6 Smartphone Apps for Expecting Parents

What to Expect Pregnancy Tracker
Compatibility: iPhone
Cost: Free

Anyone who's familiar with all things baby already knows about the best-selling book What to Expect When You're Expecting. While the book contains so much more information than the free app, we still appreciate the simplicity, reliability, and functionality of the What to Expect iPhone companion. With weekly and daily updates on what Mom should be feeling and how baby is growing, it's a nice way to track progress and count down the weeks until delivery. A handy photo gallery feature lets Mom take photos of her growing belly and store them as a sort of electronic scrapbook of her journey. (Now you'll know when baby is as big as a cantaloupe and remember when Mom was as big as a watermelon.)

Baby's Coming
Compatibility: iPhone
Cost: Free

Developed in the UK, this app is designed to help expecting moms keep track of their contractions and other labor (or "labour") symptoms. Especially useful for at night (when it's much easier to press a button on a lighted iPhone than waking your partner to scribble down your time), this app could be a saving grace for Moms who are too tired or distracted to keep accurate tabs on their progression of labor. With a useful summary page that lists your last 5 contractions and the ability to email it to yourself -- or a doctor or nurse -- expecting Moms can now be more certain when it's time to high-tail it to the hospital!

KickBerry
Compatibility: BlackBerry
Cost: Free

Kick counts (where an expecting mom counts the number of movements baby makes within a certain period of time) can be an important sign of the overall health and well-being of baby - especially during the final weeks of pregnancy. There are numerous freestanding kick counters on the market, but why spend the money? The KickBerry app is free, and gives you all the functionality of a kick counter - wherever you go! In addition to counting the number of movements, it tells you how long it takes to get to 10 movements (the number doctors like you to monitor), and when you pass the one- and two-hour milestone. Since Moms can sometimes worry, this app is peace of mind with little effort! (For an iPhone compatible free app, check out Baby Motion.)

VideoMD
Compatibility: iPhone
Cost: $.99

With all the free articles on the web geared to give pregnant moms advice, it may not seem like a video app is necessary. When it comes to explaining some of the more scary procedures a Mom-to-be may face (amniocentesis or c-section, for example), videos from trusted doctors can be reassuring and very helpful! The VideoMD app lets users stream any of the site's library of videos for viewing on the go. Information is found easily, using the search function, and within minutes, Moms (and Dads) will have what they need to be better informed or to follow up with more questions at their next appointment. Knowledge is the key to having a calm pregnancy, and this app really delivers!

Pimp My Ultrasound
Compatibility: iPhone
Cost: Free

Ok, so maybe all parents don't "need" this app, but you have to have a bit of fun when you're carrying the awesome responsibility of bringing a child to term! Pimp My Ultrasound is a crazy way to take those black and white ultrasound pics from your last doctor's visit and turn them into a "personalized" creation complete with accessories, text bubbles, and various frames. Sure, it's goofy, but how many people really want to see the original version of your blurry ultrasound pic, anyway? (The app can also be used once baby is born to create photo parodies of someone your family will actually recognize.)

Prenatal Smart
Compatibility: iPhone
Cost: $.99

Let's face it: eating can be a joy when you're pregnant. It can also be dangerous! While many Moms already know to avoid raw sushi and undercooked meats, many are surprised to learn about other "off-limits" foods, like bean sprouts, certain fishes, and specialty teas. With the Prenatal Smart app, you can check on any food you're unsure of before you put your little one at risk. It's super handy at restaurants (where fare may be more uncommon), or when you just don't remember what you read about a particular kind of food. It also gives guidelines straight from the FDA and EPA, so you Mom can eat just the right amount of tuna without fear of too much mercury! A literal life-saver, this app is easy to use in any lunch-worthy situation.

Moms have been bearing children well before the app came along. With so many useful tools, however, we sometimes appreciate the extra high-tech support. Do you have a favorite Mom-to-be app?

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Linsey Knerl is the Community Manager for Wise Bread, a community dedicated to helping folks live large on a small budget. She loves savvy tech solutions that help her share the world with her children.