Keepsakes and journaling while pregnant is a great way to create sweet and lasting memories that your children will treasure for years to come. Documenting the milestones of your pregnancy is also an excellent way of learning for future pregnancies. Keepsakes help you mark and remember the special moments of your pregnancy before the arrival of your little one. Here are some keepsake and journaling ideas to get you started.

Keepsakes

The pregnancy period can appear to take time without end in sight, but the period can pass by in a flash. Create lasting memories for you and your baby by trying out the ideas below. Some wonderful keepsakes ideas include:

Pictures

Creating visual reminders of your nine-month journey is one of the best ways of keeping lasting memories. It could be photographic progress of your baby bump, a sonogram frame, designing art or digital images that you can use as a frame in your living room, or a simple photo of yourself in a beautiful maternity gown in an open field or forest.

Written words

Another way of expressing your thoughts and emotions is through written words. Remember that these feelings only occur when you're pregnant, and you may never remember them when your baby arrives.

You can also write beautiful letters about how you feel to your baby at this time or simply write whatever you want!

Baby Books are designed for you to write down special moments, attach photographs of your baby bump, write about your first kick and pregnancy cravings, write notes to your baby, etc.

One book may not be enough for this, especially if you're using the same book for after delivery. The process is not stressful - you don’t have to sit all day to write everything. All you need is to be consistent with writing as your pregnancy progresses.

Sounds

One of the beautiful moments of pregnancy is hearing your baby's heartbeat for the first time. You can record your baby's heartbeat and listen to it whenever you want. You can also keep an audio record of your baby's kicks.

Importance of Journaling During Pregnancy

Some of the reasons keeping a journal when you're pregnant include:

Organizing Your Daily Routine

Pregnancy brings along a lot of changes, including a change in your routine, such as eating and taking medications at a fixed time, exercising regularly, taking enough rest, etc.

A pregnancy journal helps you adapt quickly to the changes that come with your pregnancy, which also allows you stay organized.

Tracking Your Symptoms

With a journal, you can keep track of some symptoms you may experience when pregnant. You may not experience some of these symptoms until you're pregnant again. Also, you can easily detect the cause of these symptoms or what triggers them, which is a great way to avoid them (when you know what works for you and what doesn't).

Overcoming Morning Sickness

Morning sickness is a common symptom of pregnancy that happens to almost all pregnant women. Keeping a journal of your morning routine can be a great way to reduce its severity. If you follow through on your journaling, you will discover the things and foods that contribute to making your morning unpleasant.

Staying Fit

If you're a fitness lover, you will have to slow down and take things easy, but pregnancy doesn't stop you from staying fit. You only need to engage in mild exercises that will help you and your baby healthy. Keeping a journal will help you determine the best exercises to engage in and how they make you feel.

For instance, Kegel is an effective exercise that can help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles for easy delivery. Find the best exercises that suit you and you may need to talk to your health practitioner before engaging in any or certain kinds.

Record Doctor's Appointments

At the first few months of your pregnancy, you may have occasional visits to your gynecologist, but this changes as it progresses. Your visits become more frequent as it increases to two weeks and then a one-week interval at the last trimester. The best way to plan your visitations and not miss them is by writing them down in your journal.

If you use a midwife or doula, you may want to record those sessions as well.

Other Valuable Tips

Relatives, friends, and mothers who've experienced motherhood are always there to provide valuable tips for you, especially as a first-time mom! If you don’t keep a journal, you may end up forgetting most of these tips when your little one arrives.

You may also ask questions about things you don't know from your health practitioner and write the answers in your journal. If you belong to a community or online group where mothers share their experiences, you will learn a lot. (Please seek the counsel of your medical practitioner before taking major advice.)

Keep Lasting Memories

One of the most beautiful periods of being a woman is the pregnancy phase! You cannot experience these moments until you're pregnant again! When you have a journal, you can share your pregnancy milestone with your baby and share it with them when they're grown-ups. They will forever cherish this and will always want to read about it.

Reference for Future Pregnancy

A pregnancy journal could come in handy during your next pregnancy. It will also help you adjust faster as you already have all your experiences documented.

Tips to writing well-detailed keepsakes and journal

Now that we’ve covered some great ideas, here are some tips to make sure you document your experience to the fullest:

• Be detailed as much as you can. Write about your feelings and emotions while pregnant.

• Be honest about your feelings, especially when you have thoughts of not being a good mother or any other ideas that may come to your mind. This is an excellent way of dealing with your worries and overcoming them.

• Let the writing flow freely, and do not bother about grammatical errors. Passing the message across is the most important thing.

• Attach photos to complement your stories. Gift cards from your loved ones, birth plans, and receipts of your first outfits are a good memory keepsake ideas you wouldn't want to miss recalling over the years.

Now that you have ample ideas and strategies for journaling and keepsakes, it’s time to pick one or more ideas and start taking notes! Don’t forget to check out our great selection of keepsakes, including hand and footprint frames, ink pads, and ornaments.