Creating a pregnancy album can be a relaxing and therapeutic project that you work on throughout the entire length of your pregnancy, creating a keepsake that your child will enjoy looking through with you as he or she grows older. Here are some tips on how to create a truly memorable pregnancy album that you can keep as a permanent reminder of the journey from conception to childbirth that you and your child took together.
1. Begin with a list. Make a list of all the items that you want to document early on in your planning process so that you can take the right steps accordingly. Use your own mother as an inspiration, and ask yourself what you would most like to know about the pregnancy and preparation for your arrival during those nine months. This list will guide you as you create your pregnancy album.
2. Separate your pregnancy album into the different stages of pregnancy. When you buy the album that you will use, make sure that it has an ample number of pages to allow you to include everything you want for this keepsake. Too few pages is hard to reconcile, but too many pages just means extra space for photos, mementos and keepsakes as your baby grows inside you and is welcomed into the world.
3. Add any little snippet of information that you can think of while documenting your pregnancy for your unborn child. Any information that you include is going to be a blessing for your child, who will grow to be curious about your pregnancy and his or her birth.
4. Begin the first page with the pregnancy announcement. How did you find out? Add a photograph of yourself before you begin to show, and add a photograph of the positive pregnancy test reading if you have one.
5. Include physical mementos whenever possible. Photographs of you and the dad, the baby shower, the various gifts that are received, the nursery as you prepare it, hospital bracelets, ultrasound photographs printed on photo paper, growing belly shots and other mementos can be used to accent your journaling as you tell your unborn baby about the journey.
6. Journal a little or a lot on each page of the pregnancy album. Include details, like the foods you craved, how much weight was gained from week to week, or observations about movement in your belly and other experiences during the pregnancy. Include anything and everything that you want your child to know about the pregnancy from “I craved pickles and ice cream all day today,” to “I felt you kick for the first time.”
Ultimately, you should create your pregnancy album however you feel comfortable doing so. Just keep in mind that your album can answer a lot of questions that your child has about the pregnancy and birth, even details you will not remember on your own, so make sure to journal and track as many details of the journey as you can.
Images by: handmadebymeda, KooshKing
