Contraction Timer: MamaPulse
Contraction Timer: MamaPulse — Time contractions and watch for the 5-1-1 pattern
MamaPulse is a free one-tap contraction timer for late pregnancy and labor. Tap when a contraction starts, tap when it ends, and it tracks duration and the gap between contractions for you — including whether your pattern matches the 5-1-1 rule many care providers mention. It is a timing tool, not medical advice.
- Price
- Free
- Platforms
- iOS and Android
- Languages
- 10
- Age rating
- 4+
- Version
- 1.0
- Requires
- iOS 15.1 or later
Was that one 40 seconds or 90? Were they getting closer together?
Those two questions are nearly impossible to answer accurately by counting in your head while breathing through a contraction. A timer that just logs the tap removes the guessing, which is the one job this kind of app actually needs to do well.
What it is
Contraction Timer: MamaPulse is a free iOS and Android app for timing contractions in late pregnancy and labor. You tap once when a contraction starts and again when it ends, and the app logs the duration and the gap before the next one, showing average duration, average interval and a running total. It checks your recent pattern against the 5-1-1 rule — contractions about 5 minutes apart, lasting about 1 minute, for about 1 hour — a guideline some care providers use, and lets you share your full contraction log as text. MamaPulse works fully offline, needs no account, and is a timing and record-keeping tool, not medical advice.
Inside the app
What it looks like
Background
What is the 5-1-1 rule, and why time contractions at all?
Labor contractions are hard to judge by feel alone, especially as they intensify, which is why many care providers give expecting parents a concrete pattern to watch for rather than asking them to just sense when it's time. The 5-1-1 rule — contractions roughly 5 minutes apart, lasting roughly 1 minute each, for roughly 1 hour — is one common version of that guidance, though it is a general rule of thumb, not a universal medical standard, and a specific care provider's own instructions always take priority over it.
The 5-1-1 patterna commonly cited guideline
Contractions about 5 minutes apart, each lasting about 1 minute, sustained for about 1 hour, is a pattern some care providers describe as a general signal that labor has progressed to the point of heading to the hospital or calling a midwife. It is informational, not a diagnosis, and providers vary in the exact numbers they give.
Duration versus intervaltwo different measurements
Duration is how long a single contraction lasts, from when it starts to when it eases off. Interval (or frequency) is the gap from the start of one contraction to the start of the next. Both numbers matter to the 5-1-1 pattern, and they are easy to confuse without a timer logging them precisely.
Why tapping beats mental countingaccuracy under stress
Counting seconds in your head while breathing through a contraction, especially as they intensify, is unreliable — most people lose track of exact timing under that kind of physical stress. A timer that starts on a tap and stops on a tap removes that source of error from both duration and interval.
What a contraction timer cannot tell youit measures, it does not diagnose
A timer can only measure what you tap. It cannot sense whether a contraction is Braxton Hicks versus real labor, assess cervical dilation, or make any medical determination — those require a care provider's own assessment, sometimes in person.
How it works
How the app is used
There is nothing to set up. Open the app and the timer is ready; the pattern check and history build themselves from your taps.
Tap to start and stop each contraction
Tap once when a contraction begins and again when it ends. MamaPulse records the exact duration and the gap since the previous contraction, with no counting or guessing required, even late at night or under pressure.
Watch the pattern and averages build
See your average duration, average interval and total contractions logged at a glance, and a card that shows whether your recent contractions are following the 5-1-1 pattern, and for how long — labeled clearly as informational, not medical advice.
Review and share the history
Every contraction is logged in order with its start time and duration. Export the full log as text to send to a midwife, doula, doctor or birth partner, so whoever you call has the same numbers you do instead of a secondhand description.
What's inside
What the app does
1
One-tap timer
A large start/stop dial times each contraction as it happens, with no math, counting or typing required in the moment.
5-1-1
Pattern check
A card on the timer screen shows whether your recent contractions follow the 5-1-1 pattern and for how long. It is informational only, does not send notifications, and is never a diagnosis.
Hist
Full contraction history
Every contraction logged with its start time, duration and the gap before it, newest first. Delete a mistaken entry, or clear the whole log if you need to start over.
Share
Shareable log
Export your full contraction history as plain text to send to a midwife, doula, doctor or birth partner — useful for a phone call to the hospital or a handoff to whoever meets you there.
Off
Works fully offline
Timing contractions never depends on a signal, a server, or Wi-Fi, which matters in triage, a car, or anywhere reception is unreliable.
0
No account, no paywall
No sign-up wall before timing your first contraction, no in-app purchases, and no subscription — every feature described is free.
