In the late stages of pregnancy a woman needs to be nurtured. She is about to embark on a journey, a rite of passage from maidenhood to motherhood. I am available to help you arrange an event to celebrate the impending birth. This might be based loosely on the Native American Blessingway Ceremony, a celebration of female empowerment preparing the woman for the journey that she faces, an acknowledgment of the life-changing event that is about to take place in the woman's life.
The mother-to-be invites all of her special female friends and relatives to her event. This might include the very young daughters to the elders of her family. Each guest may be asked to bring some food, a bead or a small gift to represent her wishes for the mother-to-be.
Upon arrival the food might be set up for later on. The guests might then take part in nurturing the woman - this might include brushing and dressing her hair, painting her nails, massage and so on. The options are limitless and will evolve according to the individual skills of the guests. Alternatively, I can offer professional treatments for the mother-to-be and demonstrate some massage skills for all the guests to try out.
Following this, one possibilty is to create a belly casting of the pregnant mothers form. This can then be decorated by the guests. Alternatively henna could be used to paint designs on the belly. Then it might be time for the guests to offer their wishes and support for labour and birth. This part of the event can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. If you want something simple, this might involve each woman speaking aloud their wishes for the woman and passing her bead to the mother-to-be. Each bead would be strung by the pregnant woman and the keep-sake kept above her bed until she goes into labour. When labour begins it might be worn as a reminder of the support and wishes of her female friends and relatives, or it might be used as a focal point through the contractions, each bead acting a reminder of the wishes and support of all the females she knows and loves, one bead to be focused on during each contraction. If something more elaborate is desired I can help the mother create a ritual/ceremony or similar to suit her needs.
An alternative approach might be that each guest brings a small gift to represent her wishes for the woman. She might then speak aloud her wishes and offer her support and her gift laid on an alter - perhaps a small coffee table. This might then be decorated by all the guests and would be an ideal focal point for the birth environment where a homebirth is planned. Where a hospital birth is planned, the items might be taken to the hospital and set up as part of creating a personalised birth space. The whole thing might conclude with eating the food brought by the guests, music, dancing and so on.
Please email me and I'll be happy to discuss your ideas. I charge my clients £9.50 per hour for event planning and facilitation (being there to help meet and greet your guests and help guide things on the day) and can suggest sources of information as well where to buy supplies etc.
coming soon - blessingway kits containing everything you might need for your special day...please check back