You’re pregnant! What an exciting time! You’re beautiful, you’re perfect, your body is literally growing a life, a soul. It’s amazing, isn’t it? It would be a shame to go through the whole thing without taking the time to fully embrace the experience and make the most out of it. If you’re wondering HOW… I’m here to give you some ideas!
Here are some FUN & CREATIVE ways to turn your pregnancy into the magical and unforgettable experience it DESERVES to be!
Decorate your bump~
Your body is doing wonders by CREATING and growing a life. Why not honour that through creativity? Honour, adorn, and celebrate your growing bump by decorating it! You can use safe, non-toxic body paints to do this and if you already have a child (or children) you could even let them get in on the fun! If you aren’t into this idea there are less messy ways to decorate your bump too. You could use flowers, petals, pressed or fresh, ferns or other natural elements to create a mandala and take photos of it. You could also simply get creative with the use of light and shadows and take photos of different patterns of light on your belly. There are endless ways to get creative and honour your growing bump.
Journal your pregnancy~
Pregnancy is a unique experience, a time you may look back on and wish you could remember the little details or how it felt. Maybe you’ll want to look back and compare to a future pregnancy – or share your memories with your little one as they get older. A great way to keep track of it all is to create a pregnancy journal. You can track your cravings, symptoms, keep your ultrasound pictures, list your name ideas and more.
For my first pregnancy, I created my own pregnancy journal using a blank book from the dollarstore. I pasted a collage of images on the cover and just hand wrote the entire thing which was nice because I could include whatever I wanted. Here’s what the front looked like:
If you prefer to use an existing journal with prompts, you can find them at bookstores or online. If you DO enjoy a creative type of journal but don’t have the time or energy to cut and paste and collage and do it all from scratch you can check out my pregnancy journals I’ve designed which I have up for sale on Amazon (you can find them here). They’re meant to be like scrapbook/art journal style journals with pages already made for you to add in your information and photos along with blank pages so you can customize it to your liking. I created one specifically for the second child (so I could order it and use it myself for my current pregnancy!).
Here’s a preview of some of the pages:
Take weekly bump photos~
A fairly common thing to do, but not everyone does it. Taking weekly bump photos is a great way to track your growing bump and look back on how far you’ve come. I can’t help myself comparing how my bump looks between my two pregnancies! You don’t have to share these pictures with anyone, they can be personal. But you can always include them in your journal as a keepsake to look back on.
Maternity Photoshoot~
There are many ways to do this, but I highly recommend doing it in any way, shape, or form! Whether you splurge for a professional photographer, order a special gown, do the whole blissful pregnant woman in a meadow thing OR you take your own photos at home or outdoors somewhere I highly recommend capturing this part of your life. It’s such a special time and I strongly feel it’s worth remembering. Again, you don’t have share these photos if you don’t want to – you can keep them just for you or to share with your close loved ones AND your child may like to see what you looked like while pregnant with them when they grow up!
I chose to do my own pregnancy photos. I used my camera on a tripod and a remote shutter release (best invention ever haha). I also got my partner to take some. I love photography so I really loved capturing my pregnancy every step of the way. I could do endless blog posts on all the different ideas for maternity photoshoots! I chose to do mine in a forest, a landscape that I very much love.
Have fun with baby name ideas~
Personally, I’m obsessed with names and always have been. I love looking at name lists, discovering new and unique names and creating lists upon lists of them. Actually, I have collected so many names that I also have a name book for sale on Amazon! If you’re interested in unique names it might be something you’d enjoy. It’s organized by the “vibe” the name gives off- such as bohemian, surfer, cottagecore, gothic, etc. You can find it here.
You can also find plenty of name ideas on Pinterest, and name sites like Nameberry or even by doing a search on Reddit. There are also apps you can download where you and your partner can swipe names like using a dating app and you’ll see your matches to come up with a list of names you both like! It’s so fun to think about all the things you can name your baby- even the out there names you might not actually use.
Get creative with nursery planning- even get a little DIY ~
I love to use Pinterest for planning out things in a visual, aesthetically pleasing way. I collect images onto boards upon boards and have so many ideas. It’s a great way to get ideas for your nursery, for items you might need and even items you can MAKE if you’re into DIY projects.
For my first child, I created a handmade mobile out of felt. I sewed it by hand and just kind of hand drew the patterns. I felt no need to be perfect or precise. Here’s what it looked it:
I also created contrast cards by creating designs (you can use something like Canva for this) and having them printed out in a booklet from a photo printing company. There are tons of things you can create- from onesies with a cricket, to a mobile, a blanket, a book, a painting, there are no limits!
If you aren’t creative or you are but you’re just too tired right now (very understandable!) then simply have fun planning and dreaming through pinterest or wherever you like to get your inspiration from.
Self-care~
Pregnancy can be hard. Aches and pains and fatigue! Take care of yourself during this time, you deserve it! Eat healthy and nutritious meals (but treat yourself too, from time to time)! Take warm (but not TOO warm) baths, cozy up with a book or series and get the rest you need.
Take an online course or workshop~
If you check online events through Facebook or a google search sometimes you can discover interesting online talks, workshops or events relating to pregnancy. If you’re into spirituality you might find topics relating to pregnancy and spirituality or if you’re interested in birthing methods you can sometimes find workshops on that and managing pain. There’s a lot of interesting information out there, but sometimes it takes some digging and research to find it. You can sometimes find things by following pregnancy related pages online, for example. There are often birthing classes available in person too depending on your location.
