Finding out I was pregnant was a wonderfully exciting time. I let it sink in for a bit and bask in the glory of the news – and then I went on a whirlwind of trying to figure out all the tools that expecting moms use to keep track of their pregnancy.
I went totally overkill and it was overwhelming. I downloaded a bunch of apps that compared the size of the baby to objects, weekly info apps, and a plethora of photo apps. I turned on push notifications for all of them and within 5 days I was beyond overwhelmed with all the information so deleted them all and simplified my approach.
These are the 4 simple tools I used and recommend to track pregnancy.
1. A Journal
Yes, a real, offline, handwritten journal. I started writing in this in the first trimester of my pregnancy – week 8 to be exact. I dedicated 15 minutes every Saturday morning to recapping the previous week. Even though my new week of pregnancy technically didn’t start until a Monday, to me this was the best to keep me committed. In the diary I tracked:
- Exciting milestones – like sharing news with friends and family
- Symptoms – what was I experiencing? Even if it was none, I wrote that down
- How I was feeling
- What I did in that week that had nothing to do with the pregnancy (a really great way to ensure you are still living life!)
- Workouts or exercises and how I felt during and after
- A little recap after each trimester on my overall experience during that trimester
2. Baby Pics App
This is the baby pic app of all apps! And also a great overall pregnancy tracker app. In this pregnancy app, you can create pictures and collages and add those cute little pieces of artwork on top. It’s been super convenient for actually keeping track of dates as well. When you look back you will think “OH, November 27th, I was 8 weeks pregnant, I will just know.” The reality is – you won’t!!
I started taking bump pics at week 8 and took them weekly after that. I found some inspiration on Pinterest from others, as I was wanting to keep images relatively consistent. I also used the collage portion to document key milestones, like first appointments and ultrasound pictures.
This is a paid for app. And the only paid for pregnancy photo tracking app I used. It was well worth it.
3. CineMama App
The CineMama app is just for fun. It has a few features, but the main feature I used it for was for uploading photos daily.
The app then puts it into a video and you can watch yourself grow! It is a cute and fun way to track the progress of your pregnancy and growth throughout all trimesters.
This app is entirely FREE.
4. What to Expect App
This is the best pregnancy tracking app I came across and I think probably one of the most popular apps. You input your due date and it gives you weekly updates about the size of the baby, what object the size compares to, symptoms you may experience, how the baby is changing, videos and advice amongst many other things!
This is an entirely FREE app. I did not find it overwhelming, I found it really, really helpful and real. They also have a website you will find yourself on quite often!
There are many tools you can use to track your pregnancy throughout all trimesters. I really set out to make it as simple as possible for me and to really ensure I wasn’t overwhelming or overloading myself with information. I used these 4 simple tools to track my pregnancy and they were great.