When I was pregnant 15 years ago with my oldest child, I enjoyed shopping for cute maternity clothes, having a baby shower and after she was born, a hospital photographer snapped a fuzzy picture of her in a pink blanket and that was her first professional photo. Things are different now! Expecting families have many fun options to honor their pregnancy and build excitement around the arrival of their new baby. Celebrating pregnancy is a wonderful way to affirm that growing a baby is life changing and deserves both recognition and a little FUN. Of course you should first hire a fabulous birth team including a doula, but after that…the sky (and your budget) is the limit on what you can do to celebrate these amazing nine months.
Here are four fun ways to celebrate your pregnancy and baby’s arrival.
- Gender Reveal Party – At some point you may choose to find out if you are having boy or girl. Both are great so this is a win/win situation! There are several ways to do the gender reveal party. No matter how the reveal happens, someone must get the information of boy vs girl and then arrange for an object that has the color pink or blue hidden within. Perhaps you choose to pop a balloon filled with pink or blue confetti or cut into a cake that is pink or blue on the inside To make the reveal moment a party, simply invite all your friends and loved ones to watch. Pinterest has lots of great ideas if a gender reveal is on your agenda. Don’t want to invite everyone when you find out your baby’s gender? This can be done intimately with your partner as well.
- Maternity Pictures – Your belly is beautiful, though during pregnancy some pregnant ladies do not exactly feel that way. A maternity photo session will allow you to see what others see – a glowing, beautiful pregnant lady. A maternity photographer can include your spouse, your older children and you can pose with as many (or as few) clothes that you feel comfortable wearing. If you don’t want to hire a photographer for this type of session, consider asking a friend to take some pictures, or even do selfies. The goal is to document this special time and you and your children will love to see what they looked like in your “tummy” years from now.
- Henna Belly Tattoo – Henna has been used to create beautiful body art for thousands of years. It is also a custom to use it to celebrate life events, so painting a pregnant belly is way to capture the beauty of a belly full of life and recognize the impending arrival of a new child. A henna artist can paint your belly for you to enjoy in the weeks prior to your due date, for a maternity photo session or as a part of a baby shower where the artist will typically also paint attendees’ hands or feet as part of the event. If you have not seen henna tattoos, they are beautiful, and temporary – lasting a few days to a few weeks depending on how they are done. Lots of fun, but not a permanent commitment! (We recommend Happy Baby Henna.)
- Birth or Fresh Forty Eight Photography – I know I already mentioned maternity photography but birth photography is different in that it captures the moments as your baby arrives. I am not talking Triple X stuff, I am talking about capturing the moment as your partner places a gentle hand on your shoulder during labor, the smiles caught on camera as silly words are spoken between contractions, the look on your face as you meet your child and of course the first moments of your baby’s life. Birth photographers can do their work no matter where you are delivering – a labor room, an OR or in your home. If having a photographer at your birth is not for you, a Fresh Forty Eight session captures the first hours of you baby’s life and as the name suggests it is done in the first 48 hours of your baby’s life. We always recommend a professional for this type of photography (read why here) but at minimum let your nurse or doula take pictures on your camera or invite a friend or relative who focuses on nothing but photography. Truly these moments are ones you will remember for the rest of your life. (We love Bailey Nicole Photography for Maternity, Birth and Fresh 48 photography!)
No matter what you choose to do to celebrate your pregnancy, take time to enjoy these months and look forward to your baby’s arrival!
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Maria Pokluda has been a doula serving expecting families in Dallas and Ft. Worth since 2007 and has helped hundreds of 
families have happy birth days. Maria was voted “Best Doula” by DFW Child the past three years and has a special passion for helping couples achieve VBACs. In 2011, Maria co-created the Birth Boot Camp DOULA certification program. You can find information about Maria’s services or read her blog at greatexpectationsbirth.com