Mumsnet Pregnancy App Feedback Thread

[RebeccaEMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the MN testers who are trying out our Mumsnet Pregnancy Tracker app.

There's no such thing as a textbook pregnancy - but the chances are, whatever you're going through, someone else has been through, too. Our free, week-by-week tracker app combines the medical facts with advice drawn from the real-life experiences of thousands of other mums to guide you all the way through your pregnancy - and beyond.

The app is available in iTunes here

The app is sponsored by Persil Non-bio and Comfort Pure, here’s what they have to say: "We are really excited to be partnering with the Mumsnet Pregnancy Tracker App, which gives mums to be all the wisdom they need ahead of their new arrival. Specially formulated for delicate skin, Persil Non-Bio and Comfort Pure are a favourite with parents as they help to care for and protect a baby’s sensitive skin, making this partnership a natural fit for us during this special time."

Testers - please share with us below:

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful? Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
What else would you like to see in the app?
How easy or difficult was it to use?
Any other comments?

All testers who take part and who add feedback as requested, will be entered into a prize draw where one tester will win a £300 John Lewis voucher. Don't forget to also add your review here

Thanks and good luck

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

[RebeccaEMumsnet]

This thread is now closed, the winner of the prize draw is passremarkable

[elkobadelko]

I didn't find that the app offered much not already offered by others, such as babycentre. It had an irritating feature which is that when viewed on my iPad I could only view it portrait style.
There wasn't really enough content to my taste, and I'd prefer to see more content without having to click so much.

[DrWhy]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?
The weekly information about how the baby is developing and what is happening to my body.
Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
Maybe - it's more basic than other apps available but does give you info for free throughout the duration of your pregnancy.
What else would you like to see in the app?
Daily rather than weekly information updates, medical advice - maybe link to the NHS site on guidelines about things like food, drink, exposure to chemicals, exercise etc. Hospital packing list. Baby essentials shopping list.
How easy is the app to use?
Fairly easy but you pretty quickly exhaust everything worth reading for a week.
Any other comments?
I find the random quotes fairly pointless, they take up a whole page and are just the option of one person not any real information. You can get a whole variety of quotes and opinions direct on the Mumsnet site!

[Jem01]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?
I really liked the info on how baby is developing and what I can expect to happen to baby (and me!) each week

Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
Hmmm, not sure. There are lots of apps already out there like this. On one hand I like that it easily links to the "talk" forums on mum's net, it's easy to navigate and is designed well but on the other I don't like seeing all those Persil ads. It's off putting!

What else would you like to see in the app?
More information eg foetus size I always like to see how this changes every week, plus every day pregnancy topics like common things women experience in 3rd trimester also some videos would be good too.

How easy or difficult was it to use?
Very easy to use, I love the design!

Any other comments?
Good design, more content can be included like foetus size

[PeppaPigStinks]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?

I like the weekly updates and the quotes from other mums to be.
I also liked that you could track your pregnancy as the circle completes.
I downloaded this and another common app. I use them both at the same time.

Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?

It's a useful information app. It depends what you want. I am on baby three so this was the perfect level for me. A useful reminder of what is happening and how I maybe feeling. Someone who is experiencing pregnancy for the first time might like more information.
I would recommend it.

What else would you like to see in the app?
Nothing. I didn't use the tracker for photos and my own comments.

How easy or difficult was it to use?
Any other comments?

It's really easy to use and very initiative. I liked the colours and the layout.

[Bringmewineandcake]

I really liked it - simple to use, nice bright pages. Little bits of friendly information rather than too detailed. I didn't notice a lot of health related posts, it's more of a hand holding app rather than informative. The advertising was a bit too in your face, perhaps this will be reduced when the app goes available properly.
I'd recommend it for other pregnant women because it's interesting, but it wouldn't replace other pregnancy apps for me. It'd be a fairly light hearted accompaniment.

[chellem1]

I found the weekly baby and body sections the most useful, but to be honest, it's not different to the weekly emails I'm sent by mumsnet and babycentre for those sections. I'm very aware that it's supported by certain brands, which detracts from the information it's providing, in my opinion.

