How to Fix the Futility of Pregnancy Googling

What to expect when you’re expecting with an app

My life is built around apps. I have an app for walking, sleeping, podcasts, finances, barre class. I used to have an app for tracking my menstrual cycle — an app whose precision I overestimated. When that app alerted me that my period was two days late, I purchased the first of four pregnancy tests. When I saw the positive sign on my third test, I cried. The fourth one confirmed it.

I want children. I just hadn’t wanted them yet. A few more months, maybe. Time to work on my dissertation. Time to take more hot yoga at the studio where I just started teaching. Time to, time to, time to. I’ve been waiting a few more months for my entire adult life. No time like the present, etc. But still, I cried at the shock.

And then I began to worry about the fact that I’d already been pregnant for a few weeks. I’d been drinking. I’d taken Ativan on a flight. I went in a hot tub. I didn’t even know I shouldn’t be in a hot tub until I started my deep dive into pregnancy Googling. As with almost any medical Googling, pregnancy Googling is a dangerous and, often, futile pursuit.

Can I eat almonds?

Drink almond milk?