https://lestallion.com/collections/journal-notebook-for-expectant-mothers
Discovering the profound power of journaling during pregnancy might just transform your entire experience of motherhood. We journey deep into how this simple practice creates a lifeline for expectant mothers navigating the emotional whirlwind and practical challenges of pregnancy.
Pregnancy brings a complex emotional landscape – excitement and joy intertwined with uncertainty and anxiety. Through real stories like Emily's, who found tremendous relief in having a private space to acknowledge feeling overwhelmed despite societal pressure to always appear "glowing," we explore how journaling externalizes these swirling emotions. This simple act of putting pen to paper can significantly reduce emotional intensity and promote wellbeing during this vulnerable time.
Beyond emotional support, a quality pregnancy journal becomes your command center. We examine how features like Listallion's thick 120 GSM paper (preventing ink bleed when jotting notes during doctor visits), soft faux leather covers (providing tactile comfort), numbered pages, and built-in organization systems transform scattered pregnancy planning into a cohesive system. From tracking appointments and symptoms to planning nurseries and finalizing birth plans, this centralization reduces mental load when cognitive resources are already stretched thin.
The journaling journey evolves beautifully through each trimester – from first-trimester symptom tracking to second-trimester planning and third-trimester birth preparation – ultimately creating a comprehensive narrative of your entire pregnancy. We share how this practice often continues seamlessly into the postpartum period, supporting emotional processing while documenting precious baby milestones. Whether you're expecting or supporting someone who is, consider how a dedicated journal might become not just a notebook, but a trusted companion on this transformative journey. What deeper insights about your own resilience and growth might you discover through this reflective practice?
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LeStallion offers premium PU leather journal notebooks for writing, dedicated to all those who are pursuing their dreams and goals, or nurturing their personal development and mental health.
For More Info on LeStallion, check out:
https://lestallion.com/
Episode Transcript
Welcome back to the Deep Dive.
Today we're focusing onsomething well pretty profound
really the journey of expectantmotherhood.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
And specifically how something as simple as a journal
can play a surprisingly bigrole.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Exactly, pregnancy is such a transformative time
right, full of massive changes,a whole spectrum of emotions.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Absolutely Highs, lows, anxieties, pure joy, it's
all in there.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
So if you're looking to kind of cut through the noise
and get a real handle on whyjournaling helps during this
time, well, that's what thisdeep dive is for.
We've done the legwork.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yep Sifted through the info to pull out the core
insights for you.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
And you know regular listeners will know we've looked
at listallion journals beforewe're familiar with them.
We are, and their design reallyseems to click for this kind of
reflective practice.
Definitely, when you thinkabout the features in the
context of pregnancy, it makessense.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Take the paper, for instance, that 120 GSM ivory
paper.
It's thick.
Right, so no ink bleedingthrough or smudging, which you
know might seem small, but ifyou're feeling nauseous or just
trying to jot something downquickly might seem small, but if
you're feeling nauseous or justtrying to jot something down
quickly, it makes the actual actof writing smoother, less fussy
, and the soft faux leathercover.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
Oh yeah, that tactile comfort that can be well really
grounding when everything elsefeels like it's changing.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
It can.
Okay.
So the mission today Understandwhy a journal, notebook is more
than just paper and binding forexpectant mothers.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Let's dive in.
First stop, the emotionaljourney.
It's often called a rollercoaster, and for good reason
Totally.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
There's excitement, sure, but also uncertainty,
anxiety about what's coming,maybe even fear.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
All of that.
It's a huge adjustment, andthat's where journaling comes in
, providing this dedicatedprivate space.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
That place to just let it all out, to process those
really complex, sometimescontradictory feelings, without
any judgment.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
When you write it down, it's almost like you give
it form, doesn't it?
It's not just swirling in yourhead anymore.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Exactly, you externalize it, and that simple
act of naming the feeling,acknowledging it on paper, can
actually dial down the intensityof it.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
It promotes that emotional well-being which is so
crucial during pregnancy.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
It makes me think of my sister, emily.
First baby usually superorganized, but pregnancy just it
threw her emotionally.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Oh, yeah, how so.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Well, she felt this pressure, you know, to be
glowing and happy all the time,but underneath she was actually
quite anxious about a lot ofthings.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Things she didn't feel she could maybe talk about
easily.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Exactly, Her midwife suggested journaling and,
honestly, Emily was skeptical atfirst, like oh great, another
thing to do.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
Ha, I can imagine.
Speaker 1 (02:39):
But she started small , just a few minutes, sometimes
just a word describing her mood,and she told me later it became
this lifeline, this completelysafe space to admit she felt
overwhelmed or scared.
It provided this huge sense ofrelief, just getting it out.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
That's a perfect example, that consistent private
release.
Okay.
So beyond the emotional side,there's the whole practical
aspect too.
Right, pregnancy involves a lotof planning.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Oh, my goodness, yes, appointments, tests, tracking
things.
A journal can become like acentral command center.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
A pregnancy planner.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Totally.
Think about doctor'sappointments, ultrasounds.
You need to track dates,remember questions, write down
what the doctor said.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
And keep it all in one place, not scattered notes
everywhere.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Right.
And symptoms Morning sickness,fatigue, those weird cravings.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Journaling helps you spot patterns there, doesn't it
Like?
Maybe you notice your nausea isworse after certain foods or
when you're tired.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Exactly which helps you manage it better.
