There is so much to document at the birth of a child, I thought I would dedicate an entirely separate page just to the birth of a child.

Suggestions

Take your scrapbook to the hospital with you for your guests and visitors to sign. It could be a simple registry, or notes to baby from each visitor. Some albums come with pre-printed pages for this purpose, or you can create a page yourself.

Take a ziploc bag to enclose memorabilia from the hospital to include in the baby's album, and label it so that it will not be thrown away accidentally.

Photos:

leaving for the hospital, bags packed

 

• journaling
  • when/how you found out you were pregnant, and how you felt
  • reactions of people you told
  • finding out baby's gender, including "old wives tales"
  • baby name debate
  • anything on your mind!
  • pregnancy symptoms
  • food cravings
  • baby dreams you have
• record your stats from the dr's office--weight, bp, etc. (it's interesting to look back on, and if your baby is a girl she might like to compare her pregnancy to yours someday)
• poetry, such as this ultrasound poem or songs, such as Elton John's "Blessed" or Creed's "Arms Wide Open" or Rod Stewart's "Forever Young"
• Photos to include
  • positive pregnancy test
  • mom (and dad) the day you found out
  • mom at regular intervals, whether it's weekly or monthly or by trimester--from the side please!
  • dad (or mom) assembling baby furniture
  • decorating the nursery, finished nursery
  • baby showers--the hostesses, the guests, the gifts, the food, the games
  • ultrasound photos - notorious for deteriorating much more rapidly than photos. To increase the longevity of your ultrasounds, consider preserving them by scanning them into your computer and/or using a photo kiosk (like the one at Wal-Mart) to make actual photographic prints of your ultrasounds
  • siblings with mommy's tummy
  • Professional portraits--many women have professional portraits done of themselves alone, or with the father, or with older children, with the focus on mommy's tummy. I've seen some really nice ones done with window light.
• Memorabilia--this one's wide open! Just be sure that your memorabilia does not touch your photos, in case it contains harmful chemicals that could destroy your photos. There are many clear plastic envelopes on the market that are ideal for displaying memorabilia
  • some pregnancy tests come with "keepsake indicators"
  • receipts or tags from maternity clothes or nursery items
  • swatches of fabric from maternity clothes or nursery items, or paint chip or wallpaper from nursery
  • shower invitations, cards
• Calendar Pages -- use these to record special dates, such as
  • the day you found out you were pregnant
  • doctors appointments--mommy's weight gain, baby's heart rate, special comments by doctor
  • when you told family & friends
  • due date, and actual birth date
  • date you chose baby name
  • what Mommy was feeling like - things that made her feel nausea
  • shower dates
  • decorating the nursery

Materials

• album - for a pregnancy scrapbook which is separate from the baby album, I recommend a 5x7 album. There are several on the market. or a  top-loading album
• adhesive - look for adhesive in the scrapbooking section of your local hobby store or Wal-Mart, or even some drug stores and grocery stores. Scrapbooking adhesives are acid and lignen free and photo-safe. They are designed to last for a long time without damaging your photos or memorabilia--"photo splits" and "tape runners" are the most common and popular.
• paper - both albums mentioned come with white cardstock pages, but you may wish to substitue different colors or even patterned paper for backgrounds (as I did in mine). Just be sure the paper or cardstock you select is both acid-free and lignen-free.
• journaling pen - buy a pen sold in the scrapbooking section - or look for one that promises to be light-proof, waterproof, fade resistant, acid-free, archival, etc.
• stickers - if you choose to use stickers, be sure they are acid-free!
• die cuts - there are many die cuts on the market featuring baby stuff, and several silhouettes of pregnant women
• paper dolls - you can purchase them or customize your own. The book "Bring Your Punches To Life! How to Make Paper Dolls Using Craft Punches" has several cute pregnant dolls as well as babies, families, and lots more.

Page Ideas (not all are original, many have been collected from internet bulletin boards)

• Ultrasounds
  • A Womb With A View (great for peek-a-boos)
  • Sneak Preview
  • Under Construction
  • Baby On Board
  • Ps 139:13-14 "For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mothers womb. I priase you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
  • Inside and Out
  • Pink or Blue, we love you
  • Coming Soon (like a movie theater attraction)
  • A Pea in the Pod (visit the layout section of http://www.dmarie.com for examples of this layout--they're adorable!)
  • Baby Specialty Shops sells several ultrasound frames, you could get some ideas and quotes here
• Pregnant bellies
  • many of the above ideas work well
  • Blooming Bellies - take a photo each month, silhouette the pictures and use gardening pots (clay pots) across the bottom of the page and on each pot label the time frame ie. one month two months etc.... then cut out a stick different lenghts so the pictures are kind of staggered across the page and put a pregnant belly picture on each stick
  • Weighting for You - include bathroom scale die-cut