How to Plan Your Whole-Hearted Baby Blessing Day (Baby Shower)

 

Yesterday I had an open home filled with the love and laughter of many beautiful women. I’m still glowing on the inside today from all of the warmth and joy that spilled from hearts  – so much love, so much generosity and sharing. Friends and family came to celebrate our little babe who is not long from being born. His little spirit is strong and he knew it was an important day with lots of wriggles, and special moments of connection between mumma and babe.

Celebrations like this one have the capacity to fill our lives with great joy. As human beings we have long understood the sacredness of community. We were designed to be surrounded by loved ones, to feel connected on a deeper-than-surface level, to have others bear witness to our inner-most truths. Just a 20 second hug from family or friends can lead to a rush of oxytocin release (the love and bonding hormone), eliminating feelings of sadness, loneliness and fostering connection.

Celebrations also allow us to express the extremes of our emotional palette, to laugh, to weep, to dance, to fill our bellies with food and our hearts with peace. When we are awake and conscious, celebrations have the power to gently awaken our higher self – encouraging us to be present in the moment, to be more authentic, to listen closely and when we do open our mouths – to speak with greater wisdom.

 

Ideas for Your Sacred, Whole-Hearted Baby Blessing Day…

 

1. Have an Open House

Invite people to come at any time of the day. You may wish to set some ‘maximum hours’ i.e. between 10am and 4pm but essentially allow guests to arrive when it suits them. This means people will feel more in control of their social calendar and you are likely to have fewer apologies.

Remember that weekends are very precious for most people and some flexibility is greatly appreciated.

This worked beautifully for my home – my lounge is cosy but too small for a big bunch all at once! Different groups of friends and family came at various times and it meant there was time and space for genuine, quality time with people, time to properly connect (and somewhere to sit!)

Many friends told me how welcome they felt and how beautiful the vibe was which is exactly what I had dreamed of…

 

2. Create a Nurturing Environment

You may choose to have an outdoor baby shower in nature if it’s summer, and this can help you to connect with the earth and feel grounded. If it’s colder you’ll need to bring the party indoors somewhere, either your place, at a family members home or in a function centre or cafe.

The beauty of having it at home is that you can tailor your environment to suit your needs better than you can in the fixed atmosphere of a cafe.

In my case it was a little wintery to be out in nature, and I chose to have the party at home. Luckily, despite the rainy weather we were able to bring the earthiness indoors with a warm fire and beautiful nourishing food.

I made sure our home was clean and tidy for good feng shui and decorated with flowers and art that I had made during our wonderful birthing from within retreat.

 

3. Lose Yourself in Soulful Activities

Consider filling your baby blessing day with different games – rather than the standard baby shower games. While the conventional games can be fun, it’s also really special to add your own flavour and be non-conformist!

I was inspired by Jenny Blyth’s beautiful book ‘The Down to Earth Birth Book’. Jenny described many different ideas including having henna art painted on your belly, plaster-casting of your bump, belly dancing, going for a walk with loved ones as a symbol of the journey you will take into motherhood and painting drawing or sculpting as art therapy.

I chose to run with one of her other suggestions which involved creating a necklace of special beads.

I asked each guest to please bring a bead to make a necklace that had some meaning or symbolism. This necklace will then be worn during the labour and after birth to keep the energy of my nearest and dearest with me.

It was beautiful to read the loving notes people wrote about the beads they contributed, there was so much thought put into every single one of those beads!

Truly blessed and very excited for the day that will come when I will adorn this necklace of love and give birth to our little one.

 

4. Nourish Your Guests with Healthy Snacks & Drinks

Classic fare at a traditional baby shower includes carb-heavy and sugar-laiden cakes, sweet biscuits, sandwiches, pies, pasties and the rest!

This is fine if you’re into this, but if you prefer a healthier version there’s lots of delicious things you can make yourself that will leave you and your guests feeling pleasantly full without the sugar crash hours later.

Catering also depends on dietary needs, and if you’re like me with lots of vegan friends and family you need to make sure everyone is happy and has a full belly!

My choices for the baby blessing were hearty honey-mustard pumpkin soup with a selection of breads (gluten free, olive, turkish), home made beetroot dip, vegetable quiche, green salads, nuts and seeds to snack on, cauliflower and hazelnut salad (thanks to my wonderful aunty), wholegrain sandwiches (thanks ma), healthy banana muffins and chia seed puddings for dessert!

 

5. Enjoy Evening Rituals to Bask in the Bliss

Once the day is through and your final guests have gone home, it really is the perfect time to count your blessings.

Spend some time in quiet meditation or breathing and focus on gratitude for the events that took place.

Journalling is an excellent way to reflect on the day and help you to pick up on any insights or advice that you received from family and friends.

After some solitude, if you’re able to be with a significant other or lover, this is a beautiful time to simply sit and breathe together, to bask in the glow of your sheer radiance (!) marvel at your swollen belly and babe within, and thank God for the the powerful tribal vibes of love and support that baby will have around him or her once born. What a blessing.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of the people near and far that made this such a beautiful celebration and rite of passage into motherhood.

May your baby shower or blessing be truly epic and magical no matter how you choose to celebrate your baby’s impending arrival. xx