The purple quote boxes I find very annoying as they have code appearing randomly on there (see attached), but that does disappear if you go on to read more of the quote.

Although easy to use, I wouldn't recommend it at the moment, no... I don't feel like it's ready. It feels like it needs tweaking first.

It would be brilliant if the chat boards were available within the app.

[Fourormore]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?
The weekly information and bump selfie.
Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
No - it's far more basic than other apps available. I didn't like the advertising.
What else would you like to see in the app?
Features available in other apps like baby names list, checklist for hospital bag, things you need for baby etc. Contraction timer.
How easy or difficult was it to use?
Relatively easy but a lot of swiping for relatively little information.
Any other comments?
I like the styling of it.

[emmabrown123]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?
I liked the weekly 'what's going on in there' update. Very interesting and informative.


Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
I might mention it to other Mums. I think choosing an app to track your pregnancy is a individual decision however and what works for some doesn't work for others.

What else would you like to see in the app?
Possibly more links to Mumsnet Talk Forums. Possibly some helpful lists - what to take in hospital bag, what to buy for baby etc.
Contraction tracker
Kick counter

How easy or difficult was it to use?
Reasonably easy but not always clear which way you needed to swipe to find more information.

Any other comments?
It's a good looking app but could have more elements to it to make it more useful. Currently doesn't do anything you can't get in other apps.

[Lilliana]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?
I liked the reminders and what was happening to baby and my body.

Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
Yes I liked the chunks of information - it made it easy to access. Maybe not the most comprehensive information but sometimes it's nice to have a quick overview and not masses of information to wade through.

What else would you like to see in the app?
How big the baby is.

How easy or difficult was it to use?
I'm clueless with apps but I managed to navigate it easily.

Any other comments?

[PinkFlufff]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?

I liked that the information was presented in small bite size pieces & not too comprehensive. Between the What To Expect When You're Expecting type books and other pregnancy apps the concise way the bare minimum is delivered on this app was actually a breath of fresh air, I do feel you can get a bit overloaded with advice and information in pregnancy and (for me) it got to a point where I was finding it all a bit daunting & anxiety inducing. There's still lots of great info and I didn't find it lacking really.

Also liked that it linked to a Mumsnet discussion on the topic you were reading about.

Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
Yes! For reasons stated above.

What else would you like to see in the app?
Nothing I can think of sorry.

How easy or difficult was it to use?
It was super easy to use. I'm good with technology but I gave it to my Mother to have a play with and she was able to navigate around and use it fine.

Any other comments?
I have a few apps on my phone and a couple of books but now at 38 weeks pregnant I find I'm just using the MN app for quick bursts of info.

[TallMumInManc]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?
It's great to have an app that is focused on UK advice. Lots of others available are of US origin, which means that the information about what's going on each week is not always relevant.

Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?

Probably. It's a straightforward app with links to useful, UK information. But I don't think there's enough in it at the moment to work as the only pregnancy app I would use.

What else would you like to see in the app?

I know a lot of people get fed up of seeing baby size compared to fruit and veg but these comparisons do give you an idea of where things are up to so it would be nice to have that included.

I use another pregnancy tracker app which allows me to keep track of medical appointments, my weight etc. It would be nice to have these features, which would make the app more personalised.

How easy or difficult was it to use?

The app is very easy to use.

Any other comments?

A good basic app for UK mums to access information at the relevant time but could be improved with the ability to keep track of information about your own pregnancy.

[JoMalones]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?
The informations about how my body is changing

Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
Probably not. IT isn't as informative as other apps I have used

What else would you like to see in the app?
More interactive, more links, baby names

How easy or difficult was it to use?
Very (although basic)

Any other comments?
Some advice is not accurate and therefore could be dangerous. too many adverts

[makingmiracles]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?
Ease of use, the ability to take and save bump pictures

Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
Yes, gives you a nice simple description of what's happening each week with your baby and your own body. The app is easy to download and easy to navigate with the added option of redirecting you to talk boards for various subjects. No due to problem with advice, see below.

