Yes, There’s an App for That

Today’s technology has apps for staying in touch with friends and family; monitoring weather; tracking exercise; keeping up on the latest news; and much more. Now, there’s a new app designed to help mothers-to-be keep a record of their pregnancies.

WebMD has developed a free app that’s highly interactive and vividly illustrated to guide women through pregnancy. Among its many features, it graphically illustrates the baby as he or she forms throughout each trimester. Imagine looking at an image of the baby at the earliest stages and learning that the tiny heart has already started beating. (Listen to the heartbeat of a baby at 6.5 weeks from conception.)

The diagrams of the app are very educational and show each stage of development week-by-week. Accompanied by fun facts, a mom-to-be can discover what’s taking place as this life grows inside her womb.

One of the neatest features is how personal the experience can be. Here are just a few of the highlights:

• A Symptom Tracker where mothers can log their symptoms, everything from nausea to strange dreams
• A “My Body” feature that tracks weight and blood pressure
• Reminders for appointments, checklists and a place to make notes for questions to ask the doctor
• Quizzes and tips to help educate on a wide range of pregnancy facts
• Custom Counters, including one to track the number of kicks in a session, as well as one to time contractions
• Specialized content for twin pregnancies is also available

This essentially creates a virtual journey of the pregnancy experience from conception to birth. In fact, one of the more novel suggestions is to create a “Baby Belly Slide Show” by taking a photo of the mother’s growing belly each week. Moms can also journal, allowing them to keep memories of the positive pregnancy test, first sonogram and celebrating at the baby shower. On a more serious note, this app can also aid doctors in assessing the health and wellbeing of both mother and child throughout the pregnancy.

According to WebMD, the app offers “hundreds of doctor-approved multimedia information and advice tailored to each week of pregnancy.” Therefore, the information is medically sound, reliable and factual. You can access more information about the app on the WebMD website. It is also available for free on the iPhone AppStore.

How can anyone defend abortion after experiencing this app? If all women were exposed to this life-affirming information, I can only believe that the likelihood of a woman choosing abortion would substantially decline. It clearly shows some of the earliest markers of life, most dramatically when the tiny heart first begins to beat. This can become yet another resource that we can use to help women see and fully appreciate the value of life.