Choosing a pregnancy journal is less about finding the prettiest cover. It is about finding a format you will want to keep using.
Some journals ask you to write every week. Others use monthly prompts. Some mix memories with pregnancy planning. Some let you save memories from your phone, add photos as you go, then print the finished story later.
We compared seven pregnancy journals that appear in Australian search results. We focused on the differences that matter in real life: how often you write, what happens when you miss entries, how much guidance you get, how photos are added, what memories are covered, and what the finished keepsake looks like.
Disclosure: Makia publishes this guide and makes one of the products below. We have not named Makia the overall winner. We have included its trade-offs alongside its strengths.
Quick answer: which pregnancy journal is best for you?
| If you want… | Start with… |
|---|---|
| Flexible digital journalling you can catch up on later | Makia Baby Bump Journal |
| A monthly physical pregnancy journal | Peachly Audrey |
| A compact weekly pregnancy journal with room to write | Write To Me Bump |
| A compact journal + pregnancy planner | Blossom & Pear Hello Little Mama |
| A large week-by-week bump-photo journal | Vanda Baby Pregnancy Journal Planner |
| Fertility through pregnancy and postnatal coverage | Forget Me Not Made With Love |
| A personalised physical pregnancy gift | Martha Brook Pregnancy Journal and Organiser |
There is no single best pregnancy journal for everyone.
A weekly journal can give you a useful routine and a detailed record. It can also leave more blanks if you fall behind. A monthly journal asks less often, but may feel too broad if you want to record small changes. A digital journal makes catch-up and phone photos easier, but you do not have a paper book in your hands from day one.
The better question is:
Which format fits the way you want to remember your pregnancy?
How we researched this guide
- Australian search results
- Official product research
- Parent discussions
- Exact-product customer reviews
Australian search results helped us choose products buyers here are likely to find. Official product pages established the facts; parent discussions and exact-product reviews, where reliable, helped us identify the usage trade-offs that matter.
Sources and research dates
Our research was updated on , and competitor prices were rechecked against official seller pages on . We show regular prices where a seller lists a temporary sale. Prices and availability may change; check the seller's current details before buying.
- Product facts: the official product pages linked in the comparison table and each review. We used these for writing frequency, prompts, photos, planning pages and format.
- Customer experiences: reviews attributable to the exact journals, including Peachly Audrey, Write To Me Bump and Forget Me Not Made With Love. Follow the product-page links in those reviews to check the seller's product information and available customer reviews. These are individual experiences, not proof that everyone will finish the journal. We did not use general brand reviews as evidence about a specific product.
- Parent discussions: a September 2026 qualitative review of 17 pregnancy and baby-memory-book discussions, including an Australian pregnancy-journal discussion (opens in a new tab) and a discussion about simple pregnancy journals (opens in a new tab). These helped identify practical concerns; they are not a survey of all parents.
Which type of pregnancy journal suits you?
Do you want a physical journal from day one?
Physical book from day one
- Monthly physical entries
- Peachly Audrey
- Compact weekly memories
- Write To Me Bump
- Large weekly bump-photo journal
- Vanda Baby
- Compact journal + planner
- Blossom & Pear
- Personalised gift
- Martha Brook
- Fertility through postnatal
- Forget Me Not
Phone-first, catch up as you go
- Catch-up + phone photos + contributors + print later
- Makia
This map is deliberately simple. It does not show every feature. It shows the biggest differences in how the journals are used.
Before you choose, ask yourself these four questions
1. How often will I realistically write?
This is one of the biggest differences.
Several physical journals use fixed weekly pages. That gives you a clear rhythm and can help turn journalling into a habit. It also means a missed week stays visible unless you go back and fill it in later.
Peachly uses monthly updates. Makia is organised around pregnancy memories and themes rather than a fixed week-by-week spread.
If you like routines and want small changes recorded, weekly pages may be a good fit. If the thought of catching up already sounds stressful, look closely at how often you will write before anything else.
