Weddings and becoming a Mother are two important days in a woman’s life.
Her wedding day is for one day of her life, a day when she feels like a princess for the day and all the attention is on her. The bride has chosen her dress, cake, venue and wedding guests. She marries the person she wants to spend her life with. There’s dancing, food, laughter and love. As lovely as they are, weddings can cost a lot of money for just one day.
When a woman becomes a Mother, whether for the first or fifth time, it’s life-changing, transformative, and it’s forever. Postpartum is forever. Not every bride will want to have children, but many will. Every woman who becomes a Mother deserves all the support she needs.
Imagine if all the guests at her wedding were to support her as a new Mother. She would have lots of meals provided, people to wash dishes and sweep the floor, hold the baby while she napped and showered and friends to care for older siblings, make tea and keep her company.
Those close friends could pay for a cleaner, postpartum massages, or put money toward a Postnatal Doula, to help make her journey to Motherhood more enjoyable and smoother.
Just like friends put money together and buy a gift for a wedding that the couple values, they can get together and pay for the gift of support, care, and time for a new mother to get to know her baby during the Sacred window of the first 40 days of Motherhood. Babies don’t need much. A new mother needs a village of support while she Mothers her baby.
I think that some of the money and time spent on them would be of more value to women and their families when they give birth to their babies and become Mothers. It would mean she would get the support, rest, nourishment, nurturing and love she needs during the first 40 days after birth. What a wonderful start for Mother and baby. What a valuable investment of time, money and resources for her, now and for the future. Mothers do the most important work there is. Growing, caring for and raising little people to be happy, independent adults.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every time a woman had a baby her family, friends, neighbours and community gathered around and supported them and their family, so she can rest and recover from the birth and feel rejuvenated and ready to get back to her life with her baby?
Then each woman would have the energy to support other women around her when they had their babies. The circle of support goes around. This is how it’s meant to be: Mothers being valued.
As a Postnatal doula I can support you after birth in the way you need it. From physical and emotional support, helping you find your village, to professional help and resources, so you can confidently find your way to Mother and enjoy your journey to Motherhood.
I think that’s more valuable than most wedding gifts. A valuable gift for a lifetime.
