With the recent advancements in technology, it is becoming imperative to become tech-savvy and keep yourself digitally abreast with the world. Similarly, a pregnant woman can make use of the various apps meant for guiding them on various aspects of pregnancy. Some free or low-cost apps are now available to help you sail through your pregnancy with ease which we have enlisted in this article.
Mobile health (mHealth) interventions in India
Mobile phone apps have come a long way in terms of keeping pregnant women informed about ways to prevent anemia, reduce the chances of premature and low-weight births, postpartum depression, and even infant and maternal deaths. These apps have proved to be an effective means of communication for developing and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.
In a clinical study conducted in Pune, India among randomly selected pregnant women, the smartphone application, Together for Her (TFH) was introduced. The TFH app provided personalized health education, centered around different stages of pregnancy. Content was delivered through the app using videos, tips, and quizzes. This is a potential example of how smartphone applications can reduce the risk of adverse maternal health outcomes.
Usefulness of Mobile Applications during pregnancy
Mobile applications monitor various parameters of a pregnant woman, including tracking of meals and nutritional intake, weight gain, gestational diabetes, etc.
- Meal and nutrition intake: Monitoring your diet is one of the best ways to ensure that you are getting enough nutrients. Pregnancy diet apps are widely available and can assist in ensuring a healthy diet for both you and your unborn child!
- Weight gain: Optimum weight gain during pregnancy is important to obtain a favorable pregnancy outcome. There are apps that not only keep a check on your weight during the entire gestational period but also help you maintain an ideal weight through exercises. The number of calories burnt during each exercise or activity is reflected in the mobile application.
- Gestational diabetes: This is a fairly common problem in pregnant women which requires careful monitoring. Increased blood sugar can harm the developing fetus so it is important to use a blood sugar monitoring app that keeps a check on your sugar levels.
Mobile apps for pregnancy nutrition
Although there are several apps focusing on different aspects of pregnancy, the following list is specifically related to apps for pregnancy nutrition.
- Baby2Body– This app is free to download and caters to your changing nutritional needs during pregnancy. It even offers smart tips to help you make healthy choices, including easy-to-make, delicious recipes.
- CareClinic– This pregnancy diet app keeps track of all your meals and nutrition in one place. When you enter what you eat for every meal throughout the day, this app gives a count of the total nutrient intake. In case you are in a deficit, you can make up for it during your next meal.
- Mealime– This is among the easiest apps to use for personalized diet plans. With the help of this app, you can create personalized diet plans that also eliminate the foods you dislike. This is the app to use if you’re truly searching for professional diet plans.
- Pregnancy diet: Food & Recipes- Specifically tailored for iOS users, this app is a treasure trove of the best recipes available that can be readily customizable and easy to cook. The highlight of this app is that it tells you the benefits of each recipes.
- HealthifyMe: Calorie counter, Diet plans, Trainers- This app is excellent for finding diet plans during pregnancy. Although this platform has many features, the most noteworthy aspect is the individual touch that they put into everything. Joining this service entitles you to consultation from real experts, who give you practical, effective diet plans that have been thoroughly researched.
- Pregnancy diet– There are tons of delicious pregnancy recipes on this app, and the diet plans are really simple to stick to. This app also includes exercise schedules. Overall, this app is excellent for any pregnant woman because it emphasizes the importance of strength training and working out during pregnancy. This app is again only for iOS users.
- Pregnancy Weight Tracker Lite– Get Pregnancy Weight Tracker Lite if you want to keep an eye on your weight during your pregnancy. This lightweight and simple to install app helps you monitor your weight with built-in charts and reports. It must be noted that this application is solely focused on weight tracking.
Websites for pregnant women in urban settings
Apart from mobile applications, pregnant women can also access the following websites to gain in-depth knowledge on dietary guidelines in an urban setting.
- https://fortification.fssai.gov.in/assets/media_gallery/file/daily_recommendations_food_fortification.pdf
- https://nhm.gov.in/images/pdf/programmes/maternal-health/guidelines/National_Guidelines_for_Calcium_Supplementation_During_Pregnancy_and_Lactation.pdf
The most common reasons why pregnant women use mobile apps are to monitor fetal development, obtain information on nutrition, and antenatal care. By educating pregnant women about leading a healthy lifestyle, smartphone applications can effectively complement prenatal care and lower the risk of negative outcomes for the health of the mother. Installing a pregnancy nutrition app will not only give you more information about pregnancy and its cares but will also focus on eating right.
References:
1. Charlotte Dieteren, Subhanwita Sarkar, Sumiti Saharan, et al. Effects of a smartphone application on maternal health knowledge and dietary diversity among pregnant women in India: a randomized single center pilot study. Journal of Global Health Reports. https://www.joghr.org/article/39604-effects-of-a-smartphone-application-on-maternal-health-knowledge-and-dietary-diversity-among-pregnant-women-in-india-a-randomized-single-center-pilo.
2. Daily recommendations and food fortification. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). https://fortification.fssai.gov.in/assets/media_gallery/file/daily_recommendations_food_fortification.pdf.
3. National guidelines for calcium supplementation during pregnancy and lactation. National Health Mission. https://nhm.gov.in/images/pdf/programmes/maternal-health/guidelines/National_Guidelines_for_Calcium_Supplementation_During_Pregnancy_and_Lactation.pdf.