A usage trade-off, not a ranking
Structure can help: routine, detail and a reminder to keep going.
Flexibility can help: easier catch-up and fewer visible blanks.
2. Do I want prompts, or do I want freedom?
A blank notebook gives you freedom, but you have to decide what to write every time.
Prompts make that easier. But too many fixed questions can make a journal feel like homework.
The useful distinction is not simply “more prompts” or “fewer prompts.” It is whether the prompts give you enough help while still leaving room for your own story.
If you want help deciding what to record, read our guide to what to write in a pregnancy journal.
3. Do I want printing photos to be part of the ritual?
With a physical journal, photos usually need to be selected, printed and attached.
For some people, that is part of the appeal. A paper journal can hold bump photos, ultrasound prints, handwritten notes and small mementos.
For others, printing is the extra step that stops the journal getting finished.
If most of your pregnancy photos already live in your camera roll, check the photo workflow before you buy.
Digital
- Phone photo
- Upload
- Arrange
- Edit later
- PDF / optional print
Physical
- Choose photo
- Trim if needed
- Attach
- Store scans or mementos
Neither workflow is automatically better. Printing can be part of the ritual; direct upload removes an extra production step.
4. Am I buying it for myself or as a gift?
These are not always the same job.
A journal can make a beautiful pregnancy gift because of its cover, personalisation and presentation. That does not automatically mean it will suit the way the recipient likes to write.
If you are buying for yourself, focus first on writing frequency, prompts and photos. If you are buying for someone else, gift presentation and personalisation may matter more.
Pregnancy journal comparison
Competitor prices and stock can change. Recheck them before buying.
| Journal | Best for | Writing frequency | Format | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makia | Flexible digital catch-up | Flexible, by memory or theme | Digital + optional print | A$60 digital |
| Peachly Audrey (opens in a new tab) | Monthly physical journal | Monthly | Physical | A$59.95 |
| Write To Me Bump (opens in a new tab) | Compact weekly ritual | Weekly | Physical | A$42.95 |
| Blossom & Pear (opens in a new tab) | Journal + planner | Fortnightly → weekly | Physical | A$39.95 regular |
| Vanda Baby (opens in a new tab) | Weekly bump-photo record | Weekly | A4 physical | A$59.95 |
| Forget Me Not (opens in a new tab) | Trying to conceive through postnatal | Weekly | Physical | A$69 |
| Martha Brook (opens in a new tab) | Personalised gift | Weekly | Physical | A$69.95 |
The seven reviews below follow the comparison order above — not a ranking.
Product 1 of 7
Makia Baby Bump Journal
Best for: flexible digital journalling, photo collages and catching up later
Makia's Baby Bump Journal is the outlier in this comparison because it starts digitally rather than as a blank physical book.
You add memories from a phone, tablet or computer. The journal uses guided prompts, photos, dates and short answers. It is organised around pregnancy memories and themes rather than one fixed spread for every week.
That makes it easier to start with what is happening now, then go back to earlier memories later.
What stands out
- You can catch up without clearing a run of blank weekly pages.
- You can add memories later and edit them before downloading or printing the journal.
- Photos come straight from your device.
- You can upload pregnancy photos and use supported multi-photo layouts. You do not need to print each photo before it can go into the journal.
- It includes family-history content.
- Makia includes a dedicated family tree plus prompts about parents, family role models and how the parents met. It is the only verified dedicated family-tree feature in this seven-product comparison. That does not prove the other journals have no family-tree page. Not every competitor shows every interior page online.
- Other people can add their own memories.
- A partner or loved one can contribute photos and memories to the same journal.
- Your memories are not tied to one paper book.
- The journal is created digitally. Once purchased, the finished journal can be downloaded as a PDF, so you can keep copies in more than one place.
- You can print it later.
- The completed journal can also be ordered as a personalised linen hardcover.
What to consider
You do not get a paper journal at the start.
If handwriting, sticking in original ultrasound prints or storing small physical mementos is part of the experience you want, a paper journal may suit you better.
