75 Pregnancy Bucket List Ideas (You'll Actually Want To Do)

You're pregnant. And somewhere between the nausea and the to-do lists and the unsolicited advice and the 3am googling — you've had this quiet thought: I don't want to just get through this. I want to actually live it. This pregnancy bucket list is for that version of you...

The one who knows that nine months is not a waiting room. That this season - every exhausting, tender, terrifying, miraculous minute of it - deserves to be shown up for.

From the deeply personal to the wildly adventurous, each section is designed to meet you where you are —because some days you'll want to climb a mountain (metaphorically, of course), and other days you'll want to sob over a bath bomb and a good documentary. Both are valid. Both are on this list.

The goal isn't to do everything — it's to do enough that when your child grows up and asks "What was it like when you were pregnant with me?", you have stories that make their eyes go wide. Funny ones. Tender ones. The kind that become family legend.

So grab a cup of raspberry leaf tea (or a sensible decaf), get comfortable, and let's build your pregnancy story — one bucket list item at a time.

Written by Ell — Specialist Self Love Coach, Certified in Strategic Intervention (Robbins-Madanes Training) and author of the Love Yourself book series. | Founder of Your Self Love Story

A gentle note: this post is for inspiration, not medical advice. Every pregnancy is different — always check with your midwife or GP if you're unsure about anything — especially if your pregnancy is high-risk or complicated.

How to Use This Bucket List

A few things worth knowing before you start:

This list is not a to-do list. It's not a performance. You are not being graded on how many you tick off, and nobody is keeping score. It exists for two reasons: so that you actually experience this season — not just survive it — and so that when your baby is old enough to ask what your pregnancy was like, you have something to tell them. Both matter. You matter.

Use it however works for you:

• Read through the whole thing first and circle the ones that make your heart jump — those are your starting points.

• Work through it chapter by chapter, one category at a time.

• Dip in and out whenever you need inspiration or a gentle nudge to do something just for you.

• Skip anything that doesn't feel right for your pregnancy.

Every pregnancy is different. This list bends to yours — not the other way around.

A note on the categories: the eight chapters are loosely organised by theme, not by trimester. Some items are about rest and restoration - for you. Some are about adventure and memory-making - for both of you. Some are about the relationships and legacy that will outlast the nine months. All of them are about living this pregnancy fully, not just getting through it.

And one more thing — the items on this list aren't just things to do. They're things to document, remember, and one day share. Which is why we've also created a printable journal version of this list, with a dedicated page for every single experience. I'll link to that below for you.

For now — welcome. You're in exactly the right place.

From the creator behind a self-love platform read by 7.5 million women worldwide

The Pregnancy Bucket List Journal — Now Available as a Printable

Everything on this list, beautifully designed and ready to print. The full 75-item journal includes a photo slot on every page (yes, a real 6×4 printed photo), space to write how it felt, who you were with, and the date — so every experience becomes a keepsake, not just a memory. Plus a master checklist, 8 category reference guides, and blank pages to add your own ideas.

Print it at home. Fill it in as you go. Hand it to your child one day.

What's inside:

• ✦ 75 individual journal pages — one per experience

• ✦ A real 6×4 photo slot on every single page

• ✦ Date, weeks pregnant, who you were with, how it felt

• ✦ Master checklist for all 75 items

• ✦ 8 beautifully designed category guides

• ✦ Blank pages to add your own ideas — print as many as you need

→ Get My Pregnancy Bucket List Journal — Instant Download

Instant download. Print as many copies as you need. Yours forever. ✨

75 Pregnancy Bucket List Ideas (You'll Actually Want To Do)

Without further ado, let's jump in. Your pregnancy bucket list — 75 experiences worth having, across eight chapters of this extraordinary season.

Take what you need. Leave what you don't. And enjoy every single one.

Rest & Restore: The Art of Doing Nothing (And Everything)

First up, we've got some pregnancy bucket list ideas to help you rest and restore.

Because let's be honest — the first trimester (and sometimes beyond) is brutal. Nausea, exhaustion, emotional whiplash, and a body that feels like it belongs to someone else.

But this section isn't about white-knuckling your way through. It's about intentional rest — the kind that replenishes rather than retreats. It's about honouring what your body is doing, carving out space for restoration, and turning even the roughest days into something you'll look back on with a kind of proud tenderness.

