Creative Pregnancy Journal Ideas and Prompts for your DIY Project
Women go through a rollercoaster of emotions during pregnancy. And there is no better way than journaling your thoughts and emotions to relieve stress during pregnancy. For that reason, we have compiled pregnancy journal ideas and prompts to get you started.
From finding out you are pregnant, to announcing your pregnancy, to coping with morning sickness, to even the stress of deciding on baby names, pregnancy can be emotional and overwhelming. In addition to the hormonal changes your body is going through, there is pressure to get everything ready before the baby’s arrival. It can take a toll on physical and mental health throughout nine-month and beyond.
Writing down your thought and emotions in a pregnancy journal is a great way to relieve stress during those nine months. Not only is journaling therapeutic, but it also makes an excellent keepsake that you can pass on to your kids when they are grown up.
This article shares creative pregnancy journal ideas and pregnancy journal prompts to get you started journaling the pregnancy journey that you will cherish.
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How to Start a Pregnancy Journal?
There are many ways you can start a pregnancy journal. If you are a creative person, a DIY pregnancy journal is the way to go. And if you are not -so-creative kind, there are plenty of choices available for you, from a ready-to-use pregnancy journal with prompts to the all-in-on printable Pregnancy Planner/Journal.
If you are into a DIY pregnancy journal, here is what you need to decide on to start a pregnancy journal.
Decide on Digital vs. Traditional Journal
We live in a digital era, and if you are a computer person, google doc is the way to go. The benefit of the digital journal is that it can be with you wherever you go, and you can share it with your parents if they live far away.
I am very fond of traditional notebook or scrapbook to express my thoughts and emotions because eventually, I will pass it to my baby and keep it in her baby memory box. You can write your journal story-like and leave some cute notes for your baby as you progress in your pregnancy. I like the idea of handwritten love notes for my babies before they were born.
If you want a picture pregnancy book and don’t want the trouble of a DIY pregnancy journal, I highly recommend Mixbook. Mixbook lets you easily upload and customize pregnancy books, add a caption, and drag and drop feature onto the page. It has a template that makes life easy to store your memorable moments like your first ultrasound, pregnancy cravings, nursery prep, weekly milestones, and the baby shower.
Decide on Layout
If you have decided on a DIY pregnancy journal, you need to plan it out before you start writing. First, select the sections of your journal. Divide your journal based on trimesters and color code them. Further, divide each section weekly or monthly based on how much detail you want to document your journey. You also want to decide whether you want lots of belly pictures to go in your journal or only want pregnancy milestone photos; accordingly, you can allocate space in your journal when sectioning it into three trimesters.
Get the Supplies
Depending on your theme, you can get as creative as you want. Here is a general list of supplies you need for a DIY pregnancy journal.
- Medium-sized blank journal or dot Grid hardcover Notebook
- Scrapbook pocket
- Colored Pen
- Colored Pencils
- Markers
- Colored/patterned tap
- Glue
- Pregnancy Stickers
- Scrapbook divider
Start Journaling
The hardest part of journaling is starting.
But trust me… JUST. DO. IT.
You need to develop a writing routine. You may find it hard to find a time in a day to write when you are pregnant but get yourself in the routine of writing before you go to bed or first thing in the morning. Allocate 10-15 minutes each day to document your thoughts and emotions. Keep your pregnancy journal on the nightstand so you can document each day before going to bed.
Also, you don’t have to be a writer to start a pregnancy journal. You can write whatever you are feeling on a particular day. Even starting with just a few lines or few minutes a day adds up. Once you get into the habit of writing, words are going to pour on their own. You have to get on a habit of writing each day.
And also, don’t judge your writing. It isn’t for publishing. PERIOD.
Even when you have nothing to write, attach photos to the pregnancy journal, use stickers, and let your creativity flow to make your journal memorable.
18 DIY Pregnancy Journal Ideas
You can write anything you want in your pregnancy journal. Here are some of the DIY pregnancy journal ideas to consider.
Start with Pregnancy Milestone Page
There are many ‘firsts’ during pregnancy and you are not going to remember the date of it in the near future. Whether it is the first time you took a pregnancy test, or when you announce your pregnancy to your family, or first ultrasound, or the first time you felt baby’s kick or the first outfit you bought for your baby, you need to write down the dates.
