pregnancy – Techthirsty

September 25, 2015September 26, 2015

Technology Turning Into A Mom’s Best Friend

Posted By: Mahak Sharma 0 Comment pregnancy, Pregnancy Tracker, technology

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Mom of two, Shilpi Gupta talks to us about how she used technology and made it a part of her life from pregnancy and child birth to bringing up her toddlers. Most connected women these days use technology as a means to know more about the precious nine months.

Technology has become a part of everyday lives. This is especially true for pregnancy and childbirth when the internet acts as a friend, guide, and to some extent a doctor.

These thoughts took centerstage during my pregnancy days. If it was not for niche apps along with the plethora of information available on the Internet, I may not have sailed through those joyous yet testing times.

Apps like Pregnancy Tracker, My Pregnancy Today and What to Expect gave me daily tips on what to eat, what to do, what not to do. They opened me up to all stages of pregnancy at every step of the way. They suggest our daily exercise routine, foods to eat and everything about and how the body will change in months to come.

Advice on common pregnancy issues are easy to locate with these apps. Household cures provided for problems of morning sickness, swelling in the feet or how to prevent acidity. Interestingly, most of the apps are reliable and share relevant information. They help users to take wise decisions for a safe delivery and healthy baby.

As women get busy with their lives and have little time to seek help, technology comes as a rescue. After I gave birth to my little one, my partner and me were anxious as to how we will raise him. There was immense curiosity about breastfeeding, vaccination and health of the baby. Again, I took shelter under a series of apps which helped me set reminders and provided useful tips.

I joined groups like breastfeeding support and babywearing on Facebook. This gave me a chance to speak to other expectant mothers. Shopping also becomes easy with the online shopping options available. Now that my little baby boy has grown up, I shop for all his needs from clothes and games to school paraphernalia from e-commerce websites.

Everything is simply a click away and the world has become a digital oyster.

(As told to Sonam Malik)… Read the rest

Top 5 pregnancy women to guide women through this special phase

Women In Tech

August 7, 2015August 7, 2015

Top 5 Pregnancy Apps To Guide Women Through Their Special Phase

Posted By: Dipanita Bhowmick 0 Comment android, Baby Bump, iOS, pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful stages in any woman’s life. Yet, at times, it can be nerve wrecking. Though midwives and doctors are always there to lend helping hands to the expecting mother, using some smartphone apps can also come handy.

Baby Bump Pregnancy Pro

Compatible with both iOS and Android, this app comprises of social network, pregnacy tracker and toolkit in a single pack. By using this app,expecting mothers can see a complete daily as well as weekly calender illustrating the growth of the fetus regularly. The kick tracker feature helps in regulating the activity of the baby while the journal records the thoughts, symptoms or mood swings of the mother. Sharing the experiences is also easy with the social network feature. Expecting mothers can also get hold of different photographs, generate baby names or buy different useful products online.

iPregnant

Women looking for pregnancy app compatible with iOS compatibility can opt for iPregnant. This app provides a complete package of information, tools along with journal functions so that expecting mothers can easily track their symptoms as well as growth of the fetus. It also comes with a baby name generator to ease the task of name selection and the community forum feature is also quite impressive. The best part is, the app comes for free.

WebMD Pregnancy

There is no denying the fact that WebMD has enjoyed the trust of people for quite long and the WebMD Pregnancy app is compatible with iOS. The app is enriched with information on different topics related to pregnancy, like pregnancy planning, checklists for packing and weekly updates. It also gives idea on what women should ask during medical appointments. Like most of the other app, it also has contraction and kick tracker, pregnancy journal etc.

Pregnancy ++

Compatible with both iOS and Android, this app offers a gorgeous yet easy to use interface. The app is a complete package of different useful information like appointment logs, weight logs, pregnancy timeline, daily journal, contraction and kick timer as well as packing guide.

Sprout Pregnancy

Download this app for two weeks trial on any iOS or Android platform and get access to features like appointment tracker, contraction timer, kick tracker and packing list. Though this app does not offer any community forums or online platform to share experiences, this is a good choice for women who needs easy to navigate app with basic features. … Read the rest

Women In Tech

August 30, 2012December 19, 2012

How A Classic App- iPeriod Keep Your Period and Pregnancy Worries At Bay!