These are the bucket list items for when slowing down isn't giving up — it's exactly what's needed.

1) Start a "Pregnancy Survival Journal"

Write down everything — the weird cravings, the 2am crying sessions over nothing, your first trimester survival plan, the things that made you laugh in spite of it all. Your baby will treasure this one day.

2) Build Your Ultimate Comfort Nest

Create the coziest corner of your home with your best blankets, your favourite snacks, and a playlist that genuinely makes you feel safe. Claim it. Defend it.

3) Watch Every Film on Your "One Day" List

You've never had a better excuse. Build the ultimate watchlist and work through it guilt-free. These are the films you'll still be quoting when your kid is a teenager.

4) Try Every Craving, No Matter How Strange

Pickles and peanut butter? Ice cream with salt and vinegar crisps? Say yes, document it, and photograph it. These are the stories that become family comedy gold.

5) Have a Pregnancy Pamper Night, Properly

Not just a bath. The full ritual: face mask, candles, a pregnancy-safe oil massage, your favourite snacks, and a film that makes you ugly-cry. Do this once a trimester. Put it in the diary like an appointment you cannot cancel.

6) Find Your Pregnancy Anthem

One song that perfectly captures this season of life. Play it when things get hard. You'll never hear it the same way again once your baby is here.

7) Order the Fancy Takeaway

Not the usual. The one you always save for "a special occasion." This is that occasion. You are literally building a person's organs. Order the good stuff, without feeling guilty about it. Fully indulge!

8) Sleep In — Truly, Unapologetically

Set an alarm only if you want to. Stay in bed as long as your body asks. This is one luxury that disappears completely and utterly the second your baby arrives.

9) Book a Night Away, Just for You

A hotel room, a spa, a friend's spare room somewhere beautiful. One night where you sleep in a bed that isn't yours, order room service or breakfast out, and exist entirely for yourself. You are allowed to do this. You deserve to do this.

10) Cry It All Out Somewhere Beautiful

I know, I know, I bet you didn't expect THIS on your pregnancy bucket list. But it's actually the release you may need more than you even know! Find a spot — a park bench, a bath tub, a quiet beach — and let it all go. Pregnancy emotions are enormous and real. They deserve space, not suppression.

Rest is not the opposite of progress — it's the foundation of it. Every moment you choose to restore yourself is an act of love for both you and your baby.

Personal Growth: Becoming the Person Your Baby Will Look Up To

Pregnancy is one of the most profound periods of personal transformation a human being can experience. Alongside the physical changes, something shifts deep inside you — your values sharpen, your priorities clarify, and questions you've never asked yourself before start rising to the surface.

This category is about leaning into that transformation intentionally. These aren't just bucket list items; they're investments in the woman you're becoming — and the mother your child will know.

Why Personal Growth Matters Now

The research is clear: mothers who invest in their own identity, passions, and emotional health during pregnancy feel more confident, more connected, and more grounded when baby arrives. This isn't selfish — it's essential. You cannot pour from an empty cup, and these next nine months are your chance to fill yours to the brim. So here's a few ideas of things you can do...

11) Write a Letter to Your Pre-Pregnancy Self

What do you wish you'd known? What are you most proud of? Seal it and open it on your child's first birthday. (This is one of the simplest pregnancy bucket list ideas you can do, but a personal favourite of mine, I must say!)

12) Learn One New Skill, Just for You

A language, an instrument, a craft, a recipe. Something completely unrelated to babies. Keep a part of yourself that's wholly yours.

13) Create a Pregnancy Vision Board

Not just for the nursery — for your life post-baby. Who do you want to be? What kind of mother? What are your non-negotiables? Make it visual and make it bold.

14) Read One Book That Has Nothing to Do With Pregnancy

A biography of someone who inspires you. A novel you've always meant to read. Expand your mind while your body expands everything else.

15) Try Prenatal Meditation — Properly

Not just one five-minute session. A real, committed practice. The calm it builds now will serve you through labour, sleepless nights, and beyond.

16) See a Therapist, Counsellor or Coach (at Least Once)

Processing the enormity of becoming a parent with a professional is one of the wisest things you can do. There's no shame — only strength in seeking support.

17) Write Down Your Parenting Values

What truly matters to you? Kindness? Creativity? Independence? Writing it down before baby arrives gives you an anchor when the chaos begins.

