The Best Pregnancy Journals For Recording Your Bump-To-Baby Journey (And Even Beyond!)

Pregnancy journals — or planners, diaries, or scrapbooks — are a wonderful way to document and reflect on this momentous time in your (or a loved one’s) life. From the time you crunch numbers on a due date calculator to the development of the “third-trimester waddle,” pregnancy can feel like it goes on forever — especially if you’re dealing with some uncomfortable symptoms. But here’s the thing: It’s not forever. In fact, it will be over before you know it and the whole experience can feel like a blur amid the excitement and anxiety. That’s why having a journal to keep track of all the memories and milestones is a pregnancy essential, because one day, you’ll look back and cherish them. And if it’s not you who’s pregnant but someone special in your life is, keep in mind that the best pregnancy journal would make a fantastic present for expecting moms.

Keep the memories and mementos from these precious months organized and preserved forever with one of these great pregnancy journals, pregnancy diaries, and pregnancy scrapbooks. You’ll end up with a keepsake you (and your future baby) will treasure forever. Open it to relive your journey from bump to baby whenever you like — minus the back pain and acid reflux!

Pregnancy Planners

This keepsake journal would be a beautiful gift for either an expecting friend or yourself. Jot down all of your memories in separate segments, which include “We're Pregnant,” “Medical Log,” First Trimester, Second Trimester and Third Trimester,” and “Baby's First Year.” This would make a great keepsake to look back on, especially if you’re enjoying pregnancy.

One Reviewer Says: “This book is amazing! It has everything, I was looking at different journals they had one for pregnancy, then another book for baby then another book for keeping on track with exercise. This book has everything. It has nice tabs to jump to different sections. They have a list to fill out to keep on track of baby shower gifts, what to pack in the hospital bag, what to avoid eating, it has so much information. Spots for pictures. You really just fill in the blanks”

Every pregnancy is different — but the first one is extra special. Consider this book to be your pregnancy pal — it has trimester checklists, a section to help brainstorm the perfect baby name, and even a scrapbook section to help you save those incredible ultrasound photos.

One Reviewer Says: “I took a chance because this was one of the more affordable journals, and I hit the jackpot! This journal is extremely thorough and has room for pictures, includes [a] checklist and information from week to week, and has lots of journaling information and even activities each month! I recommend this to anybody who is expecting a baby! And it's much thicker and sturdier than I ever expected. It is perfect for documenting all of the important events along the way during my pregnancy.”

Pregnancy Journal Books

If you’ve been thinking about writing an actual book about your pregnancy, this Pearhead journal makes it even more simple. Starting with a table of contents, you can easily page through special moments of your pregnancy that you want to look back on. Available in seven different designs, you can even choose a similar-yet-different book for each pregnancy.

One Reviewer Says: “I bought this for my daughter who is expecting her first child. This journal is so well done and laid out. It is not a huge-sized journal like she had found at some of the big box bookstores its perfect for her to take with her and write her thoughts and feelings about her pregnancy and [a] great spot to add pictures and keepsakes. She loves that it starts from the time of taking your first pregnancy test all the way until delivery. What a great memory keepsake.”

If you want a pregnancy journal that’s incredibly well designed, then As You Grow might be the right match for you. This journal is also special since it goes all the way up to year five. There’s also ample space to write letters to your child.

One Reviewer Says: “ I’ve seriously never seen a more sweet baby book. This book goes all the way from a family tree, to finding out about the pregnancy, milestones, first holidays and seasons up to five years old!! It has pockets every so often and little spots for pictures. I am obsessed. The calligraphy and modern pictures are beautiful on the pages.”

Pregnancy Diaries

This keepsake journal is meant to be carried with you. You can throw it in a purse or bag, and take it out whenever a thought strikes. Since baby kicks (and nausea) can happen anywhere, who knows when you’ll be inspired to jot things down?

One Reviewer Says: “My sister is expecting her [first] baby and the dad is not involved. I decided to find her a journal since she likes writing. She is 3 months in and really enjoys writing to her baby in the journal. She cried when I gave it to her and still talks about how helpful it has been to document the milestones. The greatest thing about this journal compared to others I looked at is that it is inclusive. A single mom can use it and not be reminded that the father isn't involved because it doesn't include "Mommy and Daddy" titles. What a great concept!”

This book is a must-have if you’re looking for some inspiration for how to plan your pregnancy. It includes trackers, a hospital bag checklist, a doctors appointment tracker, and even gives some guidance on what to eat during your pregnancy.

One Reviewer Says: “My daughter loves her journal. It has helped her keep track of belly size , maternity pictures, and journal weekly. She is truly excited.”

Pregnancy Scrapbooks

Sometimes, the hardest thing about getting journals is remembering to fill them up. Luckily, this one from Unconditional Rosie has bright colorful pages that’ll inspire you to keep writing. Prompts help you remember when you learned you were expecting, and will help guide you as to how big your baby is month by month.

One Reviewer Says: “Wonderful gift for my daughter and our first grandchild! Love the detailed pages.”

This one’s for the parent-to-be who’s always colored outside the lines. Create your own pregnancy scrapbook without the constraints of prefab prompts using this blank album — which is popular, highly-reviewed, and accessibly priced. Acid-free pages protect from oxidation, and a linen cover (available in 12 colors) makes it look as important and fancy as its contents deserve.

One Reviewer Says: “This is a great quality photo album for the price! I bought it keep sentimental notes in, and it serves its purpose very well. The pages are easy to use and have a good amount of adhesive, but I'm still able to easily reposition even thin papers without damage. There's room to add more pages, but I have yet to try that feature, myself. Overall, it's very well designed and exceeded my expectations in both appearance and functionality. I'd definitely purchase this again!”

Bump Books

One of the coolest parts of this pregnancy journal is the “Namestorm” page, where you can see what names your partner preferred, and which ones you liked. For a child, that’ll be fun to look at down the road. There are plenty of prompts for either you or your partner, and the book itself is so well done that you’ll want to check out the company for other milestone journals down the road.

One Reviewer Says: “I purchased this book as soon as I found out I was pregnant. I wanted to be able to capture all that I was feeling throughout my pregnancy. This book could not be more perfect! It provides prompts relevant to both mom and dad from prepregnancy to delivery, family history/tree, calendars, what to expect, some advice, and it even has space for a few pics and memorabilia. My husband and I would definately buy this again for a friend's first pregnancy. It helps to relieve any jitters, and it's very gender neutral. Love!”

Pregnancy is a wonderful thing, but it can also be scary at times. Use the humor in this book title to try and remember that the whole process can be... strange. With this book, you can bookmark what your bump looked like throughout the pregnancy.

One Reviewer Says: “The prompts/questions were by far the best of all the books I saw. I also like that the book is organized by weeks, not months, and has space for belly bump pictures and ultrasound photos. There is a page for each prenatal visit and for each week. There are also other pages regarding how we told family, etc. I feel like this book covers all the essentials in a fun yet diplomatic way.”