Creating a Pregnancy Journal

Pregnancy is an amazing time in a woman's life. Recording down all your feelings can help you remember this time and may even make a great keepsake for your baby when he or she is born. So pick out a blank journal that fits your personality and get ready to write!

First decide on the tone and style of your pregnancy journal. You can choose to make it formal and structured, in which you record specific things each day or week of your pregnancy. Or you can make it informal like a diary, where you just write whenever you feel like it. Also consider the tone of your journal. Will you keep it just as a place where you can record all your feelings, good and bad? Will it be a place to vent your frustrations? Or would you like to address it to your baby-to-be and possibly give it to him or her when he or she is older?

Start off the first page with an account of how you found out you were pregnant. What was your reaction? Who was with you? Did you tell anyone right away? Next, include other people's reactions when you told them. How did you break the news? What were people's reactions? All this stuff is what you'll want to remember later on.

Whatever format you choose to go with, here are some ideas for things you may want to write about in your pregnancy journal. Each time you write, include how you're feeling. What pregnancy symptoms are you experiencing? Are you having any cravings or aversions toward certain foods? How is your energy?

You can also keep a list of the gifts your baby gets, and a list of possible names you're thinking of for the baby. Write about the plans you have for your baby's room, and you can even dedicate a few pages to a checklist of the things you'll need when the baby comes.

Write about your appointments with your ob/gyn or midwife. You can also write down any pregnancy-related questions or concerns you have so that you'll remember them at your next appointment. Record down pregnancy milestones such as the first time you hear the heartbeat, your first ultrasound, and the first time you feel the baby kick.

Write about your hopes and dreams for the baby. Do you think it will be a boy or girl? What do you think you'll be like as a mom?

If you're addressing the pregnancy journal to your baby, tell him or her about yourself. Tell some childhood stories about yourself. Write about your life right now and what's going on in it. Write about your personality and ambitions.

Finally, when you have your baby, write about the birth. How long did it take? Who was there? What were your feelings upon first meeting your baby? What does he or she look like? How is your recovery going?

Your journal doesn't have to end there. Write about your baby's first few days at home, and when your pregnancy journal is filled, you can start a baby journal.