18) Have One Deeply Honest Conversation With Your Own Mother

Ask about her pregnancy with you. What was hard? What was magical? These conversations unlock stories and closeness that nothing else quite can.

19) Do One Thing That Scares You (Safely)

A presentation you've been avoiding, a difficult conversation, a creative project you've shelved. Prove to yourself — and your future child — that you do hard things.

20) Forgive Something You've Been Carrying

Pregnancy has a way of making old grudges feel exhaustingly heavy. Whether it's forgiving someone else or yourself, use this time to set something down. Your baby deserves to arrive into a lighter version of you.

21) Document Your "Before" Self

Record a voice note, write a journal entry, or film a short video of who you are right now — your quirks, your opinions, your sense of humour. Give your child a window into the person you were before they existed.

Cute & Sentimental: The Memories That Will Make You Sob Happy Tears Forever

These are the bucket list ideas that turn pregnancy into a story — the ones you'll pull out at your child's wedding and they'll groan and grin at in equal measure. The photo shoots, the keepsakes, the rituals that feel a little cheesy in the moment but become the most treasured things you own ten years later.

Don't skip these. Your future self — and your child — will thank you endlessly.

22) Do a Bump Photo Series

Same spot, same outfit (or lack thereof), every four weeks. Watching your body change through photos is nothing short of miraculous. Even if you feel terrible, document it.

23) Cast Your Baby Bump

A belly casting kit costs very little but creates something priceless. It's why we recommend it as one of the best baby shower gift ideas. Paint it, display it, and let your child marvel at the space they once called home.

24) Record Your Baby's Heartbeat

At an ultrasound appointment, ask if you can record the sound on your phone. There is nothing quite like that whooshing rhythm — it's the first music your baby ever made. Not allowed? Then do it on the sneak! Your future self will thank you for it!

25) Create a Pregnancy Time Capsule

Fill a box with items from this moment in time — newspaper headlines, a receipt from your favourite restaurant, a note about what you were watching, your favourite song. Open it when they turn 18.

26) Make an Ultrasound Scrapbook

Print every scan, add the date, the week, and one sentence about how you were feeling. By the end, it's a love story told in black and white images — impossibly moving.

27) Get a Belly Handprint Photo

Partner's hands or your own, pressed against your bump and photographed. Simple, free, and one of the most popular maternity photos for very good reason.

28) Dance With Your Bump

Put on your favourite song and just move — slow, silly, or everything in between. Your baby will feel the vibration and your heart rate, and some say babies remember music heard in the womb.

29) Read a Childhood Favourite Aloud to Your Bump

Babies begin hearing around 18 weeks. Reading to your bump — especially books you loved — creates connection and calm. It also means you get to revisit The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Everybody wins.

30) Ask Your Partner to Write Baby a Letter

Give them a beautiful notebook and a quiet evening, and ask them to write to your baby: who they hope they'll be, what they already love about them, what they're most looking forward to. The partner's voice is often the missing piece in pregnancy keepsakes. This one will make everyone cry at the right moment.

31) Plant a Tree or Garden in Honour of Baby

Watch it grow alongside them. On their birthday each year, take a photo next to it. The visual journey of child and tree growing together is extraordinary. Not enough space for a tree? I planted strawberry plants — which is meant to be a pretty good pregnancy hack apparently, as babies often love berries!

32) Have a Maternity Shoot

Yes, it costs money. Yes, it's absolutely worth it. You will never have this body, this belly, this moment again. Capture it with intention and beauty — whether you do it professional or DIY, just make sure you do it (to whatever degree.) Remember: these photos are for you, no-one else, so there's no pressure on how they turn out.

33) Commission a Piece of Art

A painting, an illustration, a watercolour of your bump. So many talented artists on Etsy and Instagram would do this beautifully. It becomes an heirloom.

Every one of these deserves a page of its own.

The belly cast. The heartbeat recording. The partner's letter. The time capsule. These aren't just things to do — they're the chapters of a story your child will one day ask to hear again and again.

The Pregnancy Bucket List Journal gives every single one of these 75 experiences its own dedicated page — with space for a real printed photo, the date, who you were with, and how it felt. It's the most beautiful way to make sure none of it gets forgotten.

Because the photos stay on your phone. But the journal stays forever.

