at night and the name finder. I saved 20 names, then my partner vetoed half (rude). We ended up circling back to our first pick anyway.
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What I liked:
- “Birth Club” chats are calmer than some forums.
- Good pregnancy-week overviews.
- Decent kick and contraction tools.
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What bugged me:
- The layout looks a bit dated.
- It sends a lot of emails. I unsubbed and just used the app.
Real labor buddy: Full Term (Contraction Timer)
When things got real at 38 weeks, I used Full Term. My partner tapped Start/Stop while I breathed and counted. The app showed spacing and length so I didn’t second-guess calling L&D.
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What I liked:
- Big buttons. Clear graphs. No fluff. (It reminded me of my go-to offline emergency app that’s bailed me out more than once.)
- Works offline. No signal panic.
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What bugged me:
- Looks basic. But honestly, that was fine.
- Exporting sessions wasn’t super clear.
Movement that mattered: Count the Kicks
From week 28, I picked a daily time and tracked movements. One night, counts were a bit low. I called my nurse. We got checked. Baby was fine, but I slept better. That app taught me my baby’s pattern.
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What I liked:
- Simple, bright, no noise.
- Reminders at the same time each day.
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What bugged me:
- If you miss a day, the reminder nags a bit.
Side note: in my third-trimester waddle phase, I actually tested a few step-tracking reward apps—here’s the one that paid for my coffee runs—but that’s another story.
Sanity check for my brain: Expectful (Meditation)
Third trimester sleep got weird. Ten-minute bedtime tracks helped me settle. I also liked the partner meditations. He did one before our hospital tour and came out less tense.
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What I liked:
- Short sessions. Calming voices.
- Sleep stories actually made me sleepy.
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What bugged me:
- Subscription paywall.
- Some tracks felt a little generic.
The mom-friend finder: Peanut
Being pregnant felt lonely for me at first. Peanut helped me meet two local moms. We swapped maternity jeans and found a prenatal yoga class. We still text.
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What I liked:
- Local groups and quick chats.
- Topic tags like “first-time mom,” “anxiety,” “c-section.”
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What bugged me:
- Profiles vary, so meet in public and trust your gut.
- Notifications can pile up—mute what you don’t need.
Little privacy note
I kept location off unless I needed it (like for Peanut). I used email logins over social. I skimmed data settings and turned off extra “research” sharing. Not fancy, just careful.
Speaking of privacy, some couples look for ways to keep their spark alive during the roller-coaster months of pregnancy without leaving a permanent digital trail. If you and your partner are exploring playful, adults-only photo exchanges, you could try Snapfuck — a discreet platform where images auto-delete after viewing, giving you both a low-pressure, consent-focused space to stay flirty without cluttering your camera roll.
Pregnancy also left me with an aching lower back and shoulders, and my OB actually green-lit certain prenatal-friendly massages. Before letting anyone put their hands on my bump, I did some detective work on Rubmaps Southgate to sift through first-hand reviews of nearby massage parlors, helping me dodge the sketchy spots and book with certified therapists who truly know how to pamper an expecting body.
My quick picks
- Best for visuals: Pregnancy+
- Best for food and symptom checks: Ovia
- Best for late-night crowds: What to Expect
- Best for lists: The Bump
- Best for simple labor timing: Full Term
- Best for movement tracking: Count the Kicks
- Best for calm: Expectful
- Best for meeting people: Peanut
If you prefer one tidy spot to launch all these helpers, Loup lets you group your favorite apps so they’re always just one tap away on your home screen.
Final thought (and a tiny confession)
I love these apps. But I also deleted two for a week when the alerts made me anxious. Then I reinstalled the ones that felt kind. That’s the trick—pick what helps you breathe. Keep what makes you feel seen. Toss the rest.
You know what? Your baby doesn’t care which app you use. Your peace matters more. Use the tools, call your nurse when you’re unsure, and save your battery for photos later.