Ah baby showers - a right of passage for any expectant mum to be… but something that in recent years has become more and more, let’s say - cringey!
If your insides are dying at the thought of sniffing nappies smeared in ‘baby poop’ or having your nearest and dearest lovingly measure your bulging stomach - have no fear! Here are Jessica, from Positively Pregnant’s top tips for planning a classy baby shower which leave you feeling gorgeous, relaxed and most importantly- showered with love!
Ever heard of a ‘Blessingway’ Or ‘Mother Blessing’? Well, it’s a the name for a traditional ceremony (originating from Native America) where, like a baby shower, the Mum to be is surrounded by her closest female relatives & friends over the course of an afternoon but instead of the focus of the day being on the baby, gifts for the baby etc - the focus is entirely on the Mother, and the huge shift into this next phase of her life she’s going to be taking.
The day focusses on nourishing food, loving massages for the Mama, singing songs, the giving of special gifts, and imparting wisdom for birth and motherhood for the new Mum.
Now a ‘full on’ traditional Blessingway may not be your thing - BUT - there are some beautiful elements we can incorporate into a more ‘Western‘ babyshower! Read on to see how…
Ditch the party games in favour of pamper treatments!
A wonderful idea is to create your own body scrubs whilst sat around in a circle, having a good catch up & some glasses of ‘Nosecco’! Here’s a link to some love recepies from Healthy Pregnany
If DIY isn’t your thing, then put together a luxurious hamper of products which everyone can use. Just make sure everything is pregnancy safe - no extreme acid peels!
A relaxing foot soak can do a pregnant woman the world of good, so be sure to incorporate this into your pamper session. You could just reserve the ‘foot soak’ for the Mum to be, or what I personally did is ask everyone to bring their own foot spa (a clean washing up bowl will suffice if needs be!) and we all sat around in a circle with fizz whilst our feet soaked! Follow up with a foot exfoliating treatment and self massage your feet with a good quality body oil or foot cream!
My ‘Pamper Essentials’
Foot soak kit
Body Scrub making kit
Face Masks
Cleanse, tone, moisturise kit for a DIY facial for the Mum to be
If you’d really like to play into the ‘pamper’ vibe of your event - something I did was invite a skincare expert to come along to lead the way with DIY facials etc! I opted for my local Tropic Skincare expert, but there will be local beauticians who would love to do this too!
2. Provide plenty of beautiful but nourishing food
Ok, without getting all snooty on you- you want this to be a sumptuous, nurturing experience for the Mum to be. Now is not the time for Aldi budget cakes and sausage rolls…!
Making an effort with the food will seriously elevate the ‘vibe’ of your shower. This is something which can be done for all sorts of budgets - from everyone home making something (cakes, pastries, refreshing salads, quiches etc) to calling on your local catering team.
Presentation is an easy way to make your spread feel luxurious & special. Here are my top tips:
Pick a theme! Whether it’s Sophie Allport inspired, pink sparkles or a more rustic vibe, pick a ‘feeling’ for your table(s) of food and stick to it.
A table runner and some ribbon or twine can seriously elevate the way your food looks for not much investment
Grab some edible flowers, or some artificial ones and delicately pop them on top of cakes, and at the side of other deserts. Similarly a sprinkle of herbs across quiches and sandwiches always helps!
Inexpensive posies of flowers dotted about in jars or jugs compliments a rustic theme beautifully, or if you’re going down a more opulent route stick to large displays of single colour bunches in vases.
A single sign (like the one below!) or balloon boxes are a really sweet touch to a baby shower ‘food table’. These sorts of signs are great as they can be reused in baby’s room too! Less is more - you don’t always need 20 balloons and confetti…!
Jars of sweeties always go down an absolute treat, and look really pretty. If you know the gender of the baby, theming the sweet colours to fit is a classy way of nodding to the ‘gender theme’
3. Rather than showering the mother with gifts for her baby, focus on creating a hamper for the mother. Fill your basket with lovely, helpful items which she will need in the coming months & which will leave her feeling loved and nurtured.
Ideas for this hamper could be:
Under eye masks
A lovely coffee travel mug
Face masks
Bath oil
A hypnobirthing course - lots of mums to be receive a voucher for a session with me, or I can create a whole box of Mama goodies & access to the Positively Pregnant Video Course
Here I am with my Mama Hamper at my own baby shower!
4. Create something sentimental which the Mum to be can have with her during labour.
A big part of hypnobirthing is about stimulating feelings of calm, feeling loved, feeling supported. A really gorgeous way your friends can help you do this is by creating something unique and emotive for you to have with you in labour.
This really could be anything - but what my friends did is they each made a little bracelet with a silver flower on (my baby is called Primrose!) and one for me too. We all wore them up until Primrose was born, and it helped me feel connected to them & remember my gorgeous baby shower throughout labour.
I have also known friends to record messages either at the baby shower, or before hand on a phone with messages of encouragement and love.
5. Light a candle
Something really sweet which I (as the mum to be!) did was make a candle for each of the women at my baby shower. I used the scent which I knew I would have on during labour - and when I knew I had started to go into labour… I let them know & asked them to light their candles. Knowing all these wonderful women who had showered me with love a few weeks earlier were thinking of us, sending us love & lighting these little candles to join us all together at this time was… beautiful!
Of course buying a little candle for each of the women at your shower is just as lovely!
So there you have it! My top tips for creating a baby shower which leaves Mama feeling blissful and loved, rather than anxious and baffled!
Id love to hear how you get on! Give me a follow on Instagram for more tips & help in preparing for birth!
If you’re a Mum to be & are feeling unsure about preparing for birth - or you’d love to treat the Mum to be in your life to one of my life/ birth changing courses - take a peruse around my site HERE to see how I can help.
Jessica x
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