4 Ways Pregnancy Journaling Can Help You

A pregnancy journal is a log of your pregnancy. It is most often kept by the mother or the expectant couple and sometimes by the expectant father. Pregnancy journals may include photos, ultrasounds, health records, keepsakes, as well as written records of the thoughts, emotions, concerns, and wishes during the pregnancy. Pregnancy journals have a number of purposes, which include serving as a scrapbook of sorts, a health record, and/or a personal narrative of the experience.

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Is a Pregnancy Journal Right for You?

Deciding to keep a pregnancy journal is a personal decision. While there are many positives, expectant parents already have a lot on their plate, so choose to keep one only if desired. Don;t do it because of mother guilt—the belief that you have to do everything in order to be a good mom. A good mom is a happy, healthy mom,. Only you can decide if keeping a pregnancy journal would add or detract from your well-being.

Dial down the perfectionism; you don’t have to have started journaling from the moment of conception for your journal to be meaningful and valuable. Expectant parents can start a pregnancy journal at any point during pregnancy. You can even go back and insert ultrasound images, health records, and mementos from before you established the journal.

The Four Benefits of Keeping a Pregnancy Journal

There are many benefits to keeping a pregnancy journal.

1. Creating a keepsake. The journal is something you, your baby, and even your family can enjoy for generations to come.
2. Keeping important medical and health records. Records can provide useful information for future pregnancies. The journal also serves as a way to notice any emotional, mental health, or physiological changes during the pregnancy. By doing so, you can be more aware of the onset of certain symptoms, such as depression or anxiety.
3. Having an outlet to share. Journaling your thoughts, feelings, and concerns can be cathartic.. Perhaps your journal is where you record experiences that you don’t readily share with others. It can also be psychologically organizing, helping you gain insight and clarity into how you are doing.
4. Helping you prepare for the baby. Having a journal gives you some structure for reflecting on the pregnancy, birth, and baby. Many journals include checklists to help you stay on track for the arrival of your loved one.

How to Keep a Pregnancy Journal

There is no right or wrong way to keep a pregnancy journal. Determine what purpose you’d like your pregnancy journal to serve.

For example, pregnancy journals can be kept for yourself as a private sounding board, a vehicle for you to process your thoughts and feelings. This allows you to keep the narrative honest and real, without feeling that you have to make everything sound like unicorns and rainbows so as to not hurt the baby’s or anyone else’s feelings.

Other times, people keep a pregnancy journal to record or document milestones, such as the first time they feel the baby move, or details the child might be curious about later, such as names that were considered or how the parents felt about the gender reveal.

Pregnancy Journal Features

In order to find the best pregnancy journal for you, consider the following:

• Desired time period: Some pregnancy journals are designed for only 39 weeks, while some include space for the birth, and others include the baby’s first year of life. One that includes the pregnancy and birth might be the happy medium, since it isn't a big commitment during the first year of life. Sleeping might be more of a priority for you than journaling in that first year. Again, it is a personal decision, so choose the journal that works best for you.
• Who to include: Some pregnancy journals are just for the mothers, a few are just for fathers, and others are for couples. Ask your partner whether they would like to be included, without applying too much pressure to participate. Having a baby can be stressful enough in a relationship, and you may not need another thing to bicker about.
• Special demographics: You may want to choose a pregnancy journal geared to same-sex couples, or Black moms, first-time moms, adoptive parents. Or you may want Christian-focused pregnancy journal.
• Format: Hardcover pregnancy journals are the most popular because they make for a more formal keepsake. However, if you want to journal while on the go, you might prefer a lighter, paperback option. You may prefer a digital journal if you are a minimalist or are often working from a computer.
• Features: Ask yourself what is the intention of your journal. For example, if you are using it as a cathartic release, you might want more free writing space or prompts. If you are keeping it as more of a scrapbook, you might want more space for photos, ultrasounds, and other keepsakes. Or perhaps you really want a medical and health record, either for your own reference or for your children’s. Make sure the journal you select is set up well for your intended purpose.

Whether you keep a formal pregnancy journal or not, you will want to keep items such as ultrasounds in a memory box and legal and medical records in your files. You can organize the materials later, as your baby grows up. Don’t feel pressured to keep a journal or stick with it. The most important thing is to take care of yourself and your baby, and in that order!