✦ No subscription. No upsell. One payment, yours forever. ✦

Instant download · Print at home · Keep forever ✨

Connection & Relationships: Deepening Your World Before It Expands

Having a baby changes every relationship in your life — your partnership, your friendships, your family bonds. Some relationships will deepen in ways that take your breath away. Others will quietly shift.

This is the season to be intentional about connection — to invest in the relationships that matter most before nappies, sleep deprivation, and a tiny screaming human reorganise your entire social world. These are the moments that bond people for a lifetime...

34) Have a "Just Us" Trip With Your Partner

It doesn't have to be exotic. Even a night in a nearby hotel, a road trip, or a long weekend away. This is your last chapter as a duo — savour it completely.

35) Host a "Friend Shower" Instead of (or Alongside) a Baby Shower

Celebrate the friendship itself. Cook together, share memories, and acknowledge that these people are about to become your village. Thank them before you desperately need them. (This is one of my all-time favourite pregnancy bucket list ideas as it's just so memorable and unique!)

36) Interview Your Grandparents (or Eldest Relatives)

Record the stories of your family's history. Their childhood memories, love stories, struggles. Your baby deserves to know where they came from — even if they never get to meet these people.

37) Write Handwritten Notes to Five People Who Matter

Not texts. Actual letters. Tell them what they mean to you, why you want them in your child's life. It'll mean more than you can possibly imagine to receive.

38) Have a Date Night Every Month of Pregnancy

Schedule it. Protect it. It doesn't need to be expensive — a picnic, a home-cooked meal, a film under the stars. Invest in your partnership like your family depends on it. Because it does.

39) Join a Prenatal Class and Actually Talk to People

Not just for the breathing techniques — for the community. These are your people: exhausted, nervous, wildly hopeful, and sharing the exact same experience. Some of the greatest friendships begin in a church hall doing birthing positions together.

40) Do Something Special With Each Person You Want in Your Birth Support Team

One meaningful outing, meal, or conversation with your doula, your mum, your best friend, or your partner's parents. Draw them close deliberately. Build your circle with intention.

41) Ask the People Who Love You Most: "What Do You Hope For This Baby?"

Collect their answers. Write them down, or better yet record them. Play them for your child when they're old enough to understand. These are the hopes of the people who will shape their life.

42) Reconnect With Someone You've Lost Touch With

Pregnancy has a way of clarifying who you want around. If there's someone you've missed — reach out. The call might be the beginning of something wonderful for both of you.

Body & Wellness: Treating Your Incredible Body Like the Marvel It Is

What other pregnancy bucket list ideas can we absolutely not miss? Well, activities that look after your body and wellbeing.

After all, your body is doing something that, when you really stop to think about it, is absolutely extraordinary. From a single cell to a fully formed human being in nine months — growing eyebrows, a beating heart, little fingernails. You are a biological miracle in progress.

This category is about honouring that. Not through gruelling prenatal fitness regimes (unless that's your thing), but through genuine, joyful, restorative experiences that make you feel celebrated, comfortable, and cared for in your own skin. It's self-care at its finest during pregnancy.

43) Go Swimming Regularly

The weightlessness is genuinely magical. Even in the third trimester, floating takes the pressure off everything. It's one of the safest and most soothing exercises you can do.

44) Book a Prenatal Massage (More Than Once)

A trained therapist knows exactly how to work with your changing body. The relief — physical and emotional — is genuinely extraordinary. This is not a luxury. This is healthcare.

A Note on Rest: Remember, there is no badge for doing pregnancy without slowing down. Rest is not laziness — it's wisdom. The women who rest when their bodies ask tend to have more energy, more emotional resilience, and more positive birth experiences. Protect your rest like it's your most valuable resource. Because right now, it is.

45) Try Prenatal Yoga

Beyond the physical benefits, prenatal yoga builds a community of brilliant women and teaches breathing techniques that will genuinely help during labour. It's worth every minute.

46) Walk Somewhere Beautiful Every Week

A canal path, a coastal route, a woodland trail. This is one of the simplest pregnancy self care ideas you can do, but which is consistently effective. Fresh air, gentle movement, and changing scenery do wonders for both physical and mental health throughout pregnancy.

47) Have the Ultimate Pregnancy Bath Night

Safe bath bombs, candles, a great podcast or playlist, and total silence from the outside world. Do this once a month. Or at the very least, once every trimester. Make it a ritual. Make it sacred.