Fit
Who it's for — and who it isn't
A good fit if you
- Are in late pregnancy and want an accurate, simple way to time contractions at home
- Are a birth partner who wants an accurate, shareable record to read out to a midwife or L&D nurse
- Are a doula or birth worker who wants a fast, no-friction timer for the families you support
- Were told "call us when contractions are 5 minutes apart, lasting a minute, for an hour" and want the app to do that math
- Want something that works with no signal, since triage and parking garages often have none
Not the right tool if you
- Are looking for medical advice, a diagnosis of labor, or a prediction of when your baby will arrive — this app does none of these
- Have any concern about bleeding, reduced fetal movement, severe pain, your waters breaking, or contractions before 37 weeks — call your care provider or emergency number immediately regardless of what the timer shows
- Expect the app to replace specific instructions your own doctor or midwife has given you
- Want a full pregnancy-tracking app — MamaPulse is a contraction timer only, deliberately not a bloated all-in-one app
Safety and limits
Important — not medical advice
MamaPulse is a timing and record-keeping tool. It is not a medical device and not medical advice. It does not diagnose labor, assess your or your baby's condition, predict when your baby will arrive, or decide when you should go to the hospital.
The timer only measures the taps you make, so a missed or late tap changes the numbers, and the 5-1-1 pattern check is informational only — it is not a diagnosis and does not replace your care provider's own guidance. Always follow the specific instructions your doctor or midwife gave you, even if they differ from the general 5-1-1 guideline.
Call your doctor, midwife or hospital immediately — or your local emergency number in an emergency — regardless of what the timer shows if your waters break, you notice bleeding, your baby is moving less than usual, you have severe or constant pain, you have contractions before 37 weeks, or you are worried about anything at all. Every decision about your care stays with you and your care team.
Privacy
What leaves your device
Your contraction log is stored on your phone and is not uploaded to CoddyKit's servers or passed to any ad network. The app creates an anonymous account in the background, which you can delete anytime in Settings, and uses Google AdMob for a single banner ad and Firebase for sign-in, crash reports and analytics.
Full details are in the CoddyKit privacy policy.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What's a good app for timing labor contractions?
A contraction timer only needs to do one thing precisely: record duration and the gap between contractions from a simple tap, without asking you to count or do math mid-contraction. Contraction Timer: MamaPulse does exactly that, with a one-tap start/stop timer, running averages, a 5-1-1 pattern check, a full shareable history, and no account or internet connection required. It is completely free.
What is the 5-1-1 rule for contractions?
It is a commonly cited guideline — contractions about 5 minutes apart, lasting about 1 minute each, for about 1 hour — that some care providers use as a general signal that it may be time to head to the hospital or call a midwife. MamaPulse checks your recent contractions against this pattern and shows the result on the timer screen, but it is informational only and never a diagnosis; your own care provider's instructions always take priority.
Does MamaPulse tell me when to go to the hospital?
No. MamaPulse only times and logs what you tap — it does not diagnose labor, assess your condition, or make any medical decision. The 5-1-1 pattern card shows whether your logged contractions match a commonly cited pattern, as information, not instruction. Always follow the specific guidance your doctor or midwife gave you, and call them or your emergency number immediately with any concern, regardless of what the timer shows.
Does the app work without an internet connection?
Yes. Timing contractions, logging each one, and viewing your history and averages all work fully offline, since the app never depends on a signal, a server, or Wi-Fi to function. This matters in a hospital triage area, a car on the way there, or anywhere reception is unreliable.
Can I share my contraction log with my midwife or doctor?
Yes. You can export your full contraction history as plain text and send it to a midwife, doula, doctor or birth partner. This gives whoever you call or meet at the hospital the same precise numbers you have, instead of a secondhand description reconstructed from memory.
Is Contraction Timer: MamaPulse really free?
Yes, completely. There is no account required to start timing, no in-app purchases, and no subscription — every feature described, including the timer, pattern check, history and sharing, is free. The app shows a single AdMob banner ad on the timer screen and no full-screen ads.
How accurate is the contraction timer?
The timer calculates duration and interval the same way every time from the exact moments you tap start and stop, so a contraction at 2am is measured the same way as one at 2pm. Its accuracy depends entirely on tapping promptly — a missed or delayed tap will change the logged numbers for that contraction.
Do I need an account to use MamaPulse?
No. You can start timing contractions immediately with no sign-up wall. The app creates an anonymous account in the background for basic app functions, which you can delete at any time in Settings.
What should I do if I'm worried about something during labor?
Call your doctor, midwife or hospital immediately, or your local emergency number in an emergency, regardless of what the contraction timer shows. This applies especially if your waters break, you notice bleeding, your baby is moving less than usual, you have severe or constant pain, or you have contractions before 37 weeks. MamaPulse is a timing tool only and makes no medical determination about any of these situations.
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Know exactly how far apart your contractions really are
Free on iOS and Android — no account, no ads beyond one banner, and it works offline.
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Not a medical device. Does not diagnose or treat any condition.