Journaling Through Pregnancy

After filling in the regular topics for a day, hone in on one that holds particular meaning for you at the moment. Just spent four hours poring over names? Put your fingers on the keyboard or on the pen. The easiest way to get flowing is to free write, or write whatever words come into your head. Start with a list of your top name choices and go wherever your mind takes you. Make a wish, write a question, record a dream. Toss aside the rules you learned about punctuation and style, and let the words fall where they may. The goal is to get it all out of you and onto the page, not to write an essay that would impress your tenth grade English teacher. By free writing, you'll capture your pure thoughts and emotions, uncensored and true.

Mark the Milestones

Milestones also serve as excellent motivators for writing. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Doctor appointments: note what you and your doctor discussed that day.
  
  
• Childbirth classes: Describe the quirky couple next to you that had you and your husband in stitches.
  
  
• Note when you start to show and relate the emotions you felt as people began to react to you as a visibly pregnant woman.
  
  
• Write a letter to your unborn child telling her how excited you are about your life together.

Make It a Daily Ritual

To ensure journaling success, make writing a daily or biweekly ritual. Try eating your breakfast bagel at the computer or take some time at your lunch break. Find a space in which you feel completely relaxed and a time that you know you can devote to a few moments of memory making. Once you've established a routine, keeping the journal will become a natural part of your life.

Today you can enjoy the opportunity journaling affords for personal reflection and reaffirmation of individuality. Years from now, you and your family will cherish the memories of an exciting time marked by growth and discovery.