48) Take a Pregnancy Cooking Class

Not just cooking at home, but an actual class: a pasta-making workshop, a sushi (pregnancy-safe) class, a bread-baking afternoon. Something hands-on, social, and delicious. You'll learn a skill, meet people, and have a story that starts with "So I was eight months pregnant and elbow-deep in dough..."

49) Take a Hypnobirthing Course / Read a Hypnobirthing Book

Regardless of what birth you're planning — medicated, unmedicated, caesarean — the tools of hypnobirthing (breath, visualisation, self-advocacy) are genuinely game-changing. Many women call it the best thing they did to prepare.

I have some good pregnancy book recommendations for this if you're unsure where to start.

50) Stand Somewhere That Makes You Feel Small and Powerful at Once

A cliff edge, a mountaintop, a wide-open beach at dawn. The contrast of the vast world and the entire universe growing inside you is a feeling that defies description. Try it at least once.

Adventurous & Memorable: The "You'll Never Believe What Mum Did" Stories

These are the pregnancy bucket list ideas your child will tell at parties. The one where you have to start with "So, when I was pregnant with you..." and everyone leans in. They're bold, a little bit ridiculous, and entirely worth doing — the stories that make pregnancy sound less like nine months of discomfort and more like a great adventure you happened to be on with your baby. Safety first, always. But within that, let's go.

51) Take a "Babymoon" Somewhere You've Always Wanted to Go

Second trimester is the sweet spot — energy is back, bump is manageable, and travel is still comfortable. A city you've dreamed of, a coastline that calls to you. Go before the era of travelling with a carry-on full of nappies begins.

52) Take a Helicopter or Scenic Flight

Most operators allow passengers in early-to-mid pregnancy. Seeing the landscape from above — coastline, mountains, city skyline — with your baby tucked inside you is one of those experiences that makes the world feel both enormous and intimate at once. Book it. Do it. Never forget it.

53) Go to a Live Concert or Show

Your baby can hear music from 18 weeks in. Take them to their first concert in the most intimate possible way — from the inside. Some research suggests babies remember songs heard in the womb. Choose a good one.

54) Camp Under the Stars (or at Least Sleep Outdoors)

A blanket in the garden, a glamping trip, or a proper tent adventure. Lying under a sky full of stars with your bump — talking to your baby about the universe — is an experience that puts everything beautifully into perspective.

55) Run (or Walk) a Charity 5K / 10K / 15K

Many mums run well into their second trimester. Walking the whole thing absolutely counts. Cross a finish line pregnant. That's a story and a half.

56) Visit the Place You Want to Take Baby First

A national park, a beach, a museum, a theme park. Go first with your bump. Then bring them back and tell them: "We came here before you even arrived."

57) Skinny Dip (or Wild Swim Somewhere Unexpected)

Looking for outrageous pregnancy bucket list ideas? Then don't miss this! A secluded cove, a mountain lake, a river bend at golden hour. Strip back to nothing and float. There is something profoundly freeing about being completely bare and completely pregnant in open water — a reminder that your body is wild and ancient and magnificent. Safety first, always. But this one is worth it.

58) Go to a Sporting Event

The roar of a crowd, the shared energy, the collective excitement — your baby feels your adrenaline, your joy, your aliveness. Take them to something electric while they're still your plus-one.

When we took our bump to a football game, this was actually when I first felt his biggest kicks (in early second trimester it was!) As we were watching the team his Daddy played for, I was just adamant it was a sign he'd follow in his footsteps! These are the stories you'll end up collecting with your own pregnancy bucket list — it's super heartwarming to say the least!

59) Try a Completely New Cuisine

Ethiopian, Georgian, Peruvian — find a restaurant serving food you've never tried. Your baby is literally tasting through your amniotic fluid. You're expanding their palate before they even have teeth.

60) Take a Road Trip With No Fixed Plan

One tank of petrol, a loose direction, a good playlist, and the freedom to stop whenever something looks interesting. The second trimester sweet spot is perfect for spontaneous adventure.

61) Take a Pregnancy Empowerment Photo Shoot

Not the traditional kind. Something raw, intimate, and entirely for you. Many photographers now specialise in celebrating the pregnant body in its full power — not posed and polished, but real and fierce. You will never look at yourself the same way again. Be bold, be brave and fall in love with your changing body in the process!

