Garmin today announced a new pregnancy tracking feature to give pregnant mothers a more complete picture of their health, making the GPS company's fitness wearable the first to offer native pregnancy tracking

The pregnancy tracking feature on the Garmin Connect platform (iOS and Android) allows users to record symptoms, track baby growth, blood sugar levels, and more alongside the already available health data dashboard Garmin will also provide nutrition and activity tips as the pregnancy progresses

Similar to the menstrual cycle tracking already in Garmin's app, recording symptoms with pregnancy tracking requires manually taking notes when you feel yourself and your baby moving You can record your symptoms in the app, or you can enter them from your wrist as daily reminders are sent to your Garmin smartwatch or fitness tracker

The Garmin Connect app provides a weekly summary of recorded symptoms, which may be helpful during a doctor's visit Activity nudges, on the other hand, are tailored to the state of pregnancy

When it comes time to deliver, the Garmin wearable will be able to track the frequency and duration of labor through the Contraction Timer Connect IQ app This interval timer can record the length and frequency of contractions from a watch

According to Garmin, its Venu, vivoactive, vivomove, Forerunner, and fenix lines all support pregnancy tracking This means that the best sports watches like the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music, Garmin fenix 6, and Garmin Venu Sq are suitable not only for outdoor activities, but also for tracking your belly during pregnancy

Garmin competes directly with Apple, Samsung, and Fitbit in the wearables market, but none of the other brands offer native pregnancy tracking Depending on compatibility, third-party pregnancy tracking apps such as HiMommy and PregLife could be used

Pregnancy tracking for Garmin Connect users is free and is currently being rolled out Pregnant (congratulations!) So, if you want a smartwatch that's a pregnancy guide and activity tracker all in one, check out Garmin's annual Black Friday deals for holiday discounts