Text Alerts for Baby Care

Tuesday at 2:04 p.m., I received the following text message: “Congratulations! You made it through your first trimester! Your risk of losing the baby is lower now, and nausea and tiredness may be getting better.”

I’m not expecting, but as a test I let Text4Baby think I am. The free text-messaging service is designed for expectant parents by Voxiva, a Washington-based health messaging business.

Here’s how it works. First you send a one-word text message consisting of the word BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511-411. Next, you get a prompt asking for your baby’s due date and your ZIP code. That’s all it takes. From now until a year after your due date, you’ll be carrying around your own personal pediatrician, reminding you to take your vitamins or to go for your ultrasound. My messages arrive midafternoon, and I’ve been getting them about three times per week.

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