Makia has fewer pregnancy-planning tools than several physical journals in this guide. Our journal does not include appointment trackers, hospital checklists or detailed birth-planning sections.
The printed result also costs more than buying a ready-made blank pregnancy journal.
Current Makia pricing:
- Digital Baby Bump Journal, including a downloadable PDFA$60
- Hardcover preorder — save A$43A$154 extra
- Hardcover ordered laterA$197 extra
Best choice if: you want to record pregnancy from your phone, expect to catch up at times, want flexible photo layouts, or want a partner or family member to contribute.
Product 2 of 7
Peachly Audrey Pregnancy Journal
Best for: a monthly physical pregnancy journal with generous photo space
Peachly's Audrey Pregnancy Journal (opens in a new tab) uses monthly pregnancy updates rather than a fixed entry for every week.
It covers finding out, milestones, appointments, ultrasounds, trimester memories, preparing for birth, bringing baby home and a letter to baby.
What stands out
- Monthly rather than weekly.
- This asks for fewer entries than the other physical journals in the comparison. That can suit someone who wants a paper journal without committing to 30-plus weekly entries.
- Open photo areas.
- The journal gives you open physical photo space rather than making every image fit one small box.
- Physical memento storage.
- There is a keepsake envelope for scans, notes and small pregnancy mementos.
Peachly also says the journal can be filled in later, which matters if pregnancy is already underway when you buy it.
What to consider
Monthly is not automatically better.
If you want to record small week-by-week changes, a monthly entry may feel too broad. Customer reviews also show that some buyers like the simpler rhythm while others want more frequent reflection.
Photos still need to be printed and attached. That may be part of the fun, or it may be the extra job you want to avoid.
Price when checked: A$59.95
Best choice if: you want a physical pregnancy journal but prefer monthly entries over a fixed weekly routine.
Product 3 of 7
Write To Me — Bump. A Pregnancy Story
Best for: a compact weekly pregnancy journal with room to write
Write To Me's Bump. A Pregnancy Story (opens in a new tab) follows the classic week-by-week pregnancy-journal format.
It includes weekly pregnancy updates and bump-photo pages, plus sections for appointments, birth plans, names, nursery plans and shopping lists.
What stands out
- It gives you a clear weekly ritual.
- A weekly page can feel like a commitment, but it can also be the reminder that helps you keep going. Customer reviews for this journal include people who enjoy writing in it regularly and using the weekly structure as part of the pregnancy.
- It gives you guidance without filling every line for you.
- The journal combines prompts with open writing space. That gives you more freedom than a book made only from fixed questions.
- It is compact.
- At 146 × 190 mm, it is much smaller than Vanda Baby's A4 journal.
- The photo pages can become part of the ritual.
- Reviewers describe using the journal for bump photos, Polaroids and other small memories.
What to consider
The same weekly structure that creates a routine also creates more fixed points to fill.
If you miss several weeks, the chronology stays visible unless you go back later. The product page does not make the same explicit catch-up promise as Makia or Peachly.
Photos also need to be printed and attached by hand.
Price when checked: A$42.95
Best choice if: you want a compact handwritten record and like the idea of sitting down with the journal each week.
Product 4 of 7
Blossom & Pear — Hello Little Mama
Best for: a compact pregnancy journal and planner
Hello Little Mama (opens in a new tab) combines pregnancy memories with planning pages.
It starts with fortnightly entries from weeks 4–12, then moves to weekly entries from weeks 13–41. It also includes trimester reflections, an appointment book, shopping lists, preparation pages and a birth plan.
What stands out
- It is a journal and organiser in one book.
- If you want memories and pregnancy planning kept together, this is one of the clearer all-in-one options.
- There are fewer entries in the early weeks.
- Entries are fortnightly in the early weeks before the journal moves to a weekly rhythm.
It also includes a cotton drawstring pouch that can keep small mementos with the book.
What to consider
There is a lot in one small book.