62) Go to a Sunrise (and Stay For Breakfast)

Set the alarm. Drive to the best viewpoint near you. Watch the world light up. This is the kind of memory that stays crystal clear for decades — the morning before everything changed.

A Gentle Nudge...

Reading a list won't change your pregnancy. Doing it will.

Here's the honest truth: most bucket lists get read, bookmarked, and forgotten. The women who actually do these things are the ones who print the list, stick it somewhere they'll see it every day, and tick things off one by one. That's exactly what the printable version is for.

Print it. Stick it on your fridge. Start today.

Instant download · 75 experiences · yours forever ✨

Nesting & Preparing: Making the World Ready for Your Tiny Human

Looking for more calming pregnancy bucket list ideas? Don't worry, we've still got you!

After all, there comes a point in pregnancy — often the third trimester — where an almost primal urge kicks in to clean, organise, prepare, and feather your nest until it's absolutely perfect. This is nesting, and it's glorious. It's also genuinely practical.

These pregnancy bucket list ideas are therefore all about channelling that energy into experiences and activities that make you feel ready — not just logistically, but emotionally and spiritually. Because having everything organised is wonderful, but feeling truly prepared? That's priceless.

Psst: The nesting instinct is one of the most reliable signs that your body and mind are aligning for the arrival ahead. Lean into it — but pace yourself. The most prepared mothers aren't the ones with the most perfectly organised nurseries; they're the ones who feel settled within themselves too.

63) Design and Decorate the Nursery With Love

Even if it's a corner of your bedroom. Even if it's just a basket and a lamp. Create a physical space that says "we were waiting for you." Every choice is an act of love.

64) Cook and Freeze 20 Meals for the Fourth Trimester

Future-you will weep with gratitude. Spend two weekends batch cooking hearty, nourishing meals. Being able to eat properly in the newborn haze is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself.

65) Write Your Birth Preferences (Not Just a "Plan")

Research your options, know your rights, and document what matters to you. A thoughtful birth preferences document helps you feel prepared and advocates for your experience when you can't advocate for yourself.

66) Create a Postpartum Support Rota

Before the baby arrives, organise your village. Who brings meals? Who takes the toddler? Who sits with you in the hard afternoons? Having this in place before you need it is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself.

67. Take an Infant First Aid Course

Two to three hours that could genuinely save your baby's life. This is non-negotiable and the confidence it gives you — especially as a first-time parent — is enormous.

68) Build Your Baby's Library Before They Arrive

Ask for books at the baby shower. Visit second-hand bookshops. Curate a collection with intention — stories about courage, kindness, curiosity, and belonging. This is the foundation of their inner world.

69) Make a Monthly Bump Video Diary

Once a month, film a short video: show your bump, talk about how you're feeling, what's happening in the world, what you've been eating, what you're excited about. Unscripted, unfiltered, real. By the end of pregnancy you'll have nine chapters of the most intimate documentary ever made — and your child will watch it one day and see exactly how loved they were before they arrived.

70) Go on a Solo Day Trip Somewhere You've Never Been

Pick a town, a village, a coastline, a forest within an hour or two of home that you've never visited. Go alone. Wander without a plan. Eat somewhere new. Sit somewhere beautiful. Solo travel — even for a day — is one of the most quietly powerful things a pregnant woman can do for herself before the era of going anywhere alone becomes a distant memory.

Creativity & Legacy: Making Something That Outlasts the Nine Months

And last but not least - let's throw in some bucket list ideas for pregnancy that are about creativity and legacy! Why? Well because there's something about pregnancy that makes even the least "artsy" people reach for a paintbrush, a camera, or a journal.

Perhaps it's the awareness that time is moving fast and something in you wants to catch it. Perhaps it's the primal desire to make your mark — to say "I was here, I felt this, and it mattered."

Whatever the reason, these pregnancy bucket list ideas are about creating. Not perfectly. Not for anyone else's approval. Just beautifully, messily, authentically — as an act of love for the tiny person who will one day discover these things and understand, for the first time, just how much they were wanted.

71) Make Something With Your Hands

Pottery, macramé, knitting, woodworking — something tactile that you pour yourself into. The act of making while growing is an ancient ritual, and the finished object becomes a family heirloom. Even if it's wonky. Especially if it's wonky.

I actually made a clay pot for my baby in my first trimester, which now has its home within his nursery. It was a great outlet through a very worrying time, and it felt good to be doing something "productive!"

