A few weeks ago, I was asked to take a look at a new pregnancy week by week app that has been released; Bonzun. The app was created by the Swedish entrepreneur Bonnie Roupé, who has first hand experience of health issues during pregnancy, having suffered from pre-eclampsia herself with her first child.
I was rather skeptical at first, as I really didn’t think it was possible to put in an app all the information that mums would want during pregnancy without giving us all a headache. Clearly, that is something that we really don’t want to have to contend with when we are already trying to grow another human.
Here is what we thought of it all…
What is Bonzun?
This is a new free pregnancy app that is designed to help mums to ease their worries about some of the symptoms they might suffer during pregnancy, as well as provide a way for finding out all that information we just love to know about the little life developing inside of us.
There is nothing more rewarding than trying to find out what size our baby is, when compared to our fruit bowl, right?
I can guarantee if you don’t want to know now, you very soon will – just wait until the “little” one gets to be the size of a melon ;-)
Joking aside, the app offers the following for mums to be:
- Information on each week of pregnancy,
- A symptom checker, using an outline of the body to choose pinpoint what ails you,
- Somewhere to store the movements of your baby so you can keep counting the kicks and help reduce the risk of stillbirth, and
- A tool for sharing the growth of your baby, and how you might be feeling with partners and family members.
Key information provided for you within the app include:
- Week by week pregnancy progress bar,
- Foetal picture,
- Weight of the foetus,
- Summary of the foetus development,
- Detailed information on the baby, and your body, which is summarised initially, but can be expanded as required, and
- Expandable section covering common pregnancy related symptoms within the specific week of pregnancy.
The base of the app includes a standard navigation bar which enables you to move through the key areas of the app; from the symptom checker, and your account information, to the home screen where the information for that week of pregnancy is given.
What did we think of Bonzun?
The app is great value – it is free after all – and is easy to register with, though there was some difficulty doing so using an email address as the confirmation code didn’t seem to arrive. However, there is an alternative system, using SMS, which worked fine. Support have been quick to investigate this, and I imagine it will be fixed soon. It didn’t seem to be a regular problem; so may just have been email security settings.
The week by week pregnancy information provided is succinct, and accurate. Most importantly the app has been endorsed by both the World Health Organisation and Unicef.
For the layman, like myself, this means that we can be happy that the information within the app is correct and helpful. This is critical when you are dealing with something as delicate as pregnancy and the possible complications that can arise. In addition, the app is quick to point out during use if there are any issues where doctors should be consulted…
The information provided is not too sensationalist though, and this was one concern I had before reviewing the app; that using it would worry rather than reassure. However, the app provides advice, and information rather than creating additional worry with the details it offers. Pregnancy is a complicated business, and it helps to know that swollen ankles, or joint pain are pretty normal and not a reason to go rushing to the doctors.
The symptom checker is easy to navigate, and if you are worried about anything specific, you can just click on the relevant part of the body to explore relevant symptoms.
Adding baby movement to the app is also a simple process:
It is very intuitive, and provides a clear visual representation that is easy for us all to understand. Adding tests results are just as simple to manage.
Overall 8/10
This is a great way to follow your pregnancy week by week, and a sign of modern times! Why read a book when you can get it all in an app, that you can so easily share, just using a simple code, with your family and friends?
The information is easy to access, clear and helpful. If I had had this while I was pregnant, I know it would have eased some of the concerns I had each week, particularly within the first few weeks when the baby is more vulnerable. We are, after all, a little on edge during that vital first trimester.
The app has a few editing errors that need ironing out in some sections, but this shouldn’t make you worried that the details aren’t correct; those prestigious endorsements help to reassure.
Overall, I would recommend downloading this, and sharing with family and friends during pregnancy, both to reassure yourself, and to help share the experience with them. In particular, I think it offers a great way for partners to understand what pregnancy really throws at their wives. Hopefully helping them to be a little more prepared when we hit that due date ;-). I would have loved to have had this available for both of my children, particularly when they add in the ability to access medical advice. This is currently unavailable within the app, but is expected to be added soon.
Bonzun is available for free both on iOS and Android.
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This is a sponsored review, but all opinions are honest and our own.
Helen
Helen is a mum to two, social media consultant, and website editor; and this site is (we think) the only Social Enterprise parenting magazine!Since giving up being a business analyst when juggling travel, work and kids proved too complicated, she founded KiddyCharts so she could be with her kids, and use those grey cells at the same time.KiddyCharts has reach of over 1.1million across social and the site. The blog works with big family brands (including travel) to help promote their services, as well as offering free resources to parents of kids under 10.It gives 51%+ profits to Reverence for Life, who fund a number of important initiatives in Africa, including bringing running water and basic equipment to a school in Tanzania.Helen has worked as a digital marketing consultant (IDM qualified) with various organisations, including Channel Mum, Truprint, Talk to Mums, and Micro Scooters. She loves to be creative in the brand campaigns she works on.Get in touch TODAY!