One of the many fun and exciting “projects” to do while pregnant is to make a scrapbook, especially if this is your first pregnancy. Although pregnancy scrapbooks are increasing in popularity, documenting one’s pregnancy is nothing new for moms-to-be. In the past, many women would keep pregnancy journals to document their journey. While that is also a great idea, scrapbooks offer visual aspects of the experience…not to mention, they can be incredibly fun to make! You often hear women talk about their “odd” cravings or things they did while pregnant, and having a scrapbook to document it will help you remember all the little details.
Today, we will share some creative and fun ideas to help you make the ultimate pregnancy scrapbook.
What To Include In Your Pregnancy Scrapbook
The great thing about scrapbooks is that you can pretty much include whatever you want in them. If you have never scrapbooked before, think of it as putting all of your keepsakes into one area along with other elements and designs that will capture this wonderful journey. Although there is no specific list of things to include in this particular scrapbook, it usually documents the nine months leading up to your baby’s arrival. If you need some inspiration for what to include in your project, we’ve got you covered.
Here are some of our favorite things to include in your scrapbook:
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Positive Pregnancy Test
Since many people want to document the entire pregnancy, the scrapbook is usually organized chronically. So often, parents will include the positive pregnancy test as the first part of their journey and the first element in their scrapbook. There are two ways to do this; you can either include the actual test or simply a photo of the test. The choice is yours.
You could include the date you found out, your reaction, and the reactions of your partner, family, etc. -
UltraSound Photo
Once a pregnancy test reveals a positive result, the next step is often to see a doctor to have the pregnancy confirmed (typically with a blood test). During this appointment, they usually do an ultrasound to show the beginning stages of development. It's a good idea to include an ultrasound photo in your pregnancy scrapbook to have your baby's first photo! Be sure to document how you felt during and after the appointment. You can even include a picture of yourself holding the ultrasound photo. -
Growing Belly Photos
As your baby grows, so does your belly! So why not capture every magical moment? It might be unnecessary to take a photo every single day for nine months, but many women will take a picture once a month or every 2 to 3 weeks to show off their growing baby. Underneath each photo, discuss challenges that you experienced or any notable moments or odd cravings that you might have had– for some reason, pickles and peanut butter seems to be a typical "weird" craving amongst pregnant women. -
Baby Shower Moments
Throughout pregnancy, there are often celebrations or events, and those memories should be captured and placed in your scrapbook as well! Sure, photos of these events will probably live on forever via social media, but there is something about holding the photo or seeing it in person (as opposed to on screen) that makes it more special. -
Hospital/Delivery Photos
They may not be the most glamorous of photos, but capturing the moments leading up to your baby’s arrival can be great additions to your scrapbook. Be sure to jot down what you had in your hospital bag, how you were feeling before and after delivery and how it felt the moment you held your baby for the first time
The items listed are some of our favorite things to include in a pregnancy scrapbook but remember that yours can consist of anything you want. Other ideas to help fill in any gaps are nursery photos, baby names (the one you choose and the close choices), and even the birthing plan and what it may have consisted of (what hospital, name of the doctor, cord blood banking options, etc.). It may seem like unimportant information to include in a scrapbook, but it's all a part of this beautiful experience.
Creating a scrapbook to document your journey will help you to remember all of the small details that you might forget over the years. Plus, when your baby is all grown up, they may be interested in the journey leading up to their arrival.
