From Baby Showers to Blessingways: Rethinking How We Celebrate Pregnancy

Celebrating pregnancy is a deeply personal and sacred experience. For many, the traditional baby shower—complete with pastel decorations, party games, and piles of baby gear—is the standard way to honor new life in the US. But what if we could go deeper? What if we could create a celebration that truly honors not just the baby but the mother—her strength, her faith, and her incredible and unique journey into motherhood?

Enter the Mother Blessing.

What Is A Mother Blessing?

Fashioned after the Navajo tradition of a Blessingway, a Mother Blessing is a spiritual and meaningful gathering designed to celebrate and support the mother as she transitions into motherhood. Unlike a baby shower, which focuses on gifts for the baby, a Mother Blessing places the mother at the center, honoring her emotional, physical, and spiritual journey.

From a faith-based perspective, it’s an opportunity to invite God into the celebration, to pray over the mother, and to create a sacred community of support as she prepares for one of God’s most profound callings.

Why Choose a Mother Blessing Over a Baby Shower?

If I’m being honest, baby showers can sometimes feel more like a social obligation than a meaningful celebration. While there’s nothing wrong with gifts and games, they don’t always acknowledge the immense transformation a woman experiences in pregnancy and childbirth, especially for first time mothers.

A Mother Blessing shifts the focus back to uplifting the mother in preparation for birth and motherhood, surrounding her with love and prayer, and affirming her unique role in God’s plan.

Here are some reasons to consider hosting a Mother Blessing instead of a baby shower:

• It’s deeply personal: Each Mother Blessing is tailored to the mother’s spiritual and emotional needs.

• It invites faith into the celebration: Prayers, scripture readings, and blessings create a sacred atmosphere.

• It creates lasting memories: Instead of unwrapping diapers, the mother receives words of encouragement and support that she can carry with her into motherhood.

How to Host a Christian Mother Blessing

Hosting a Mother Blessing doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few steps to get started:

1. Gather Her Community
   Invite the people closest to the mother—those who will truly uplift her and speak life over her. This can include family, friends, her doula, and members of her church or faith community.

2. Incorporate Prayer and Scripture
   Make Jesus the center of the gathering. Choose scriptures that speak to the beauty of motherhood and God’s promises for strength and peace.

3. Create Meaningful Rituals
   Include activities that symbolize love, support, and unity. Examples include:

   • Anointing with oil or holy water: Bless the mother with a prayer for strength and protection.

   • Prayer circles: Each guest can share a prayer or word of encouragement.

   • Bead ceremony: Have each guest bring a bead, share a blessing, and create a bracelet or necklace for the mother to wear during labor.

   • Bible Verse Cards: Incorporate an artsy activity by having each guest write their favorite Bible verse on a 4x6 card and color it (using water colors, colored pencils, etc). These can be hung up in the mother’s birth space for encouragement in labor.

4. Focus on Nourishment
   Provide nourishing food and drinks to symbolize the care and love the mother deserves.

5. Make It About Her
   This is not the time for generic advice or awkward games. Make the mother feel truly seen, celebrated, and supported.

Resources for Planning a Mother Blessing

Planning a Mother Blessing may feel unfamiliar if you’re used to traditional baby showers, but it’s worth the effort. At National Baby Co., we’ve created A Doula’s Guide to Planning a Community Mother Blessing. While this is geared towards doulas, anyone interested in planning a Mother Blessing will benefit! It is packed full of resources, checklists and inspiration to help you plan a meaningful, faith-based celebration for the moms in your life.

CHECK IT OUT HERE.

Faith, Motherhood, and Community

Pregnancy is a time of introspection, expansion, and complete transformation, and it’s too important to let it pass by without acknowledging each mother’s unique path. A Mother Blessing allows us to step back from the commercialized rituals of baby showers and focus on what really matters—faith, love, and community.

If you’re considering a Mother Blessing for yourself or a loved one, let this be your sign to go for it. Invite God into the space, surround the mother with prayer, and create a celebration that truly honors the sacred calling of motherhood.