Tracking pregnancy with a counter app
How to use a day counter app to follow your pregnancy week-by-week, count down to your due date, and stay sane through the long middle months.
Pregnancy is roughly 280 days. Big medical apps are great at the clinical side — weeks, kicks, appointments — but a lot of parents-to-be also want something simpler. Just the number. Just today.
That’s what a counter app is for.
TL;DR
Set up two events: a count-up from your last menstrual period (LMP) so you can see “how far along” at a glance, and a countdown to your estimated due date. Add a widget. Optional: counters for milestones like the 12-week and 20-week scans.
Why a counter (in addition to a pregnancy app)
Pregnancy-specific apps are excellent for week-by-week development info, kick counters, and appointment reminders. But they’re also dense — opening one is a small commitment.
A counter is the glance: how far along you are, how many days to the due date, no opening required. It complements your main pregnancy app rather than replacing it.
Set up: the two core counters
1. Count-up from your LMP
In Day Counter, create a new event and set the start date to the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP). Switch the mode to “Count up from date.” Name it “Pregnancy.”
The number you see is the number of days since LMP. Divide by 7 to get your gestational week. Most weekly milestones are reported in this format.
2. Countdown to estimated due date
Get your EDD from your provider or calculate it as LMP + 280 days. Create a second event with that date and the default count-down mode. Name it “Due date.”
Now you have both: “I’m at day 142” and “127 days to go.” It’s the cleanest two-number summary of where you are.
Optional: milestone counters
These are nice to have, especially if you’re a planner:
- 12-week scan (end of first trimester)
- 20-week anatomy scan (mid-pregnancy)
- Glucose test (~24–28 weeks)
- Baby shower (whenever you’ve planned it)
- Maternity / paternity leave start
- Hospital bag ready by (~36 weeks)
Each one becomes a small “we’re getting there” marker.
Widgets: the secret ingredient
The big difference between a counter you use and a counter you ignore is whether it’s on your home screen. Add the medium Day Counter widget to your phone with the count-up “Pregnancy” event visible. Add another for the countdown to the due date.
For partners: share the event via the app’s sharing feature so you both see the same number.
A note on hard moments
Pregnancy isn’t always a straight line. Day Counter lets you delete or pause events without explanation. If a counter starts feeling heavy, change it, archive it, or remove it entirely — there’s no record of what it used to be.
Related
- How to track your sobriety with a counter app — same daily-glance principle.
- Live countdowns — see your due date alongside the rest of the year.
FAQ
My LMP is uncertain — what should I use? Use your provider’s adjusted EDD and work backwards (EDD − 280 days). Day Counter lets you edit the start date any time.
Can I share the counter with my partner? Yes — Day Counter supports shared events via iCloud or Drive sync. Both partners see the same live number on their phones.
What happens after the baby is born? Convert the event into a count-up from the birth date. Same setup — just a new milestone to celebrate every day.