Are you determined to record all the precious moments of your pregnancy? 

After two pregnancies, there are  few things I know I want to remember. I want to know the symptoms I had and when they started or eased. I want lots of photos to look back on the way my body changed and for my girls I want to make notes of the small bits of their personality that made itself known in utero.

If you're reading this and you have one child, it's hard to imagine how your next pregnancy might be different. I knew that each pregnancy was different but it wasn't until I was pregnant with my second child that I realised just how different it was. I felt my second child move at 12 weeks, where as I didn't feel my first until 15 weeks. My second child kicked all night long, where as my first child was pretty chilled and would wiggle here and there but wouldn't keep me up at night. I had horrible pubic symphysis pain during the second trimester of my second pregnancy where as the second trimester of my first pregnancy was the 'glowing' stage everyone talks about.

Now I have my two girls I can see how their personalities were formed before I even set eyes on them. My first daughter is calm and relaxed, while my second daughter is the happiest baby when she's happy, but the loudest baby when she's not! 

Vince Fleming

When your baby is born, it can take a while to process it all. The birth, the days at hospital, and the adjustment of adding a new baby into your life. In a lot of cases it can be an intense and amazing journey, and in others it can be the most traumatic and challenging few days and weeks of your life. Either way, its a big thing giving birth to another human.

There are a few key things I want to remember from those first few crazy weeks, and the major story to tell is about the birth.

 I'll talk in more detail about what to record in your birth story if you're having trouble getting started, but for now, the things I want to record are:

- The labour or lead up to a planned c-section  (time, date, story of how it started if you went into labour)

- Your feelings about the whole process while it was happening (excitement, nervousness, fear)

- The medical stuff: Was any medical intervention required? Write this down so you remember it for later pregnancies or just to tell your children later on.

- The aftermath: how did you feel when it was all over and you had your baby in your arms? I felt extreme relief, quickly followed by blissful happiness that it was all over!

Tim Bish

Going home is a moment you'll never forget, particularly with your first baby. It's the moment you realise that you're all alone looking after this tiny new life. It can be pretty scary; I know I sat in the back seat with my first daughter for the first 3 weeks of her life during every car trip!

That first bath, the first visitors, the general chaos of a new baby. Record it all. The time drags in a long sleep deprived crawl, but one day you'll emerge and want to look back on how far you've come!

All of these intense moments are why I designed our Monochrome Baby Book. I was desperate to document the massive change in my life and write it down so I'd never forget how far I've come. Look at me know! A mum of two beautiful girls with matching Baby Books! 

Do you want to see inside my Monochrome Baby Book? Watch my recent Facebook Live for a sneak peak of just a few of the pages I have finished!!