What else would you like to see in the app?
Maybe references/links to evidence

How easy or difficult was it to use?
Very easy to navigate, very simple even for the least tech savvy


Any other comments?

The only bad thing I have to say about this is this week-37 for me, under the getting labour started category it suggested castor oil as an option, I was flabbergasted that such an app would suggest this given how incredibly dangerous it is for the baby, the app just says it could cause an upset stomach whereas it can actually make the baby pass meconium which the baby is then at risk of aspirating into its lungs.

For me this is a big issue and needs to be rectified Asap. No app should be giving dangerous advice to potentially clueless mums who may go ahead and try it on the basis of what the app said. Until this has been amended I would not recommend the app.

[lottegraham]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?

What was happening each week to the baby

Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?

No i didnt like all the ads on it and it was a bit all over the place. you have to swipe and move to different screens. if i came off the screen and wanted to go back to the same one i have no idea how i got to it.

What else would you like to see in the app?

more menus or buttons

How easy or difficult was it to use?

if you have good memory to get to were you want to, otherwise you just have to swipe all over the place

Any other comments?

it wasnt for me

[passremarkable]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?
i like the medical updates on Mum & Baby's physiology & anatomy. Links to chat threads also interesting

Would you recommend it to other parents?
Possibly, but I prefer the Emma's diary app from RCGP.

Why?
I found the interface a bit clunky. It's seems unnecessarily fussy with swiping to different screens. Less intuitive than most apps/websites. The RCGP Emma's Diary app has great medical info & is easier to use

What else would you like to see in the app?
I think with a better interface the Mumsnet app has the potential to be one of the best pregnancy apps on the market. It needs a more streamlined, less fussy design. The links to forum chats are a real plus.

How easy or difficult was it to use?
It was not the easiest to use.
Took me a few moments to figure out the swiping
Also found when I logged in after a few days I'd forgotten how to swipe through & had to play around a bit to get to where I wanted to be.
I think it's could be a lot more streamlined & intuitive.

Any other comments?*
no everything covered above

[OTheHugeManatee]

I downloaded it as I'm pregnant but found the content a bit thin and the whole app slightly pointless. User interface is reasonably smooth though.

Is it basically a vehicle for adverts?

[MsFiremanSam]

I like the layout of the app - easy to scroll between sections. The info on how baby is developing and your body was useful - although nothing you can't find easily online or on other apps.
The adverts are annoying and irrelevant.
I would like to see more 'mumsnet style' sections - personal anecdotes, witty comments, irreverent observations on pregnancy - otherwise it's no different to any other app.
At the moment I wouldn't particularly recommend it as there's nothing special or different about it.

[BadlyWrittenPoem]

Tester

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?
I didn't find it particularly useful. Possibly I might have in my first pregnancy but it wasn't very user friendly in terms of being intuitive or easy to browse.

Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
No because as above I didn't find it useful or user friendly.

What else would you like to see in the app?
I would like to see some kind of index pages to improve browsability. Perhaps a topic based and a number of weeks pregnant based index.

How easy or difficult was it to use?
I found it difficult to use and it took me a while to wrok out the features. I really wanted to look through multiple weeks and in particular check whether there was information on hyperemesis gravidarum early on but it was so difficult to browse that I didn't bother.

Any other comments?
The content I read was good but the ease of use lets the app down.

[OrangeBlossom2]

I liked the idea of a place to record a weekly bump selfie and message to new baby (though no chance of me having time for that - maybe first time?)

I like that there is a section on both mum and baby for each week and a cartoon picture of the baby. There are also sections on issues that might be relevant at that week e.g. Back ache/ monitoring movements.

I didn't like that it was difficult to navigate, not obvious how to see other sections/whether I had seen everything for that week. It seemed designed for a phone only, not an iPad, as it only worked in portrait not landscape layout. This made it awkward to hold. The text was very basic - nothing new or available elsewhere. Links to more detailed information would be useful.