Posted By: Sonalee Singh 0 Comment App, iPeriod, Period, pregnancy

Recently I got a panic call from a friend. She had missed her periods. I listened to her paranoid voice for a while and had a sudden urge of asking her the most common question. “When did you last sleep with him? But I stopped. I didn’t want to intervene her intimate space. I fought the feeling of asking her about the contraceptive solution she is using, mostly because I didn’t want to worry her with a set of alarming questions. So, I pulled out my arsenal of apps and scurried through them in my will to find the app called iPeriod- which for years has kept a tab of my menstrual cycle and has helped me kept me aware of my ovulating days.

I asked her about the date of her last periods and quickly added the first and last date of periods. The app gave me an interesting and colorful calendar view in which I added a few more details about the flow levels (Light, Medium, Heavy) and about the nasty cramps (none, mild, severe).

The calendar showed me her period days in peachy pink shades and her fertile days in lime green shade suggestive of ovulation. I took a deep breath and finally shot the question at her. “Did you sleep with him in these days (her fertile days)?”

She took her time to recollect the date and to my relief the date was well ahead of her ovulating period. I put her at ease and told her to give her periods some time, assuring her that they will come. I disconnected the call and a smile bore on my face looking at the comprehensive and detailed period calculator of iPeriod.

iPeriod did not only unburdened my friend of all the mental baggage , but for years now, it has kept my hubby and me at peace. I have set the app in my email alerts so that it constantly reminds me of my expected period date; is it on time or getting delayed. I have also set the length of my luteal phase with the help of user friendly calendar icons and have added a number of cycles to calculate the average.

For some the iPeriod calendar view may not work but I actually keep my sunny side up when looking at the things in life. For me the gay and vivid calendar works hands down as it provides a lot of information at a glance.

iPeriod is a great way of knowing what is going on in your body and as a women it is a must have in your bag and in your phone.… Read the rest

CODING: An Ocean Of Opportunities For Women

October 17, 2017 Mahima Sharma Comments Off

Some years back, knowing how to operate a computer was enough. Technology as it stands today has become the epicentre of all subjects. For the purpose of study, work, manufacturing, medicine or more, technology has become an integral part. Products and services surrounding technology have become mainstream and tech companies have become the industry giants. But something is amiss. Despite the fact that women are consuming massive amount of internet time these days, they aren’t contributing enough to create the same online space. Young girls shy away from coding because it is assumed to be a male-dominated sphere.

Why not think the other way round? Why not make-a-mark in a space that’s unexplored? Scientific facts prove that women are more creative and productive when it comes to mental labour. We did some research and brainstorming with a few eminent people from across the world of coding to find out “Why coding is an ocean of opportunities for women”.

1. Coding = New Literacy, Global Language

995 million native Mandarin speakers, 405 million Spanish worldwide and 360 million English speakers – all stand united by one language…the language of technology. Backbone of the world that finds driving every facet of our life. Smartphones, TV, cars and for that matter even this article that you are reading needed a bit of coding. In short, coding means a creative solution to all our technical needs.

Garima Jain, Senior Android Engineer, Fueled, New Delhi takes joy in informing, “I was always fascinated by what computers could do. It’s beautiful how a few lines of alphabets, backed by a software, can accomplish anything we want. With coding we can experience, build anything which would otherwise be really tough if we try to achieve the same in any other domain.” (sic)

2. Massive Job Opportunities

The Oxford Martin Institute’s ‘The Future of Employment’ study reveals that 47% percent of jobs which exist today will succumb to machines in the decade. So why not harness an understanding of code and technology, along with upgrading creative skills to build a safe career? Tech jobs have seen a steady rise in the last decade, since coding is required in every field…be it art, medicine, science or education. Non-technical jobs have not experienced the same meteoric rise.

Amit Garg, Director, Devoir Technologies asserts, “Coding is a profession which not only gives girls the desired independence, but also a safe career option. You can even continue from home if you are on a sabbatical for maternity or any other reason. Also, as an IT entrepreneur, who deals with coders on daily basis, I have found that women coders have more concentration and stability.”

Samantha Neil, a web-coder from the USA says, “If you think logically then coding is just the right space for you. Coding means change and this change drives technology, which in-turn drives the world. Every passing year most of us buy a new smartphone because technology is evolving. This evolution needs better codes, more coders. So the career graph moves only upwards.” Unlike Garima, who is an engineer, Samantha learnt coding online sitting at home after her first child. Today she works from home, drawing a better pay-cheque than her husband.

3. Boosts Entrepreneurial Prospects

A majority of new start-ups are being set-up by professionals who are coders. Because they can get there faster without anyone’s help. Saves both time and money, even if you need assistance at a higher level.

