Keeping a pregnancy journal is a helpful way to recall the uniqueness of each pregnancy and birth if you have more than one child. It also is a place to contain all your thoughts, memories, reflections, struggle, and more, which are worth remembering but easily forgotten if not written down. So which pregnancy journal is right for you?
Best Pregnancy Journals
The Promptly Childhood History Journal is a journal to chronicle your child’s life from pregnancy until age 18, while the Expecting You — A Keepsake Pregnancy Journal is a month by month look at your pregnancy journey.
Childhood History Journal
If you’re looking to capture all the things about your child’s life in one book, the Childhood History Journal is the one for you!
Starting from pregnancy and going through age 18, this book has writing prompts and 254 pages to fill up over the years. Choose from 6 different colored journals.
As You Grow: A Modern Memory Book for Baby
The As You Grow: Modern Memory Book for Baby redefines what a baby book should look like.
Its gender-neutral appeal is a perfect gift for parents who are waiting to find out if they’re having a boy or girl. You can jot down memories of your little one starting from pregnancy all the way through age 5.
Expecting You: A Keepsake Pregnancy Journal
Expecting You is lightweight, modern-looking and chock full of writing space. It’s easy to take along in your purse, so you can catch up while you’re at that doctor’s appointment.
If you’d like your pregnancy journal to focus on words, not photos, then this one’s a keeper. Note that this book tracks progress month-to-month, not weekly or day-to-day as some others do.
Pearhead Pregnancy Journal
The Pearhead Pregnancy Journal will not ask you for facts and figures about your pregnancy and it may not be well-suited for the dedicated, long-winded writer.
This black, gold, and white hardcover memory journal contains seven pocket pages for holding keepsakes and pictures along with journaling pages for everything else you’d like to record. Slightly more expensive per page than the others, this unisex journal may be a perfect fit if your desire is to collect photos rather than words.
KeaBabies Baby First 5 Years Memory Book Journal
The Baby First 5 Years Memory Book Journal comes in either a SeaWorld theme or Wonderland theme.
Unlike many pregnancy and baby journals, this journal captures photographs and memories in a story-like way, so you can read to your little one when they get older and tell them the story of their life.
Waiting in Wonder: Growing in Faith While You’re Expecting
There aren’t many pregnancy journals out there that include devotionals and prompts to write letters to your little one. If you are looking for simple writing space for pregnancy progress and photos, Waiting in Wonder isn’t that type.
But for the right person, this high-quality, gift-worthy volume offers a spiritual focus and encouraging scripture verses. The journal’s 400 pages and low price makes it the best value of the bunch.
When We Became Three: A Memory Book for the Modern Family
When We Became Three includes a rare focus on the love that made baby possible – mommy and daddy. If you want your baby to know the love story before the birth story, there’s a place to record that here. This journal is not a comprehensive, scrapbook-type book, but its pages are ideal for those who want to chronicle things in a simple, family-centered way.
Best Weekly Pregnancy Journals
Bump to Birthday
Bump to Birthday moves through your pregnancy at a weekly pace and contains both prompts and room for your own thoughts. There is space for logging details about your baby’s growth and spots to add photos.
This award winner and international bestseller continue with the journal pages all the way up to your baby’s first birthday. However, it doesn’t start the pages for recording until the 9th week of pregnancy, which is right about when the morning sickness is in full swing.
The Belly Book: A Nine-Month Journal for You and Your Growing Belly
The Belly Book is a sturdy, spiral-bound journal that tracks the growth of your baby while leaving you space to finish the questions and thought prompts. With handy organizing tabs, coloring pages, and space for regular belly bump photos, it’s a repeat favorite for some parents. But not everyone needs that many belly shots, especially during their first trimester, you say. This is true, but perhaps you can fill in those pages with anything else that will follow you on your nine-month journey.
The Nine Pregnancy Countdown Journal
Featuring a fresh, gender-neutral design, The Nine Pregnancy Countdown Journal contains easy, weekly writing prompts — great for that quickie journal entry. If you are a prolific writer, you may feel the lack of extra writing space. This journal has a modern, edgy style and contains some questions you may not want to answer and share publicly, such as What’s up with my sex life? This pregnancy journal was created by a husband/wife team.
40ish Weeks: A Pregnancy Journal
40ish Weeks has lots of space for writing, so if long-form writing is your thing, you won’t feel penned in. If quick notations suit you better, you may drown in its bounty of blank pages. Or, use those extra pages at your baby shower for guests to write helpful advice. Or keep track of all your favorite baby names.
It also offers prompts and blanks for weekly pregnancy updates. This journal is popular and liked for its whimsical and “not-too-girly” style.