The person advertising is quite prominent.

The quotes from mumsnet threads make it different from other pregnancy apps but aren't particularly valuable to me.

[Pduck]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?
Lots of useful information within the app, nice that it is British and not American, e.g. for scan dates
Would you recommend it to other parents? Why? Yes, it's one of the best informed pregnancy apps that I have tried
What else would you like to see in the app? Size of baby, more obvious this week baby is... page
How easy or difficult was it to use? There's a lot of information on the app which isn't always easy to navigate

[dramalamma]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?
None of it to be honest! I flicked through but couldn't find anything I wanted to read in more detail
Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
Probably not - it's too basic - maybe helpful for a first time mum but not if you've done it before.
What else would you like to see in the app?
More detail about what's happening this week and better pictures - they are too cartoony - also thing like your baby is the size of... Are helpful.
How easy or difficult was it to use?
It was fine - not very intuitive but ok once you've had a mess around with it
Any other comments?
Hate the adverts - baby centre doesn't seem as intrusive. Bump photos might be a good idea if you'd been using it from the beginning but I don't know if I'd use it - bites to baby is twee as anything! Also doesn't say how private it's going to be, can you get it out the app etc.

[rachaelsit]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful? Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
Only to a first time mum into reading weekly updates but not to second time mum.

The weekly info because it's nice to read. The bump photos because a record would be nice but I haven't actually used it.

What else would you like to see in the app?
Nothing

How easy or difficult was it to use?
I found it a pain to use and gave up often I never knew what I was pressing to get where and swipe up sometimes didn't seem to work. I am literate with apps and computers but this wasn't a user friendly app.

Any other comments?
The first message I saw at 19 weeks was "it's alive" totally put me off the app and I found it a poor choice of words.

[Liss85]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful?
I liked the content from other mums as this is something you don't get with other apps. I also like that it's UK based as most apps aren't.
Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
I probably wouldn't, just because it seems quite limited. There are more comprehensive free apps out there where you have a calendar and you can save dates as well as getting info and being able to save pics. Also, once you've read the couple of things that's it for another week.
What else would you like to see in the app?
Maybe daily updates. A calendar showing how many weeks you are and where you can save appointments etc. Maybe general info that isn't just based on the week.
How easy or difficult was it to use?
It was pretty easy to use.
Any other comments?

[AndOnAndOn]

What aspects of the Mumsnet Pregnancy app did you find most useful? Would you recommend it to other parents? Why?
The week by week guide to the baby's development is interesting. I would personally like more information on this, however I understand some people prefer smaller bite size pieces, so not a complaint- you can't please everyone all the time!

The content and language throughout are all a little non commital/flowery? for me, but I am one for facts and figures. This may be because of the content matter- people experience things at different times so it is all maybe and possibly. Just an observation.

Not sure I would recommend it, there are other more informative apps out there. It almost feels that this has been developed because it should be, rather than to provide any actual useful information.

What else would you like to see in the app?
A lot more detail on common questions or issues may be more useful, although I suspect the website/forum would be seen as the obvious link for this information

I had read through it in ten minutes, again some people may like this, but I was definitely hoping it would be an app that may answer questions rather than a nice to have source of not much information

Less advertising.

How easy or difficult was it to use?
Quite easy to use once I realised the format, although this could be because of lack of content.

Any other comments?
I really wanted to like this app as the forums have been a fountain of knowledge so far for me, on a wide range of subjects even before I was pregnant. Unfortunately I wasn't that taken with the app. There are a number of other free apps out there that do this better. I want more information if it is going to be my 'go to' place to resolve issues/queries/questions that I may have. This is a big surprise as before I was pregnant I was absolutely clueless about so much. Saying that this app currently doesn't have the content to inform me about anything that I wasn't already informed of says a lot! Or maybe I have just been researching more than I realised over the past five months.

Obviously this is a new venture and I really hope that it develops and becomes a more useful app- the rest of MN is so useful!!

Thank you