Friday 17 June 2016

Documenting Your pregnancy !

Hello everyone! Hurray to the fact that I finally managed to find some time to blog uninterrupted! 
Baby girl is asleep, so is her daddy... such bliss ! 
Today i have decided to share a little post promoting documentation of your pregnancy ! 


 Having experienced being pregnant , I think its always a great thing to keep documenting you pregnancy. I always thought i will be really creative and will give it all about documenting it but somehow between moving house, my job, crafting commitments and running an Indian kitchen at home, made me so busy that i now feel i have not done a very good job on documenting my 9 month journey.

In retrospect here are some things that I did manage to do and some I missed that you can maybe do.

 1. Taking pictures of your bump aka Bumpfies ! 

As a pregnant lady, you will catch yourself looking in the mirror a lot for any sign of that belly.
I did it a lot, and I totally enjoyed taking pictures of my bump in the mirror or bumpfies (Selfie of a bump) not sure if that's even a word.
As busy as I was, I think I now regret not taking a picture every week!
If i were to do it again, I would take picture every week in the same spot and in the same clothing to show the substantial growth and It would have been a great idea for a time lapse video!
But here are some pictures I did manage to take while i could.
From 21st week onward I started looking really preggers !

 

2. Scrapbook 

Being a crafter, I can totally recommend scrapbooking ! If you have time on hand (apart from sleeping and eating ) do this to satisfy your creative side !
I didn't do conventional pages, but here is an example.

3. Project Life 

Well this is another form of scrapping but this can be used by everyone ! You just have to slide in pictures in pockets and journal on some cards from the project life kit. Beware that it can get a bit expensive to buy a lot of kits. Another alternative is to buy scrapbooking paper pads and cut them to the size that fit your pockets !

4. Digital Scrapbooking 

This is an option if you cant really do arts and crafts ! You can do it in minutes and will be much cost effective. Imagine doing this on your way to work in the train or a taxi ! There are many apps available for this but i picked the project life app , great free packs and you can buy some if you wish.

5. Ultrasound pictures 

It is always a good idea to get as many ultrasound pictures as you can. I bought about 3 every visit. 
I still love to look at them sometimes. And when you are pregnant those pictures make it more real. If you are anything like me, who had a bit of a hard time connecting to my baby in the belly at first. This will make it all real and give you something to imagine when you think about and talk to your baby. So go ahead ! get as many as you can ! I cant wait to show it to my baby girl when she is a bit older.

6. Write a baby Journal 

I didn't do this but it sounds like a great idea to pen down things and feelings throughout your pregnancy, with baby brain kicking in , it would be such a nice thing to read later... and you could go like - "Oh yeah, and there was this day". It should be a fun read for your partner as well. 

7. Maternity Photo shoot

Having a maternity photo shoot done is a big rage at the moment. As much as i love getting a picture taken, I didn't want to hire a professional photographer for the sole reason that its super expensive (At least where I live) But later on , wondered if I would regret not doing this. So i decide to do some DIY photography and managed to get some beautiful done. (More on that later) 

8. Blogging 

This is another way of documenting your experience, if you don't mind it sharing with the world. 
I am having fun doing this now (better late than never! ), although I am not comfortable sharing every single detail of my pregnancy, its always great to keep a record of things and ideas for next time :D isn't it ? And if it helps someone else in the process even better! 

9. Belly Casting 

I have seen a lot of beautiful belly casts and then babies getting photographed later in those. Although I am not comfortable getting one done, it is another great way of actually getting a feeling of how big you were. It is best to be done in the last few weeks of your pregnancy. 

 10. Writing letters to your baby 

This is one idea i recently heard someone say they did and i absolutely loved it ! I am bummed that i didn't think of this myself but imagine handing over letters you wrote to your baby few years down the line. So exciting ! And if you have the patience they would make really sentimental wedding gifts specially if you have a daughter.

11. Writing a Planner 

A really good friend of mine is crazy about planners and she plans every aspect of her life ! I suspect she has a list for all her lists as well !! If you are someone like her go for a baby planner ! Record the minutest detail of your day , it is quite beneficial to keep up with your water targets for the day and remembering to take your pills and stuff like that. The great thing about that there are so many amazing options for getting a planner these days its like a major art thing ! There is always a planner to go with your style. 

No matter what option you choose, definitely go for documenting your pregnancy. Because memories are all we will have. 

Until next time 
xx
PJ