Mother's Blessing Part 2: Intro Birth Affirmations and Birth Necklace

I thought I should post more information on my Mother's Blessing. I have received such awesome feedback from all who I have told about my special day I just think that more people should know about this special rite of passage ceremony so that more pregnant women can experience it!

Below are some photos of the invitation that my friend Sara created:

Inside the invitation was a slip of paper with the following explanation of what a Mother's Blessing is:

What is a Mothers' Blessing? A Mothers' Blessing is a wonderful alternative to the traditional baby shower and is held to celebrate the journey of all mothers and the creation of a new life…..to celebrate the Mother-to-be! A Mothers' Blessing is a North American Indian tradition that marks a woman's transition from Maiden to Mother……a sacred right of passage for a woman entering into Motherhood. It is a time of receiving, a time where she is nurtured and honored by her community of women. The blessing acknowledges the commitment and energy of being a mother and gives her a time to gather and receive energy from women around her….a beautiful and powerful way help her prepare for birth….a safe and sacred setting for her to express any fears or worries and receive the support to work through them. This ceremony can be given to a woman each time she has a child, as with each child comes a new level of commitment and surrender. Traditionally, she invites the women she is closest with, surrounding herself with her "village"….. a gathering of women, a celebration, a gathering of their good energies. These are women who share their wisdom, love, and encouragement…...who comfort her and make her laugh when she really needs it…..who give her strength and support to embrace and enjoy the weeks of pregnancy ahead…..and who give her the positive energy to have an easy and peaceful birth with her baby and family. As women, we are amazing and powerful and beautiful…..we possess a deep understanding of each other and have a profound way of uplifting those that we love. I invite you to take part in this very special time for Jen……and to celebrate her pregnancy and birth ahead!

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During the course of the Mother's blessing I was showered with love and support! It was truly an awesome experience. During the celebration (which ended up being a 2 day event because of a storm on Saturday night that rained out of outside venue) my village of women created a few very special gifts for me. Here is the explanation of the Birth Affirmations Book:

We are going to create a Birth Affirmations book for her, this is something she can read every night before bed up until labor, or when she's feeling anxiety, and I can read it to her during labor to keep her calm and relaxed. I will have a scrap-book with background pages that are loose and we will be decorating the pages. I have lots of photos of "up on the River", where Jen likes to camp and where she has visualized her place of "Zen" for laboring. Everyone can decorate a page using a photo or two, and colorful papers and pens, and their affirmation for Jen and her baby. Please think of a birth affirmation you would like to add to Jen's book and remember to bring it with you to the celebration! A birth affirmation can be a single word, several words, a poem, or simply a paragraph of your words to show Jen you love her and are supporting her during her pregnancy and birth, or words of wisdom. Be creative and speak from your heart, and don't feel like you have to say something profound, something as simple as "I am thinking about you" is perfect. We will then pass the book around and each tell of the picture we chose, and words we chose and why….and maybe share other words of wisdom while she relaxes! After our celebration, I will invite Tim and her kids and other family to create a page as well, this will be a fun keepsake and a daily reminder that we are all with her and supporting her. Examples of affirmations: "peaceful"…."strong"…."amazing" "you are beautiful and powerful" "you birth will be perfect in every way" "your baby is content and warm and loved, growing inside you" You can Google "birth affirmations" and see more examples and to see how these powerful little messages of love can help Moms focus and stay happy during pregnancy and birth!

This book is still in process of being completed. The ladies that were at the Mother's Blessing have completed their pages. But Sara is still gathering birth affirmations from some ladies that could not attend. If you are interested in sending her a birth affirmation she has graciously agreed to scrapbook a page for you and add your words (and name) to the book. You can email her at: sfbjork@hotmail.com Just put "Jen's Birth affirmation" in the subject so she know what it is in regards to. I invite all of you reading this to participate if this project resonates with you!

One of the other projects that the ladies created for me was a birth necklace. It is so beautiful and so very meaningful. Here is Sara's explanation for what a Birth Necklace is:

We will also string a "birth necklace" for Jen to wear during her labor, this is a traditional gift for the Mother-to-be, be strung and presented during her Mothers Blessing. Each person provides a special bead to string on the necklace so that she has a comforting reminder of each of us while she labors. I will provide a variety of natural beads, in stone or glass or wood, for this project. If you have a special bead you would like Jen to have, or one that has special meaning, please feel free to bring your own. I will use cotton or leather cording, so a larger hole would be best, and avoiding metal or pointy beads is best….she will be wearing this while in labor and moving around!

Here is a picture of the necklace that they created for me. My Children and Tim also added beads to the necklace. It is just beautiful!
Again this necklace is NOT complete. I have not tied it off yet as I wanted to open the invitation to you all to add a bead if you desire to my birth necklace. You can choose your own bead at your local bead shop or you can let Sara know what bead you would like from the selection below. She will be mapping the necklace (ETA: Birth necklace picture can be seen here) for me so that we will know who selected what bead. If you want to pick a special bead and mail it to me you can do so, as well. Just send me an email and I will send back my mailing address. I am willing to accept beads up until I go into labor! So that gives you some time.... 5 or so weeks!

Here is a picture of the beads that Sara has on hand

There is 2 more pieces of this Mother's Blessing but they are a bit long, so I am going to create a different post to give them the space and attention they need. So be on the look out for Mother's Blessing Part 3 & 4!