I'm having a baby! Your help required...

My wife and I are in the process of enhancing our existence with a joint-augmented new reality paradigm. i.e. We’re having a baby.

More accurately, she’s having the baby. I’m bravely standing by, dutifully watching the awful baby programmes on television where possible and getting ready to attend the upcoming baby birthing classes.

I think it suits us both for her to select, choose, configure and manage everything until she feels my input is required. So for the most part, up until now, most decisions have been down to her, with me offering opinions where required.

Friends of mine (pre and current dads) are making make what I consider to be a courageous* move by demanding (for example) they purchase an all-terrain mountain-capable monster pushchair instead of the standard ones generally approved by Mother & Baby magazines across the world. I’m sure that sort of thing doesn’t go down well any the lady who’s set her heart on a Mamas’n’Papas or a Bugaboo.

We’ve actually got the pram already. Two weeks ago I woke up one morning to find that the brand, style and colour was decided. I approved. To be honest I can’t ever see myself disapproving of her taste or decisions — that’s why I married her in the first place.

The pregnancy has, thankfully, been pretty straight forward — he says, writing with both hands glued to the wood of the desk. We’re due on the 25th of May so there’s a good few weeks yet. But it’s coming soon.

It’s on the horizon.

I haven’t bothered you, dear reader, with this news beyond an occasional reference up until now. That’s not about to change, however I felt it was necessary to make a statement on the subject because there is a mobile angle — this is principally where I need your help.

The due date is something like 10 weeks out so this evening yet I found it necessary to properly configure and assure my N86 handset was in good working order. That, you see, is the handset I plan to have on my person for decent photos. The iPhone 3G doesn’t cut it. Indeed no other handset cuts it. If you want a decent mobile phone camera, you have to go Nokia. Agree?

So I’ve got the handset ready, as well as my other usual devices.

My wife spotted a rather handy iPhone app to use for measuring contractions (or “birthing waves”) which looked pretty nifty. Although I can’t help but wonder how she’d react if I actually did whip out the iPhone every few minutes to press buttons. I wonder if — in the heat of the moment — that sort of thing becomes rather irrelevant.

So here’s where I really need some help.

I’m looking for your mobile-related suggestions for run up to the birth, during the birth and beyond. Have you tried any apps, services, products and what-not that were really helpful?

I’m definitely considering the obligatory ‘it’s a boy/girl’ Touchnote mobile postcards.

I’m wondering as to the possibility of some kind of SMS group chat for my the immediate family for updates. I can imagine sending out frequent multi-addressee texts might get a little bit annoying.

I will use the super-super-secret-mobile-service that I’m testing to connect my relatives via audio (more on that soon).

I’m wondering whether to buy a battery pack for the iPhone — you know the type that turns it’s normal sleek appearance into a ‘Brick’ phone from yesteryear? I do have a nagging worry that batteries will go flat, especially if the whole procedure requires me to exit to hospital quickly with the wife without having given the handsets a full charge.

What apps, services, products and devices have you used or do you recommend for this period?

To help with context, we’re having a hospital birth, all things being equal. And we don’t know the sex.

I’d very much appreciate your perspective.

Feel free to comment below or, if you prefer, drop me a note by email.

* I put that in for The Blandford and anyone else who likes Yes (Prime) Minister