Nilesh Ukey, Director Operations, Nickelfox, New Delhi informs, “With time, more women are turning entrepreneurs and creating amazing products which keep pushing-up the limits of innovation. And this generates a need to know how to code since coding skills come handy to launch innovations into the world.” Ukey and his team worked with an all-women team to develop the Lily App. It is a ‘Perception & Empathy Engine’ based app that lets women users find and purchase clothes that fit their body type, all from inside a chatroom. Today it is listed in the Forbes Magazine. So imagine how high the entrepreneurial prospects for women are.”

4. Coding: NOT A Boys-Only Zone, NOT TOUGH

Neither is it a boy-only zone, nor is it tough to learn. Garima is happy to inform, “In my journey of 4 years in technology, I have only met great co-workers. Gender bias might be prevalent at some places, but then not every company is the same. Think beyond the box and you can definitely find a company which will help shape your career in the right way.”

Talking from the “tough career option” point of view, Nilesh Ukey, who is also an IIT engineer, asserts, “The stigma, that acquiring coding skill has a huge learning curve, is a myth. One needs to starts from the basics of OOP (Oriented Programming). Believe me only that is needed to work up the coding skill ladder. Knowing design patterns would be cherry on the cake. Once those are in place, choose any language with excites you and start building your career on it.” (sic)

And if you still think coding is tough then you are surely unaware that most of the programmers these days write in high-level languages like Python (a computer programming language). It is easier than the algorithm classes you attended in Class 12. The hard work goes in learning Syntax, which are the rules of a programming language. But then isn’t some hard work required in every career option?

5. Coding is the IN-THING!

Once you learn how to code, it’s absolute fun and helps you to express in multi-million creative ways. Go as far as you can imagine. Design games, make smartphone apps, create blogs… in short churn the wildest of idea you have, into reality!

Nilesh advocates, “Even basic knowledge of coding is enough to sail through many online tools available to create amazing pilot projects.”

6. Women Have the Edge

It is widely recognised that women are a largely untapped market in technology, whether product-development or product-creation. This new wave of opportunity can be harnessed successfully by a woman since she better understands the requirements of her counterparts.

Garima Jain gives the parting shot, “If you have come so far reading this, then it is the best career for you like me! Also, there is no age or time to start how to code. Start now. I would love to see more women join me in coding world.

Amit Garg seconds Garima and wraps up urging, “I recommend coding to women. Dream big since technology from here will only go upwards. As we say ‘Sky is the Limit’…so leap to the horizon!”

Mahima Sharma, Columnist TechThirsty

Author is former News Editor CNN-News18 & ANI (a collaboration with Reuters)

Are you a technology professional who loves her job? Write to us and share your story to editorial@techthirsty.com.

… Read the rest

How Many Women Have Posted #MeToo On Your Timeline?

Financial technology company CommonBond is launching a ‘Women in Tech’ week in New York City on 10 October, 2017 to celebrate women who take up technology-based job roles. The idea is to “encourage women to pursue technology careers”. According to the National Centre for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT), 26% of the computing jobs available in the US in 2016, were held by women. About 20% women held Fortune 100 Chief Information Officer (CIO) positions at the same time.

Clearly, a lot needs to be done if we want to have more women in the technological workspace. CommonBond is taking one step towards that goal with the Women in Tech Week, which will be on till October 15. They will recognize the contributions of women in technology and create ways to provide support to create a generation of women leaders in technology.

Speaking of the event, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “Women in Tech Week will ensure attendees can access valuable information to help advance their careers while also encouraging the next generation of women leaders to pursue careers in the industry.”

women in technology

The Women in Tech Week is structured with three key elements.

1. Whitepaper on what women want in the tech workplace

A survey of more than 600 women working in tech roles was conducted. The aim of this survey was to identify how companies can attract and retain women in their workplace. The research found that for technology-based companies to attract more women, they need to have more women in leadership roles, enable long-term career planning processes, provide appropriate training and offer more opportunities for professional growth.

2. Create social media campaign to create future women leaders

CommonBond partnered with Girls Who Code to help fund the next generation of women technologists. The fintech company is running a competition on the Girls Who Code social media pages with the hashtag #2017WITW. Proceeds generated as a result of these social media posts will be used to provide scholarships to school girls who want pursue a career in technology.

3. Hosting a female founders event

The aim of this event would be to encourage women in tech. This would be conducted on 10 October, which is Ada Lovelace Day. This holiday celebrates the achievements of women in STEM. Women who have founded tech-based companies would share their stories with students and professionals.