72) Compile a Family Recipe Book

Gather recipes from both sides of the family — grandmothers, aunts, family friends. Write them up with notes about who made them and when. This is a gift of heritage your child will cook from one day.

73) Print Your Favourite Photos and Make a Physical Album

Not just digital files. Actual printed photographs in an actual album. Of your life before, your pregnancy journey, and the people you love. Screens fail. Paper endures.

74) Create a Playlist for Every Season of Baby's First Year

Birth playlist. Coming home playlist. Lullaby playlist. Dance-around-the-kitchen-at-3am playlist. Music is time travel. Decades from now, hearing these songs will bring everything rushing back in the most beautiful way.

"Before you were born, I carried you under my heart. From the moment you existed, you were in my thoughts, in my plans, in my hopes, and in every single thing I did." — Unknown

75) Create a "Things I Want You to Know" List

The wisdom you've gathered, the things nobody told you, the truths you wish you'd known sooner. Life lessons, family stories, the small stuff that matters. Tuck it in a drawer and give it to them when the time is right. This is the greatest pregnancy bucket list item of all — not something you do, but something you leave behind.

That's All For This One

So that rounds things up now - 75 pregnancy bucket list ideas. Let's not forget the point of all of it: why this list exists...

Pregnancy is not just a waiting room. It's not simply the time before your life begins. It is, in itself, an extraordinary chapter — one that deserves to be lived with intention, curiosity, and as much joy as you can gather on even the hardest days.

The pregnancy bucket list isn't about doing everything perfectly. It's not about posting it all on Instagram or proving anything to anyone. It's about one day, sitting across from a person who is half you, and being able to say: I made the most of the time I had with you before I even met you.

Because here's what nobody tells you loudly enough:

The things you do during pregnancy don't just become your memories. They become part of your child's story. The mornings you chose yourself. The conversations you had. The adventures you went on with them. The stories you told them before they could hear. The letters you wrote in the small hours. The kindness you extended to yourself when everything felt impossible.

Your baby experiences this world through you, first, so all of these things — they matter.

Which Bucket List Items Work Best For When

• For the Hard Days: Surviving is its own kind of courage. On the days when getting out of bed feels like enough, turn to Category One (Rest & Restore) — every item there was made for exactly this. Come back to the rest of the list when you have energy.

• For the Beautiful Days: On the days when you feel alive, glowing, and completely in love with this experience — lean into Chapter Six (Adventurous & Memorable), Chapter Three (Cute & Sentimental), and Chapter Two (Personal Growth). These are the chapters built for your brightest, most capable days. Don't let them pass by.

• For Every Day in Between: Most days are somewhere in the middle — ordinary and miraculous at the same time. Chapter Four (Connection & Relationships), Chapter Five (Body & Wellness), Chapter Seven (Nesting & Preparing), and Chapter Eight (Creativity & Legacy) were made for these days. The quiet ones. The ones that become the majority of the story.

Remember you are not just growing a baby. You are growing a family, a story, a legacy — and yourself.

Save this post. Share it with a friend who's pregnant. Come back to it whenever you need a reminder that this season — every glorious, exhausting, tender, terrifying, miraculous minute of it — is worth showing up for fully.

And when you're ready to turn this from something you've read into something you actually live — The Pregnancy Bucket List Journal Printable is waiting for you. 🖤

Author Bio: Meet Ell, the Founder of Your Self Love Story

Ell is the founder of Your Self Love Story, and a Specialist Self Love Coach, certified in Strategic Intervention coaching through Robbins-Madanes Training. She is also the author of the Love Yourself book series — 5 books launching on Amazon from September 2026 — helping women tap into self-love so they can truly thrive in the seasons she has lived herself: being single, navigating relationships, trying to conceive, pregnancy, and motherhood. With 6 years of writing experience, her blog Forgetting Fairytales reached more than 7.5 million readers worldwide, earned a BBC feature, and was named a UK Top 10 Dating & Relationship Blog for two consecutive years and a "Best Newcomer" Finalist at the 2020 Influencer Awards. Ell writes from lived experience — from a teenager whose trauma left her questioning her own worth, to the confident, happily married woman she is today, expecting her first child and finally at home in herself. Everything she creates exists to help other women find that same feeling. Read Ell's full story here.