A beautiful alternative to hosting a baby shower for a pregnant mama is to host a women's circle. A gathering of women who intend to offer the mama-to-be the space to remember her power, to feel loved and nurtured, to let go of any fears, to be seen, witnessed, celebrated and honoured for the journey she is embarking on.

It takes a village

They say it takes a village to make a Mama. By intentionally gathering together in a Circle, you are showing your love and support to the mama-to-be by being part of her village. Although the birthing mother needs to be initiated into the birth portal through her own body and connecting with her baby on her own, she never needs to feel alone.

By supporting pregnant women in the time before birth, and most especially post-birth, we can create a loving, nurturing village and community where the mother never feels isolated or that she's doing it all on her own. She is gathered within the circle of women who love, support and nourish her.

An empowering experience

The intention for a mama-to-be circle is for the whole experience to be uplifting and empowering. The sharing by women in a circle needs to be honest and authentic. Be mindful of sharing stories that may induce fear. Bring stories or share advice that have a silver lining or a beautiful lesson that was learnt.

In the circle you can share what you love about the mama-to-be. The main purpose is to shower her with an outpouring of love. Perhaps sharing about the first time you met her, when she's supported you, made you laugh, was there for you, held you, inspired you, or celebrated you.

By sharing a memory you set the intention to remind her of the power she holds within, the light she shines, of all the strength she keeps, and the gifts that live within her.

Circles and Cycles of Life

Celebrating and honouring these markings of time are beautiful moments for us to all check in with ourselves and reflect on the season we're currently in, and the seasons we have been in. As with everything, this too shall pass.

The cycles of life are divine treasures to witness and embrace. By celebrating the woman who carries new life within her, we too are celebrating the joy of being alive.

What happens in a women's circle for a mama-to-be?

Start with welcoming everyone who gathered for the occasion and clearly state the intention:

• Welcome everyone to the circle. We're here to celebrate [name of mama]'s journey from maiden to motherhood. They say it takes a village to raise a child so being here today signifies to [name] that you are part of her village.
• Our intention is to really support [name] and provide her with the strength she needs as she remembers and reclaims her power and divinity in birthing not only her baby but herself as mother.

Take a moment to ground everybody into the space:

• For this grounding exercise, place a hand over your heart and your other hand on your womb.
• Close down your eyes and notice your breath.
• Feel your feet upon the ground and start to feel a deep connection of roots reaching all the way down to Mother Earth, her strong embrace.
• Allow all of your worries to be sent down to the Earth.
• Visualise tree roots going down, further down....
• Feel yourself grounded to the earth and fully present in this very moment.
• Breathe together for a few rounds - deep inhale and exhale.
• Let everything go. Any stress, any rushing around, any thoughts circling, let it all go.
• Allow your energy to focus on where we are now, in this room, all here in this circle to support [name].

Introduce yourself as the host and give prompts for each person to share one at a time around the circle:

• We are all here today because we have a special connection with this beautiful mama.
• Now we are all going to introduce ourselves in the following format:
• "My name is _________ I am the daughter of ________ and the mother to ____________"
• This allows us to connect with the feminine thread of our wombs
• "I am connected to this mama by_______" or, "I first met this mama at __________"
• We go clockwise when sharing in the circle as a form of protection.
• We are honouring the mothers of the past and present, the role of motherhood.
• We are also acknowledging the mother presence - we all come from a mother who birthed us into this world.

Use a symbolic connection as an exercise to represent the connection of the circle:

• Using a ball of thread, we will wrap some of the thread around our wrist and as we do so, share a blessing or prayer or intention, either out loud with the circle or quietly.
• Keep the ball of thread connected until it comes back to the mama to wrap around her wrist.
• Spend a few moments of having the mama gaze around the circle and meet the eyes of each women in her circle. Allow the other women a moment to truly see everybody else in the thread.
• Have the mama pass a pair of scissors around the circle with each woman cutting the thread off her wrist, leaving her with a few threads. The mama cuts off the thread at the very end and holds onto the rest of the ball knowing that the women are all connected through a spiritual thread.

Have each woman bring a candle with them from home:

• Gift the mama a long tapered candle and with her lighting the candle first "the mother candle" - pass this candle to light all of the candles in the circle until it comes back to the mama.
• Again, you can use this time to say a prayer out loud for the mama, an intention, a blessing.
• Use this as a reminder of the light you carry for the mama and light it again at home when you hear of the mama going into labour, or the arrival of the baby.
• Lighting the candle again at home can remind you of the circle and again send your prayers and blessings for the mama and baby.

You can also add in any other ceremony or ritual that feels good for the mama - such as sharing empowering birth stories, wisdom from other mothers of different ages, writing love letters or birth affirmations, creating a picture or poster for the birth space etc.



The most important part of the circle is that everyone is there to genuinely express love for the mama-to-be and everyone is able to offer their heart and empowering wisdom. Be clear on your intention.

If you are interested in hosting your own women's circle feel free to reach out to Olivia for suggestions or advice. She will be more than happy to lead you in the right direction so you feel comfortable hosting your own women's circle.

Beautiful birth affirmation cards created by Bonnie Grace Creates