Then there's the fun stuff likenursery ideas, baby shower
planning.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
Birth plans, hospital bag, checklists, deciding
between, say, vaginal birth or aC-section, all those details.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Budgeting too Baby gear, postpartum stuff it adds
up.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
And this is where those Lestallion features really
shine.
You know the built-in table ofcontents, the numbered pages.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Ah, yeah, so you can easily find your appointment
notes from week 12 or jumpstraight to your birth plan
section.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Makes it super organized and the back pocket
perfect for appointment cards.
Maybe an ultrasound picture?
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Little scraps of inspiration for the nursery.
It turns it into a properorganizer.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
It really does A one-stop shop.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
I remember helping a friend plan her baby shower way
back when, before these kinds ofdedicated journals were maybe
as common.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Oh, yeah, chaos.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Total chaos.
Sticky notes everywhere, listson napkins Trying to coordinate
the guest list and gifts was anightmare.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Uh-huh Been there.
Having one structured journallike that would have saved so
much stress it really reducesthat mental load right when
there's already so much elsegoing on.
Okay, so how does this changethrough the pregnancy, the
trimesters, Good question.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Each one has its own focus, its own challenges.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
First trimester.
Often that's about dealing withthose intense early symptoms,
yeah, and just adjustingemotionally.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Right.
So journaling, then, might bemore about tracking how you feel
physically day to day, notingthe morning sickness, the
tiredness.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Which again helps you understand your body better and
gives you concrete info foryour doctor.
You might spot those triggersor patterns.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Exactly Then.
The second trimester oftenbrings a bit more energy.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Usually yeah, the golden trimester for some.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
So the focus might shift more towards planning,
brainstorming, nursery themes,researching strollers,
organizing shower details.
The journal becomes a projectplanner.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Capturing all those ideas before they vanish.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Totally, and then third trimester, things get real
.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Uh-huh Labor prep, maybe birthing classes.
Final checklists.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
Finalizing that birth plan becomes key.
Journaling can be huge here forworking through anxieties about
labor, clarifying your wishes.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Reducing stress by feeling prepared.
Speaker 1 (05:46):
Definitely and looking back across all three
trimesters, that consistentrecord.
It builds this incrediblepersonal narrative of the whole
journey.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
It's that cumulative story it's not just isolated
moments which brings us back topersonal stories like your
sister's.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Yeah, or actually I was thinking about a colleague,
sarah.
She also found journalingincredibly helpful, maybe in a
slightly different way.
Tell me more.
She had some healthcomplications during her
pregnancy so there was a lot offear and uncertainty involved.
She actually used a listallionjournal and she mentioned
specifically how the soft coverfelt comforting to hold during
anxious moments and the pagesthose 7.5 millimeter lines felt
(06:27):
easy to write on even when shewas physically exhausted.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
That makes sense, the physical object itself
providing comfort.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Right and she said, writing down her fears, even the
ones that felt maybe irrationalor silly to say out loud.
It helped her feel less alonewith them, like the journal
could handle it.
Speaker 2 (06:42):
A safe confidant.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Exactly, and she used the numbered pages and table of
contents, like we talked about,to organize questions for every
single doctor's appointment.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
So it helped her feel more prepared, more in control.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Precisely when so much else fell out of her
control, that organization wasempowering.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
That's a great illustration of how the future
support both the emotional andthe practical needs.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
And she didn't stop.
After the baby arrived, shekept journaling.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Into the postpartum period.
That's really interesting.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Yeah, she said it was invaluable during those first
few wild weeks, tracking,feeding, sure, but more
importantly, processing themassive emotional shift.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Oh, absolutely that postpartum phase is a whole new
journey.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
She wrote about the incredible love, but also the
sheer exhaustion, the moments ofdoubt, acknowledging the whole
messy, beautiful reality of it.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Without feeling like she had to pretend everything
was perfect.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
The continuation is so key because the journey
doesn't end at birth.
There's recovery, bonding,adjusting, it's intense.
Journaling provides that samegrounding.
Then Reflecting on how you'refeeling physically and
emotionally, noting the baby'slittle milestones, the rewarding
moments, the challenges.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
It's a way to navigate it all.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
And having a familiar , comfortable journal like the
listallion she was already usingit just makes it easier to keep
up that self-care practice.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
That soft cover again .
Maybe nice to hold during alate night feeding while you jot
down a thought.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Could be.
It becomes part of the healingand adjustment.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
So when you put it all together, a pregnancy
journal is just so much morethan a notebook.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
It really is.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
It's self-expression, it's organization, it's
emotional support, it's memorykeeping all rolled into one and
the Listallion ones with thatspecific design focus, the
quality paper, the cover, theorganizational bits.
They really facilitate thatwhole experience, make it
smoother, maybe more fulfilling.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
They seem tailored for it, rather than just being a
generic notebook you happen touse.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Right, so you know if you're expecting or you know
someone who is maybe think abouta journal.
It's more than just a gift,it's an invitation.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
An invitation to connect with yourself during
this incredible time and tocreate something really precious
for the future.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Definitely a treasure trove of memories.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So here's a final thought to leave you with
memories.
So here's a final thought toleave you with Beyond just
recording what happens day today, what deeper insights might
you uncover about your ownresilience, your growth, the
whole shift into parenthood, ifyou commit to that consistent
journaling practice duringpregnancy and beyond?
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Hmm, something to ponder.
What might you discover aboutyourself?
A powerful question.
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