Spilling Your Guts (on Paper)

Once you wrap your arms around the fact that you really are pregnant, your mind will probably start swarming with questions about what lies ahead: How will your body look as it changes? Will your baby be OK? How will your life change when you become a mother? Questions like these are totally normal, but they can also turn into worries that, left unresolved, may keep you from enjoying your pregnancy.

One way to deal with questions or concerns head on is to start a pregnancy journal. Not only is journaling a great way to record the physical changes you go through during pregnancy, but it also provides a safe place to release your fears, worries and nightmares, so they don’t plague your dreams and daily thoughts. Plus, it will become a nice keepsake to look back on later!

Don’t feel as though your journal has to be written well, or that entries have to have a beginning and an end. When the mood strikes, jot down a word, a phrase, a doodle—anything to get those thoughts out of your head and onto paper. Get creative—make your journal a series of letters to your baby, or simply use it to record pregnancy facts—how much you weigh, how your belly looks, how you’re feeling and so on. The style of your journal is irrelevant. The point is that you’re dealing with all those emotions.