After my baby shower, one of my closest friends, Megan, approached me again about whether I would be interested in having a Blessingway. I thought I had successfully avoided her friendly offer from several weeks prior, but nope – she was persistent!
Honestly, I knew very little about Blessingways. What I did know was that it was a hippie-dippy, crunchy-granola type thingy that didn’t seem like something I would do. This, coming from the lady planning a home birth after C-section! I decided to set my judgments aside and do some research.
Yes, there were some customs that were a bit out there, but then there were others that seemed really lovely. So lovely, that the idea of something like that happening in honor of my impending labor brought tears to my eyes. I decided to give Megan the go-ahead to start planning, and together we came up with a ceremony that I was comfortable with and that I thought others who were equally unfamiliar would be comfortable with as well.
Seven of us got together on a Monday evening at my home. Everyone brought a dish to share and we spent the first hour or so hanging out and eating. It was such a fun opportunity to spend time with some of my favorite women without kids and partners around. When we all felt sufficiently stuffed, we gathered around my coffee table to begin the ceremony.
None of us had done anything like this before. It was hilarious. We couldn’t stop laughing and it was perfect that way. Each of us brought a candle, which we lit at the beginning of the ceremony. These same candles would be extinguished later, and re-lit when I went into labor. The participants also brought a bead and an inspirational quote or affirmation about birth on a card to share with me. We attempted to string the beads, but one gave us trouble because the holes were too small for the thread we were using. We all had a good laugh over this. The finished product was a little busted, but totally meaningful.
The most special part of the ceremony for me was when each woman read her quote out loud and explained why she selected it. I immediately began to cry. My friends really knew what I needed to hear, and it gave me an opportunity to release some fears and expectations to them and to the universe about the upcoming birth.
After everyone left, I hung each of the cards from my dining room chandelier and placed my candle and beads in the center of the table. I figured they’d be a nice focal point when the time came. Two weeks later, I lit my Blessingway candle knowing that six other women were doing the same thing. Thank you, Megan, for a wonderful experience.