That may be useful if you want one place for memories, appointments, lists and birth planning. If you only want a simple keepsake, you may not use all of the planning pages.
Regular price: A$39.95
Best choice if: you want journalling and pregnancy planning together in one compact physical book.
Product 5 of 7
Vanda Baby Pregnancy Journal Planner
Best for: a large week-by-week bump-photo record
Vanda Baby's Pregnancy Journal Planner (opens in a new tab) is built around a detailed weekly pregnancy record.
The A4 journal starts weekly pages from week 6 and gives you a bump-photo page for every week. It also includes appointments, a shopping checklist, baby-shower details, a birth plan and a letter to baby.
What stands out
- There is a bump-photo page for every week.
- If a visible week-by-week pregnancy sequence is one of the main things you want, Vanda gives it a lot of room.
- The A4 format gives you more page space.
- That can suit buyers who want a substantial pregnancy book with room for writing and printed photos.
- Planning is built in.
- The journal also includes practical pregnancy pages, not only memories.
What to consider
The weekly photo structure works best if you actually want to take and print regular bump photos.
If you do not, some of that fixed space may be less useful to you.
The A4 format also needs more storage than a compact journal.
The brand's separate Baby Journal includes a family tree, but we did not verify a family tree in this Pregnancy Journal Planner.
Price when checked: A$59.95
Best choice if: you want a large physical journal built around weekly writing and a visible bump-photo sequence.
Product 6 of 7
Forget Me Not — Pregnancy Journal: Made With Love
Best for: pre-conception, pregnancy and postnatal reflection in one book
Forget Me Not's Made With Love Pregnancy Journal (opens in a new tab) has the broadest life-stage scope in this comparison.
It starts before pregnancy with fertility and trying-to-conceive content. It continues through pregnancy with weekly prompts, appointments, scans and birth preparation, then moves into postnatal reflection.
What stands out
- It starts before the positive test.
- This is the only journal in the group where fertility, cycle tracking and trying to conceive are an established part of the product.
- It keeps memories and planning together.
- The journal includes a health diary, midwife notes, appointments, screenings, partner notes, hospital lists, baby-shopping lists and birth-planning content.
- The breadth is the point.
- Customer reviews we checked included buyers who valued having fertility notes, pregnancy reflection, practical lists and partner memories in one place.
- Later starts are supported.
- The brand says parents can begin later and mentions printable pages for the earliest stage of pregnancy.
Optional gold-foil monogramming is available.
What to consider
This is a detailed journal.
That depth can be a strength if you want one book to cover the whole journey. If you mainly want a short pregnancy keepsake, it may be more structure than you need.
Official regular price when checked: A$69
Best choice if: you want one structured physical record that starts with trying to conceive or fertility and continues through pregnancy and early postnatal reflection.
Product 7 of 7
Martha Brook Personalised Pregnancy Journal and Organiser
Best for: a personalised pregnancy gift
Martha Brook's Personalised Pregnancy Journal and Organiser (opens in a new tab) puts personalisation and gift presentation at the centre.
It covers pregnancy through weekly spreads, ultrasound details, appointments, trimester reflections, hospital packing, to-do lists and extra notes.
What stands out
- Personalisation is a core feature.
- The cover can be personalised with a name, pair of names or initials. An optional message can also be added inside.
- It is an organiser as well as a journal.
- It includes appointments, lists and weekly reflections.
- It has a built-in keepsake pocket.
- That gives you a place for ultrasound prints, notes and other small paper mementos.
What to consider
At A$69.95 when checked, Martha Brook had the highest regular price among the ready-made physical journals in this guide.
It also uses weekly spreads, so the usual weekly-writing trade-off applies. Weekly pages give you structure, but they leave more fixed entries to catch up on if you miss them.
The product page did not show some details as clearly as the other journals, including exact photo capacity.
Price when checked: A$69.95, with an optional inside-page message at extra cost.
Best choice if: you are buying a personalised pregnancy gift or want a physical organiser with a keepsake pocket.
