Life and relationships

40 Pregnancy Journal Prompts

These pregnancy journal prompts are for anyone who is expecting a baby: first-time parents, parents adding to a family, parents on their own and parents writing side by side with someone else. Some prompts are quick and light. Others ask you to slow down and write about the bigger feelings that can come with waiting for a child.

Writing during pregnancy can help you notice how you are really doing, keep small memories that fade fast, and put your hopes and worries somewhere outside your head. Many people find they like having a record of these months, written in their own words, to look back on later. This page is for reflection only. Questions about your health or your baby's health belong with your doctor or midwife.

Come to these prompts as you are. You do not have to feel excited, calm or ready. If you have known loss before, or if this pregnancy feels complicated, skip anything that does not fit and take only what helps.

All 40 prompts

Each prompt is marked quick (2 to 5 minutes), reflective (about 10 minutes) or deep (20 minutes or more).

  1. Describe the moment you found out you were expecting. Where were you, and what was the very first thought you had? quick

  2. What nickname have you used for the baby so far, and how did it come about? quick

  3. Which food, smell or sound has surprised you most during these weeks? quick

  4. Write down three things about today that you want to remember a year from now. quick

  5. What song keeps coming back to you lately, and does it make you think of the baby? quick

  6. What is one question you would love to ask your child someday? quick

  7. Describe something you have bought, made or been given for the baby, and how it felt to hold it in your hands. quick

  8. What is one thing you did this week that helped you feel more like yourself? quick

  9. Who has been kind to you during this pregnancy, and what exactly did they do? quick

  10. Finish this sentence three different ways: Right now I am looking forward to... quick

  11. What did you notice about your body this morning? Describe it plainly, the way you might describe the weather. quick

  12. What would you like to hear on a hard day this week? Write it to yourself now so it is waiting for you. quick

  13. How has your daily routine changed since you learned you were expecting, and which changes have felt easiest? reflective

  14. What hopes do you hold for the kind of person your child might grow up to be? reflective

  15. What are you most curious to discover about your baby's personality? reflective

  16. How would you like to spend the weeks before the baby arrives? List what matters most and what you could let go. reflective

  17. Which traditions from your own childhood would you like to pass on, and which would you gladly leave behind? reflective

  18. What worries keep showing up for you lately? Write each one down, then note beside it one small part you can control. reflective

  19. How have your friendships or family relationships shifted during this pregnancy? reflective

  20. Who has stood beside you most during this pregnancy, and what have you learned about each other along the way? reflective

  21. What kind of help would make the biggest difference to you right now, and who could you ask for it? reflective

  22. Describe how you imagine your first quiet morning at home with your baby: the light, the sounds, what you are wearing. reflective

  23. What does being a parent mean to you today, and how is that different from what it meant a year ago? reflective

  24. What are you tired of hearing from other people about pregnancy, and what would you rather they said? reflective

  25. How do you want to share your feelings with the people closest to you during these months, and what makes that easier or harder? reflective

  26. Which parts of your life before pregnancy do you most want to protect and keep? reflective

  27. Write about the first moment you felt connected to the baby, or about how that connection is still growing for you. deep

  28. What did you learn about love and care from the people who raised you, and what would you like to do the same or differently? deep

  29. Which parts of who you are do you worry might get lost once the baby comes, and how could you keep them close? deep

  30. How do you feel when you think about the day your baby arrives? Write about your hopes for that day and what comes up around the unknown. deep

  31. How is your family taking shape differently from the one you pictured years ago, and what do you feel about that now? deep

  32. Write about the changes in your body over these months: what has been hard, what has amazed you and how you want to speak to your body from here on. deep

  33. What fears about becoming a parent have you not yet said out loud? Write them here slowly, and notice how they look on the page. deep

  34. If you have known pregnancy loss or another loss before this pregnancy, what feelings sit alongside this one? There is room for all of them here. deep

  35. Write a letter to your baby describing who you are right now, before the two of you meet. deep

  36. Write a letter to your baby about the world they are about to join: what is happening now, what you love about it and what you hope will change. deep

  37. What kind of parent do you hope to be on ordinary days, away from the big moments? Describe what that looks like on a rainy Tuesday afternoon. deep

  38. Imagine your child at eighteen reading this journal. What would you want them to understand about this season of your life? deep

  39. Write a letter to yourself to open on your child's first birthday. What do you want to remember, ask or forgive by then? deep

How to use these prompts

Pick a prompt that matches the time and energy you have: the first ones take a few minutes, and the later ones ask for twenty minutes or more. Many people like a short prompt in the morning and a longer one on a quiet evening or weekend. Write for five or ten minutes without stopping to fix anything, and date each entry so you can see how your thoughts change over the months. If you feel stuck, write one plain sentence about what you see or feel right now, or answer only part of the question. You can also skip ahead, come back to a prompt later or save the letters to your baby for days when you feel close to the words.

Questions

Do I need to write every day during my pregnancy?

No. A few entries a week, or even a few a month, can give you a record you will be glad to have. Write when it feels useful and let the rest go.

What if I don't feel excited about being pregnant?

That is common, and your journal can hold mixed or hard feelings as well as happy ones. Write honestly, and choose prompts that meet you where you are today.

Can I use these prompts with a partner?

Yes, if you have a partner and want to. You might each answer the same prompt on your own and then share what you wrote, or keep your entries private. Both ways are fine.

Should I use my journal to track symptoms or health questions?

You can jot down anything you want to remember, but these prompts are for reflection, not health tracking. Bring any questions or concerns about your health to your doctor or midwife.

I've experienced loss before. Are these prompts right for me?

They can be, if you go gently. Skip any prompt that feels like too much, and know that one prompt makes room for earlier losses if you want to write about them.