Whether you are over the moon about your pregnancy or feeling a bit apprehensive, it’s a great idea to consider jotting down your thoughts and feelings when you can.

Keeping a pregnancy diary or journal may help you document and work through the amazing adventures in store over the next nine months. Flicking back and reflecting on what it felt like when you announced your pregnancy, or felt your baby’s first kick will be a beautiful way to relive your precious memories.

In addition to capturing special moments, a pregnancy diary may really help you work through some fluctuating emotions. Your pregnancy hormones could really make you feel a little fragile. It’s important to find a healthy and constructive way to deal with the changes going on inside you.

The simple act of writing about how you feel, especially when you are upset or worried, could really help to manage your stress levels. Doing this may even help to prevent you from becoming sick.

We have put together a few helpful tips to help you get started.

Getting started with your pregnancy diary

Before you start your pregnancy diary, decide how you want to do this:

If you like to use words and write, buy a blank journal to jot down your thoughts as they come up.

If you’re more of a visual person, you might prefer to take photos or draw pictures of your experiences and display them in a scrapbook.

If you are more comfortable with technology, you might like to use a variety of different mediums like video, photos and words and upload them to an online blog.

Whichever method you choose, try to jot down a memory at least once a week to get an accurate, progressive account of your pregnancy.

If you’re feeling a bit stuck try these tips to help get your creative juices flowing:

• Set aside a regular time to add to your diary. Sticking to a schedule may help you stay consistent. Cherish this time away from your busy life to reflect on the miracle you are part of.
• Try not to judge yourself. There isn’t a right or wrong way to record your memories. Your pregnancy diary is your special place, where you can be messy and honest. Every thought and scribble deserves to be recorded.
• Take pictures if you don’t feel like writing. Writing a short caption for a photo can be a lot easier than writing a 200 word diary entry. The important thing is that you add memories often, not how you record them.
• Save lots of mementos. Things like a simple pregnancy-brain list, a funny message or even a dirty napkin that you first started to scribble baby names on are all great keepsakes for your pregnancy diary.
• Write a letter to your baby. Include your hopes and dreams for them. At their 21^st birthday, you’ll have a great start to your speech.

What to write about in your pregnancy diary

The most important thing that your pregnancy diary should reflect is you. As well as your thoughts and feelings, fears and hopes.

Even though most pregnancies follow a similar pattern and timeline, every woman’s personal view on pregnancy is unique.

Some popular and helpful things you could write about in your pregnancy diary:

• How you announced your pregnancy
• Choosing baby names
• Things that make you cry
• Your weird cravings
• Strange sensations
• Your crazy dreams
• How your pregnancy affects your career
• Your changing identity
• Your fears of labour, childbirth, and becoming a mum
• What sort of mother you’d like to be