Photo by Sarah Hrudka

When women come together in a setting that’s intentional and trusting, something magical happens. Love, nurturing, listening, support, honoring. Add in the round, beautiful belly of a woman creating life within, and the energy of that gathering creates a deeply powerful well of support as she nears the next phase of her journey: birth.

This kind of gathering is called a Mother Blessing, or “blessingway.” Instead of showering a mother with store-bought gifts (though also fun!), a Mother Blessing showers a mama and her soon-to-be-born babe with community and meaningful rituals that encourage her to believe in the strength, softening, opening and surrender she’ll call upon during labor and birth — whether she plans to birth vaginally or by Cesarean.

Recently, we at Blooma held a group Mother Blessing for NINE of our jaw-droppingly amazing staffers who are pregnant right now. NINE! Though a blessingway is usually an intimate ceremony for just one mama at a time, making this a group ceremony was an incredible experience for us all! The pictures you see are from this special night.

Head wreaths for mamas // Photo by Sarah Hrudka

New to the Mother Blessing concept? Here are a few ideas. Pass them along to your best friend or sister so she can plan one for you, or start planning now for a special pregnant woman in your own life. Even if this sounds a bit out there to you, trust me when I say that every woman who attends (skeptical or not), will have plenty of feel-good-love hormones — and maybe a few tears! — flowing by the end of the night. Continue reading →