Include lots of Photos
Including photos in your pregnancy journal is a great way to capture and remember special moments. Pictures provide a visual element to a pregnancy journal that you will love to revisit with your partner or your kids when they are older. Here are some of the ideas for including photos in your pregnancy journal.
First positive pregnancy test picture
Whether it is a planned or accidental pregnancy, you want to capture the picture of your first positive pregnancy test and include it in your pregnancy journal. Every woman has a unique story of how they found out they were pregnant. In addition to attaching the photo of a positive pregnancy test, you want to write down how you found out, how you felt, where you were, and your partner’s reaction.
You can also include a photo of you and your partner to relive these moments later.
First Ultrasound picture
No pregnancy journal is complete without the first ultrasound picture of the baby. Date the ultrasound picture and glue it in your pregnancy journal.
Pregnancy Photoshoot Picture
You want to include a photo from your maternity photoshoot and have it at the beginning of your pregnancy journal.
Weekly Belly Picture
To make a pregnancy journal visually appealing, include a weekly belly picture. While it adds life to your pregnancy journal, it is a huge commitment. I couldn’t keep up with taking weekly belly pictures for my journal and ended up with an inconsistent (but still pretty!) pregnancy journal.
If you don’t want to do a weekly belly picture, you can go for a monthly belly picture and glue it in your journal. To make the belly picture more fun, get a belly sticker like this one or this one to make it more appealing to look at later.
One thing that made my journaling life simple was the use of Polaroid camera. It prints the picture automatically and instantly when you are in need. Taking photos on a cell phone and getting them printed professionally takes a considerable effort and who has the energy to do it all when you are pregnant.
Baby Shower Picture
One of the biggest celebrations to honor the mom-to-be is a baby shower. So, you want to capture those moments and include them in your pregnancy journal. You can attach a photo of your baby shower and detail your thoughts and memories and make a note of the game played and what was on the menu.
Baby’s first Picture + Details
After nine months of hard work growing the baby in your belly, finally, the time comes when the baby arrives, and you want to include every single detail of the baby’s birth along with the baby’s picture in your pregnancy journal.
Write down the date and time of birth, height and weight, place of birth, and attach the baby’s picture. You can also glue any physical item such as a baby’s wrist name tag, baby’s hospital hat to make a pregnancy journal priceless when you revisit it a decade later. Also, write down your birth story as detailed as you can while it is still fresh because often it is forgotten within a couple of months as you get busy caring for a newborn.
Record your Cravings and Aversions
Pregnancy cause havoc in your body. Midnight ice cream cravings and a jar of pickles for breakfast are common cliché during pregnancy. Did I mention food aversions? You might develop a sudden hatred toward the foods that you used to love. All your food cravings and aversions need to go in your pregnancy journal because you will be surprised how your food cravings and aversions change throughout your pregnancy.
Record your Feelings
Throughout pregnancy, women go through a roller coaster of emotions. You may experience dramatic mood changes and become more sensitive, anxious than before. The best way to relieve stress during pregnancy is to write them down frequently. Journaling can help manage your anxiety, manage depression and increase productivity—plan to journal your feelings weekly or monthly as you progress in your pregnancy.
Write a letter to your Baby
In your second trimester, write a heartfelt letter to your soon-to-be-born baby. It is a great way to express your love, feelings, hope, and dreams for your baby. Write about how much you look forward to the baby’s arrival and life together.
You can also involve your partner, parents, and family to express their feelings about the baby. Invite them to write a letter for the baby. You can put those letters in a handmade envelope and glue them in your journal. Your baby will have lots of fun reading those love letters when they are older.
Record your Family’s Reaction to the News
When you announce pregnancy to your immediate family, snap a picture of their reaction and include it in your journal. You can also write down your experience, telling them and their response in words if you don’t want to have photos or do both.
Baby Name Ideas
Include a page in your pregnancy journal to jot down the potential names for your baby. Your baby will love looking at the names when they grow up.
Your Big day
Pregnancy is life-changing event for women. You need to journal your feelings and emotions for your labor and delivery day. Write down in detail your experience of giving birth to a baby including when your water broke, who took you to the hospital, how long you were in your labor and the method of delivery. Also mentions the nurses and doctors who assisted in delivering the baby. These memories are priceless.
Include Checklists
There are many things that you need to do in each trimester. To get yourself organized, consider creating checklists for each trimester and big events like gender reveal party, baby shower party. It will make your life easy and will take away overwhelm out of your pregnancy. You can get tons of ideas on Pinterest for the layout of the checklists.
