Originally Posted by Mysticmama

I've had two and been to several. There have been variations to all of them. When we would pass the yarn to wrap around our wrists everyone would say their name and then say, "the daughter of_________the daughter of _____the daughter of_____" as far back as you know and wrap the yarn around your wrist with each name. That was always neat to here the names and it represented all the women with you in labor. After the mom has the baby (or finishes lotus birthing) everyone would cut theirs off.

Everyone would line up in two lines and face each other and make an arch with their arms and the mom would go through first backwards and then get turned around between each set of arms. There would be a saying about coming into this world by woman and each woman would kiss you on the cheek. I would have to look up exactly what was said.

We had a special tea and each herb meant something and we had to pour the hot tea in our hands and it represented the other women taking part of the pain of labor for you.

We sang songs, brought beads to make a necklace, brought stones and other special things like shells, plants, flowers, candles, and or poems. We usually brought something that was one of our kids to pass on to the new baby too.

It would be potluck and it was a lot of fun getting together with the other woman and the mother before her birth, sometimes we're all so busy it's hard to get together. Other things we might do would be henna, belly cast, belly pictures, release negative feelings written on balloons (for past bad births or family giving them problems), cornmeal foot rub, and even a bath w/ rose petals. Candles were always lit. It would really depend on what the mom was comfortable with though.

Most of the moms would get together again after the baby was born for a visit and to bring meals and healthy snacks for mom. It worked a little better since everyone could meet the baby at once and not have lots of separate visits.