Pregnancy can stir up many mixed emotions. One trusted way to process and cope with them is to journal. Journaling can also aid in connection with your growing baby and reflection on your ever changing life and body. Not only can you use this as a tool to help cope during pregnancy, but also to remember what you went through and even share with your kids when they are older.
In this post, I will organize the journal prompts by trimester of pregnancy, paired with a suggestion of what to focus on in each trimester. These prompts are meant to help you get started. Expanding on these is not mandatory, but could also be a helpful creative outlet to keep writing whatever your heart desires.
First Trimester: Focus on Connection
In the first trimester, some women feel a plethora of symptoms and some feel none. Honestly, I don’t know which side is luckier. Feeling symptoms is usually rather uncomfortable. However, when you are not showing yet, it may be anxiety provoking to not have any symptoms either. Symptoms can differ from pregnancy to pregnancy for every woman. Speak to your doctor about any concerns you may have.
Since this pregnancy is brand new, it’s important to start connecting with your baby from the start. Below are some simple ways to start working on that connection with your bundle of joy.
First Trimester Journal Prompts that Focus on Connection
1. How did you feel both physically and mentally when you first found out you were pregnant?
2. Was this pregnancy a surprise or expected? How does this make you feel?
3. How is your body changing, and how do you feel about those changes? How much has baby grown since you first found out you were expecting?
4. What fears or anxieties do you have about pregnancy and/or motherhood?
5. When and how did you find out that you were expecting and how did you feel in that moment?
Second Trimester: Embrace Change
You have made it through to the second trimester, congratulations! Hopefully if you’ve suffered from morning (or all day) sickness, it has begun or will begin to subside soon. If you’ve kept up on journaling through your first trimester, you may be feeling closer than ever to your little bundle of joy. If you haven’t kept up on journaling, you still have plenty of time to review some of the above prompts to help strengthen your connection. During the second trimester, we’ll focus on embracing change.
With pregnancy and children comes change. Whether this is your first child or your fifth, your life is going look much different in just a few short months. Now is the time to start looking forward to the future and embrace the ups and downs that this change may bring.
Second Trimester Journal Prompts that Focus on Embracing Change
6. What has been the most surprising part of pregnancy so far?
7. How do you want to take care of yourself in the coming months?
8. What does self-care mean to you right now? How will you continue to practice self care once baby arrives?
9. How will your life differ when baby is here?
10. How do you envision your baby? What do you hope they inherit from you?
Third Trimester: Prepare for Baby
Welcome to the third trimester, you only have a short while before baby arrives. You’ve worked on connection and embracing all of the changes, now it’s time to focus on prepare for the baby. More than likely, you have participated in some sort of nesting. Whether it was setting up the nursery or deep cleaning your home. However, now is the time to really buckle down and prepare for the baby.
How do you prepare for the baby? Well, this can be a complex or simple action. All babies are different and like different things. For example, some babies like pacifiers and some do not. Some are soothed by swings and noise machines, some not so much. Having all of the things may not be feasible. However, you can prepare by having the basic necessities. These include: a safe sleeping space for baby, diapers and wipes, onesies and sleepers, and bathing supplies. Simply, that’s all that you really need. Other things add value but they aren’t a one hundred percent necessary from day one.
Another way you can prepare is mentally, which is really what this post is about. Prepare mentally for baby, how will your life change and how will you continue your connection. Below, are some prompts to get you started on your mental preparation.
Journal Prompts for the Third Trimester that Focus on Preparing for the Baby
11. What are you most excited about as you get closer to meeting your baby?
12. How do you feel about labor and delivery? Write a letter to yourself with encouragement.
13. How can you create a peaceful postpartum plan for yourself?
14. What kind of parent do you hope to be?
15. What message would you like to give your baby for their future?
Bonus Idea: Writing Letters to Your Baby
Journaling cannot only aid in self care, but also act as a guide to read back to your child. Whether you gift it to them when they are your current age or you read it to them as a baby, it can serve as a heartfelt memory. Write about your emotions, experiences, and dreams.
Tell them why you’ve loved them from the start, how you’ve formed a connection, embraced change, and have prepared for their arrival. Chronicle your emotions throughout this journey to motherhood, including all of the ups and downs. Continue writing to them as they grow. You can write every day or one letter a year on their birthday to present to them later in life. The choice is yours.
Journaling Prompts to Consider When Writing to Your Baby
16. How did you feel when you found out you were pregnant? How do you feel now?
17. How did you celebrate your baby? Did you have a baby shower or a gender reveal?
18. How did you tell others that you were expecting? Were they excited?
19. What emotions have you felt throughout your pregnancy and how have you used them to foster connection to your growing baby?
20. What is one thing you want your baby to know and why?
Links for More
As noted above, journal can be both therapeutic and serve as a memory to read at a later date or to your child as they grow. You may think that you’ll remember these times, but as time goes on and life is busy, you may forget how you really felt in the moment. These are cherished times, when written down, can be shared with your child. The journal prompts included are not an all inclusive list, so I would also like to share some guided pregnancy journals that I have researched that may aid in your journey.
Bump for Joy! A Pregnancy Journal
This journal includes pages to write down possible names, include your ultrasound photos, and more. It almost reads like a pregnancy baby book of sorts, categorizing thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
The Pregnancy Journal, a Modern Keepsake Journal
I love this one for its weekly pages that are simple to fill out. It also includes a hospital bag checklist, prompts for writing, and prompts about your prenatal medical appointments. The are spots for weekly bump pictures to show your progress as well as a small fruit picture to denote baby’s size each week.
Expecting You, a Keepsake Pregnancy Journal
This journal also has weekly pages, but there is more room to really write out your progress and bodily changes. With nearly 3,000 reviews on Amazon, this is definitely a top pick among expecting mothers.
This is a journal for when your child is a bit older. However, it offers prompts for both the parent and child as well as free space to draw and be creative. Journal can chronicle your feeling as well as serve as a tool for connection. Starting a journal at a young age can introduce healthy coping habits to your child to serve them through their entire life.
This is one of my favorites and currently in my Amazon cart. It’s a small book that actually includes envelopes to write letters to your child as well as thoughtful writing prompts. This would be an amazing and mindful graduation gift as you write to your child over the course of many years.
Final Thoughts
Whether you choose to write throughout your entire pregnancy, write throughout your child’s life, or simply write a letter every year, journaling can be extremely therapeutic. Think about the people you love; your childhood caretakers and family members. Wouldn’t you have loved to know their thoughts and feelings in the every day ups and downs of life? You can share this experience with your child so they have a lasting memory.
How has journaling made you more mindful throughout your pregnancy?
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