The Best Pregnancy Journals Compared
The table below compares only the recommended products on this page. A low or high Price means it is low or high compared to the other products listed. The Popularity Score reflects how often readers click on and buy the product. The Quality Score is our assessment of the overall performance and satisfaction with the product compared to others in the table.
| Childhood History Journal | 9.9 | 9.8 | 39.99 |
| As You Grow: A Modern Memory Book for Baby | 9.8 | 9.8 | 35.99 |
| Bump to Birthday | 9.4 | 9.4 | 24.37 |
| KeaBabies Baby First 5 Years Memory Book Journal | 9.9 | 9.6 | 21.96 |
| Waiting in Wonder: Growing in Faith While You're Expecting | 7.0 | 9.6 | 21.41 |
| Pearhead Pregnancy Journal | - | 9.4 | 16.99 |
| 40ish Weeks: A Pregnancy Journal | 8.3 | 9.2 | 16.10 |
| The Belly Book: A Nine-Month Journal for You and Your Growing Belly | 9.7 | 9.2 | 14.61 |
| The Nine Pregnancy Countdown Journal | 3.9 | 8.6 | 14.15 |
| Expecting You: A Keepsake Pregnancy Journal | 9.8 | 9.4 | 12.63 |
| When We Became Three: A Memory Book for the Modern Family | 6.3 | 9.4 | 9.89 |
One Mom Wishes…
An experienced mom records why she wishes she’d had kept a pregnancy journal.
“If I would have written in a pregnancy journal, I would have…”
- been motivated to treat both of my pregnancies more equally.
- had a systematic collection of my feelings during my pregnancy.
- been more present.
- had a priceless gift for my ancestors.
- collected a list of all the helpful resources.
- checked off the tasks I needed to do every trimester.
Getting Started
Pregnancy may be one of the most unique and amazing journeys you will ever experience. Taking some regular time to record it every day or two will give you a keepsake of memories to enjoy and share with your child.
Collect
- Try to find the right day, time, and place for a time of peaceful reflection or meditation. Take a deep breath, exhale and consider what has happened and how you feel before you start putting pen to paper.
- Interview other moms, collecting and recording their advice.
- Gather scrapbook memories (like photos, receipts, and ticket stubs) that will help you remember how you lived life throughout this nine-month journey.
Track
- Jot down thoughts and hopes you have for your little one.
- Share your dreams, because pregnancy often gives women vivid, strange dreams.
- Track physical changes as your baby grows.
List
- Record things by making lists, such as: Which foods do you crave? Which ones do you hate right now?
- List ways pregnancy has changed your views of life, love, self, and others.
- Create a list of people that have encouraged, helped, and affirmed you on this journey.
Book Recommendations
- What to Expect When You’re Expecting – Heidi Murkoff
- 50 Things Before You Deliver – Jill Krause
- The Expectant Father – Armin A. Brot
- Praying Through Your Pregnancy – Jennifer Polimino
FAQs for Pregnancy Journals
What is a pregnancy journal?
A pregnancy journal is a notebook or scrapbook that holds all the details about your pregnancy. Some journals include space to record memories after the baby is born, too.
What should I write in a pregnancy journal?
Popular things people like to include in pregnancy journals are prenatal doctor appointment details, how their pregnancy went, and birth stats (date of birth, weight, height). Many moms also like to include their thoughts and wishes for their baby. Some pregnancy journals work well for documenting milestones and memories after baby is born, too, such as when baby first rolled over, crawled, etc.
What’s the best way to document a pregnancy?
There’s no perfect way to document a pregnancy, so that means that you can be creative! In addition to writing down little notes and milestone dates, you can also include photographs, cards, and other significant things you want to remember and hold onto in a pregnancy journal.
What are the benefits of keeping a pregnancy journal?
Written memories last longer.
“The moment your baby is born, you will only remember about three things from your pregnancy and two of them will be heartburn,” says writer and author Geralyn Broder Murray. Your pregnancy journey can be quickly forgotten after your baby arrives — in the years to come, you’ll be glad you wrote everything down.
Journaling can be relaxing & creative. The intensity of pregnancy sometimes needs a creative outlet. Tracking your feelings and emotions can give you a sense of control during this new experience of pregnancy. Expressive writing can ease stress and anxiety.
Recording thoughts may help you bond with the baby.
“Logging your thoughts can help you to begin developing an attachment to your baby,” says Lara Honos-Webb, Ph.D., a psychologist in San Francisco. And once your child is older, giving her the background can reinforce the special bond you share.
When should we tell our family we’re pregnant?
Though this, of course, is a personal choice, most people choose to wait until they’ve met with their obstetrician. Some wait longer, until the end of the first trimester or later, when the risk of miscarriage is reduced. This allows privacy if desired, surrounding the possible loss of the pregnancy.
Some may wait until they know the sex of the child. Sharing this news of pregnancy should be a happy event, but if, for some reason, you need time, privacy, or independence in the matters of your pregnancy, do yourself a favor, and wait until you are
ready.
Do I need a pregnancy journal?
A pregnancy journal, as such, is not a need; but you might want to have at least a notepad or small notebook in which to keep important information about appointments, names and telephone numbers of an obstetrician or other caregivers, prescribed medications/supplements/exercise, and any unusual symptoms.
You may also want to record information about the times you first learned you were expecting, felt your baby move, shared the good news with your parents, learned the baby’s sex, selected a name, any baby showers, etc. If you are researching pediatricians or child care for your baby after birth, you might also include this information. A pregnancy journal may provide space for all this information; storage for photos/ultrasounds, cards, etc.; and space for thoughts, reflections, hopes, and prayers.
Do I need both a pregnancy journal and a baby book?
Not necessarily. There are journals and baby books that cover ranges all the way from pregnancy or baby’s first year only, to pregnancy through age 18. Too, there are some books that encourage longer entries while others expect only very short, regular entries. So, think ahead a little bit and decide which kind of book(s) might be best for you.
