Mother Blessings - What does one do at one?

I've compiled a list of ideas for those who might like to hold their own or are planning one for someone else

1. Beading a birth necklace/bracelet
2. Reading a a special scripture, poem, reading or quote that is encouraging to new mother
3. Foot baths
4. Massage
5. Henna painting
6. Belly casts
7. Candle ceremony
8. String ceremony
9. Nursery art
10. Organising post natal help
11. Sharing positive birth stores
12. Manicures/Pedicures
13. Creating a quilt
14. Creating scrapbook pages or a photo album
15. Decorate a onesie
16. Belly dance! Great for the mum to be
17. Bake bread
18. Create a flower wreath
19. Create a memory box
20. Create a wishing tree - provide some small branches in a vase and various pretty paper leaves with ribbons. Have guests write their wish for her birth and hang the wish leaf on the tree.
21. Have each guest bring a small stone or provide stones and permanent markers. Each guest can write a word or small saying to encourage the mother through her birth, collect them in a special basket or dish.
22. Anoint the mum to be with pregnancy safe oils
23. Feed the freezer - each guest brings a frozen meal that the mama can put in her freezer
24. Create a book of Mothering wisdom
25. Create a book of wishes for baby
26. A washing station to greet guests
27. Introduction of guests
28. Create prayer flags
29. Anything that celebrates the mother-to-be, the baby and the upcoming birth
30. If there are siblings, it's always nice to do a little something for them too.

My Mother Blessing - Planning

There are so many ideas for Mother Blessings out there. Do a Google search and you'll see what I mean.

I narrowed my list down to 10 things I'd really like then narrowed it down even further as I didn't want the event to go all day.

So what did I decide on in the end?

• A welcome and introduction.
• Sharing of pregnancy/birthing/motherhood stories - only positive ones, it's a day about no negativity
• Filling in cards with wishes for the baby
• a Nurture basket
• Bead Ceremony
• Feasting
• A Feed the freezer.

Pinterest, as always, has been a great source of inspiration.

From invites

 

to planning

 
 

to ideas of what to do

 
  

to gifts to give attendees

 

You can check out my Mother Blessing Pinterest board for more ideas

Something special for mums

One of the suggestions I found while looking for things to do at a Mother Blessing was the idea of a Nurture basket. A nature basket is full of goodies just for mum (& maybe the occasional thing for bub)!
How awesome is that idea? I know most, if not all, new mums would love it!

Following is a list of ideas for a Nurture Basket. Thanks to the fellow Bub Hub birth group mum's for some of these ideas.

• a journal and nice black pen
• restaurant gift certificates
• books
• CD of lullabies
• massage gift certificate
• bath and lotion items - think bubble bath, hand cream, face masks, body lotion
• chocolate
• bathrobe 
• pyjamas
• nipple soothing cream
• cleaning voucher (or a IOU for an hours cleaning or laundry)
• scented candles
• A voucher for new underwear
• A subscription to a parenting magazine
• A beauty voucher for a manicure, pedicure or facial
• A voucher for a hair cut and colour
• A potted plant in a fancy pot
• A filter water bottle
• A Gift Subscription to The Australian Breastfeeding Association (or your countries equivalent)
• CD of relaxation tunes
• snacks for labour
• keepsake box
• a baby book
• note cards, envelopes (& stamps) - great for sending thank you’s
• slippers
• a good eye mask
• luscious lip balm
• a labour kit

When is a baby shower not a baby shower?

When it's a Mother Blessing!

What's a Mother Blessing?
Well I'm glad you asked. It's an alternative to a baby shower in simple terms. A Mother Blessing is based on the old Navajo ceremony (a Blessingway) celebrating a woman’s rite of passage into motherhood. While a baby showers focuses on the baby to come and preparing the mother-to-be materially with gifts for the baby, the Mother Blessing focuses on the mother and on preparing the mother spiritually and emotionally for her rite of passage into motherhood.

I had a baby shower with Miss K and wasn't sure of the etiquette for subsequent babies in regards to baby showers. Most of the stuff we were given for Miss K is still usable for this bub so we don't really need anything - apart from clothes.

I did some Googling one night looking at the etiquette for subsequent baby showers and alternatives to baby showers and the term mother blessing/blessingway kept popping up. The more I read about the idea I thought ‘Perfect!’

So this is what I'm doing this time around. I'll be blogging here about the prep as I'm organising most of it with help from Mum and then sharing photos from the day afterwards.
I'll also be holding a virtual Mother Blessing on Facebook so I can invite my online friends, those who can't make it and family from overseas to take part.

Did you have a baby shower or something different for your subsequent pregnancies?