The beauty of a Pocket PC lies in its versatility. You can use it to do everything from communicating wirelessly to finding your exact location anywhere in the world. There's a dazzling array of Pocket PC software available to help you do everything from tracking your expenses, learning a foreign language, viewing videos, and more. There's even software to help pregnant couples before, during and after the most exciting nine months of their lives.
Getting pregnant
There's an old saying about having a baby: "Getting there is half the fun." But for some couples, getting pregnant can be an exercise in frustration. Doctors can suggest a number of strategies to help, but one simple technique has stood the test of time. It helps to know when a woman is fertile--when she is ovulating.
PocketWoman by Mobile Systems (www.mobi-systems.com) helps track a woman's fertility. By keeping records of her basal temperature, menstruation cycles, and other data, PocketWoman can predict when she's likely to ovulate (Screen 1). Since conception is most likely to happen during this period, a couple will want to set aside dates around that time for a romantic dinner for two.
Screen 1: PocketWoman tracks basal temperature, menstruation cycles, and other data that can help predict when a woman is likely to ovulate.
Stay smart during pregnancy
Once pregnant, there will be a dozen questions a day. "What to eat?" "How much rest and sleep to get?" "Can a future mother have a glass of wine?"
A good reference for pregnancy can be found on the Audible Web site (www.audible.com).
Pregnancy for Dummies has advice on everything from choosing a doctor to charting baby's development. The Audible format is like a book on tape: it turns a Pocket PC into a mini tape deck, so you can listen to the book on the treadmill or in the car driving to the doctor's office. Just download the free player, run the setup program to install it on your Pocket PC, then download a book and you're ready to go.
Speaking of doctors, has yours prescribed any medication? If you're looking for information on what it does or the side effects it's likely to cause--crucial points during a pregnancy--point your browser to CollectiveMed.com for a copy of PDRDrugs (based on the 2002 edition of the Physician's Desk Reference). PDRDrugs is used by many healthcare professionals and is an excellent source for data on generic and over-the-counter drugs.
You'll find it here along with a number of other titles for your Pocket PC. If you're try-before-you-buy shoppers, you're in luck: most of these books have demos with free trials.
When's the big day?
One of the first questions you'll ask your doctor is when your baby is due. Here's where your Pocket PC can give him a run for his money--a quick search at Handango (www.handango.com) shows no less than five programs that help you predict the big day.
Among the best is DueDateCalc by GANDM Enterprises (duedatecalc@hotmail.com). This program calculates your baby's due date and current gestational age by comparing the last menstrual period to the conception or ultrasound date, a standard method used in most hospitals (Screen 2). It also gives you an estimate of your baby's fetal weight at each stage of the pregnancy.
Screen 2: DueDateCalc by GANDM Enterprises predicts your baby's due date using standard metrics approved by most doctors.
Bear in mind that none of these programs can match a trained physician for accuracy, but they'll put you in the ballpark and give you a head start on your doctor.
You know, you are what you eat
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