Mother Blessings - A Beautiful Spin On The Baby Shower

You all know by now I'm a doula and little on the crunchy side. Even so, when I was invited to my first Mother Blessing I was a little intimidated. Would I say the right thing? Sometimes I have trouble saying what I mean to say and I didn't wanted to fumble my words on this very special day honouring a good friend. We were asked to bring three items with us:


- A bead for a necklace that the mama-to-be will wear during labour. The bead should remind you of this mama in some way or hold a special meaning for you.


- A piece of fabric with a message for the mama written on it. The pieces of fabric will be sewn together and hung up during the labour.


- A flower for a bouquet for the mama to be


Okay. So a little more pressure was added. I wasn't sure what items to bring and what if no beads spoke to me? I don't normally hear voices when I walk the craft aisles, why would I expect more of the beads today? What if I could think of nothing to say on the piece of fabric? Luckily, I know this mama well and I was instantly drawn to a bead I felt represented her and found the words easily that I thought would help her through her labour. 

I am not often moved to tears, but on this day it was hard to hold them back. The feeling in the room was of complete support and love for this mama; exactly what a soon to deliver mama needs. There were no ooh's and ahh's over baby booties and not a onesie in sight. This was a shower of love and encouragement, not things. I believe that if every mama had an experience like this that mother's would go into their labours feeling supported and confident - now that is a gift.