Include Trackers and Planners
In addition to checklists, you also have lots to plan and track during pregnancy. Include baby registry planner, nursery planner, pregnancy fitness planner, meal planner, prenatal vitamins tracker, appointment tracker, bodyweight tracker, medical provider tracker. Having planners and trackers will help you organize, plan and track your pregnancy.
Include Audio and Video Content
Having audio or video message taped for your baby make a great keepsake to relive those moments years later. You can record the special message for your baby with the baby items or record their heartbeat when they are in your womb. If you are doing a homemade pregnancy journal, you can leave a link to the URLs for recorded audio or video.
Make your Journal Aesthetically Pleasing
When you are doing a homemade pregnancy journal, you need to let your creative juices flow. Use color pens, markers, pregnancy stickers, and stamps on each page to make each page attractive. For attaching the photos to the DIY pregnancy journal, use decorative tapes , glues, or make a scrapbooking pocket to hold them in.
For your inspiration, check out this video of a homemade pregnancy journal.
28 Pregnancy Journal Prompts
One reason you don’t want to start a DIY pregnancy journal is that you don’t know what to write. Pregnancy journal prompts allow you to start writing when you can’t think of anything to write. Here I have carefully selected the pregnancy journal prompts you can use to inspire yourself while journaling your pregnancy journey. Whether you have started a pregnancy journal when you found out you are pregnant or didn’t do anything until your third trimester, these prompts will cover everything you should and create a magical keepsake for the future.
Questions to Answer in a Pregnancy Journal
- When did you find out you were pregnant? What led you to take a pregnancy test? How did you react when it came positive?
- When was your pregnancy confirmed? How did you feel? How was your first visit to the doctor?
- When did you tell your immediate family about your pregnancy? How did they react?
- What are your biggest pregnancy cravings and aversions, trimester to trimester and weekly?
- How are you dealing with your morning sickness?
- How did you feel when you heard a baby’s heartbeat for the first time?
- The first ultrasound of my baby was……..
- The best part of the first (second, third) trimester…
- The hardest part of the first (second, third) trimester….
- Pregnancy feels different in these ways…
- Based on your intuition, what are you going to have? Boy or girl? Why?
- What was your reaction when you found out the gender of your baby? Was your guess right?
- What was the first outfit you bought for your baby? How did it make you feel while buying your first baby outfit?
- Planning for nursery for the baby makes me feel…………
- Feeling the baby move inside me feels like…..
- Has the baby traveled anywhere while in the womb?
- My partner has been most helpful with…
- Did your partner do anything special for you? How did it make you feel?
- How did you choose your baby’s name?
- I imagine my baby to look like ……………..
- I think my baby’s personality will be…
- Do you talk to your baby in the womb? Do you sing to your baby? Any favorite music you played for baby?
- What was your favorite gift from your baby shower? Why?
- What are your hope and dreams for the baby? How do you feel about your life together with a baby?
- What you have a piece of advice for your baby?
- What are your hopes for your labor and delivery? Do you have a birth plan?
- When my baby is born, I am most excited to…
- The first gift I received for my baby was…
Are you looking to create a Unique Pregnancy Journal?
It can get overwhelming to start a pregnancy journal if you are not creative. It takes lots of imagination to come up with an aesthetically pleasing pregnancy journal. Also, DIY Pregnancy Journal may not be the approach for expectant mothers who want a pregnancy organizer.
Don’t be disappointed if you want a DIY pregnancy journal plus a pregnancy planner. We have an excellent solution for it!
To make your life easy, I have created a 90-page All-In-One Printable Pregnancy Planner/Journal. This Pregnancy journal offers plenty of space to plan, stay organized with pre-filled checklists, space to write your most intimate pregnancy milestones and feelings. Each page of this printable Pregnancy Planner/Journal prompts you to write your thoughts and emotions.
To make a unique DIY Pregnancy Journal without the hassle of doing everything from scratch, all you need is a 90-page All-In-One Printable Pregnancy Planner/Journal, a binder, blank pages for the DIY part, and your creativity. Start adding trackers, planners, checklists as you need along with your custom pages.
Creative Pregnancy Journal Ideas and Prompts: Conclusion
I hope this article has inspired you to come up with a unique DIY pregnancy journal. Journaling your pregnancy is the best way to relieve your stress and create memories that you will cherish rest of your life. It can make a great keepsake for your baby box.
Good luck, Mama!
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