Saturday, May 23, 2009

blessingway and baby shower


13 December 2009
I was very blessed to have a low-key baby shower last weekend with all of DP's family and many friends. It was great food, great company, and not stressful... it really just felt like a regular family bar-b-que (instead of a traditional baby shower with parlor games). The only "game" we played was to have everyone share their advice for Julio & I and their wishes for our baby Gabriel. Then Julio and I read them out loud for everyone to hear.

Instead of getting lots of baby things we don't want or won't use, we asked for anonymous contributions towards a custom-made padded rocking chair for nursing. It's awesome - we did receive contributions for all but $14 of it!!!! It's already completed and pretty darn comfortable. Of course a few miscellaneous gifts showed up too, but I'm amazed that our plan worked out so well!

Today I had my Blessingway at my house which turned out wonderfully. I was a bit more nervous about it because I was planning it with one of my friends helping to facilitate. It's hard to ask other people to honor you! Being a (sometimes lonely) ex-pat I have definitely learned to bring people I love together. Five of my friends and one of my midwives (also a friend!) were able to share in person today. It worked out wonderfully and I anticipate many more get-togethers between women who had not met previous to today! We did a belly cast of my amazing belly - oh, it turned out sooooo cool! I highly recommend it!!!! (I got mine online at www.proudbody.com/html/PBCKdetails.html)

I am blessed to have been able to read my own birth story from my own brave mother in 1977 (that she just wrote out for me)! She had a natural birth in a birth center and there are amazing pictures of my head just emerging, my first bath, and our first breastfeeding bonding time. That has always been "normal" birth for me and I know it has influenced me in my own choices to study as a doula and now to choose natural birth.

The blessings and good thoughts my friends shared were so touching. It was also great to share some of the quotes and excerpts of emails from my friends and family back in the States who had contributed via email. I feel so loved and supported and I am very happy that I was able to have the Blessingway turn out just how it did!

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