Choose based on how you want to use it
There is no overall winner. The best fit depends on the routine and keepsake you actually want.
Digital pregnancy journal or paper pregnancy journal?
Neither format is automatically better.
A paper journal gives you something physical from the beginning. You can handwrite entries, keep original scans and mementos inside it, and slowly build the book during pregnancy.
A digital journal removes some practical steps. Photos can come straight from your phone. Entries can be edited later. Missing a week does not have to leave an obvious blank page.
But printing photos is not always a downside. Some people enjoy choosing prints, sticking them into the book and building the keepsake by hand.
If you choose digital, also check whether you can download your finished journal as an independent file. A phone-first workflow is useful, but your finished keepsake should not depend only on one app staying online.
The best format is the one whose workflow fits your life.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best pregnancy journal in Australia?
There is no universal best choice.
Peachly has the least frequent writing schedule among physical journals in this comparison. Write To Me suits a compact weekly writing ritual. Vanda Baby is built for a large week-by-week photo record. Forget Me Not has the broadest fertility-to-postnatal scope. Blossom & Pear and Martha Brook combine memories with planning.
Makia is the clearest fit in this group if you want phone-first capture, digital photos, catch-up flexibility and the option to print later.
What should I look for in a pregnancy journal?
Start with how often you will write.
Ask how often the journal expects you to write. Then look at prompt style, catch-up options and photo workflow.
After that, compare planning features, memory scope, physical keepsake storage, personalisation and total cost.
Is a weekly pregnancy journal too much work?
Not necessarily.
A weekly journal can help create a routine and capture small changes you may forget later.
The trade-off is that there are more fixed entries to fill. If missing weeks will bother you, a monthly or more flexible format may suit you better.
Can I start a pregnancy journal late?
Yes.
Makia supports starting now and adding earlier memories later. Peachly says its journal can be filled in retrospectively. Forget Me Not also supports later starts.
For other fixed weekly journals, you may still be able to go back and fill earlier pages, but we did not find the same clear catch-up promise in their product information.
Which pregnancy journal is best for photos?
It depends on whether you want digital photos or physical prints.
Vanda Baby gives you a bump-photo page for every week from week 6. Peachly uses open photo areas and includes a keepsake envelope. Write To Me includes weekly photo pages in a compact journal.
Makia lets you upload photos from your device and use supported multi-photo layouts instead of printing each image first.
Which pregnancy journals include a family tree?
Makia is the only journal in this seven-product comparison where we verified a dedicated family-tree feature in the pregnancy journal itself.
We did not verify family-tree sections in the six physical pregnancy journals. That does not prove they all lack one because not every interior page is shown online.
Vanda Baby does include a family tree in its separate Baby Journal.
Which pregnancy journal is best if I do not like writing much?
Peachly has the least frequent writing schedule among physical journals in this comparison because it uses monthly rather than weekly updates.
Makia is another option if the bigger problem is sitting down with a paper journal. Entries can be made from your phone, can be short, and can be added later.
If you still want a weekly book, look at how prescriptive the prompts are. A weekly journal with open writing space may suit you better than one with many fixed questions.
Do I need to print photos for a pregnancy journal?
For a traditional paper journal, usually yes.
That may be part of the experience you want. Physical prints, ultrasound scans and handwritten notes can make the finished book feel very personal.
With Makia, photos are uploaded digitally and can be arranged into supported layouts. The finished journal can be kept as a PDF or ordered as a printed hardcover later.
A pregnancy journal should make remembering easier
A good pregnancy journal should fit your life, not make you feel behind.
If a weekly ritual sounds exciting, choose a journal that gives you that structure. If handwriting and physical mementos matter, choose a book that makes room for them. If most of your memories already live on your phone, choose a workflow that makes those memories easy to add.
Makia's Baby Bump Journal uses guided pregnancy prompts, digital photos and collages, family-history memories, contributions from people you love, later editing, PDF download and optional printing.
Explore the Makia Baby Bump Journal14-day free trial. No card needed.