New mama Gigi Hadid is sharing a special keepsake she’s saving for her daughter, Khai, whom she shares with partner Zayn Malik.

The July cover girl for Harper’s Bazaar, Hadid tells the magazine that she kept a journal during her pregnancy as a way of processing her emotions, and plans to give them to her daughter one day. “During my pregnancy, I had one journal that I called my good journal and one journal that I called my bad journal,” Hadid said. “They weren’t that literal, but one was more for the memories, for Khai. Maybe one day I’ll give her the bad journal just to be real about it.”

As for that “bad” journal, Hadid explained it contains all the worries that she felt during her pregnancy. “Anxieties and days where I felt like, ‘Am I good enough to be a mom?’ I didn’t want to feel guilty about feeling those things or writing those things down. I just liked the separation.”

Hadid continued, “I also have sketch pads where I’ll watercolor-sketch, and sometimes I end up writing there too. I write on the back of receipts and keep those in a notebook. I’m not particular about it, and my journals are everywhere around the house. I just pick up whichever one is closest to me and write.”

Journaling is such a fantastic way to not only keep treasured and private family memories alive but also work though any emotions you might have about significant life changes (and becoming a mother is certainly one of those), so I applaud Hadid for taking these steps during her pregnancy.

Their family’s privacy is obviously very important to the famous couple. In a statement on her Instagram page earlier this month, Gigi Hadid implored paparazzi and fans not to take photos of 10-month-old Khai, and if they do, to please blur out her face.


“Our wish is that she can choose how to share herself to the world when she comes of age and that she can live as normal a childhood as possible, without worrying about a public image that she has not chosen,” Hadid wrote on an Instagram Story.

Fortunately, the benefits of her motherhood experience thus far have outweighed any issue with paparazzi photos.

In her interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Hadid said, “It’s all my favorite, even if it gets hard at times. You have so much patience and unconditional love that comes with motherhood. It’s just fun to watch her grow and learn every day. And she makes me so proud. It’s funny how even the smallest things are exciting.”

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Gigi Hadid/Instagram

As baby Khai continues to grow, we hope her mama continues to write down her feelings about motherhood and the significant milestones and every day small moments that are unique to every mama’s parenting experience. Khai will absolutely treasure these memories one day.