By Sahaja Douglass

Mother’s Day is around the bend, and there are countless ads showing mothers of all shapes, sizes and colors being lathered, lubricated, dined, wined and massaged. A cornucopia of pleasures for everyone, but what about mothers whose children are still inside them? I haven’t seen any ads depicting pregnant women reclining in a spa chaise.

So what can we do to honor the newest mothers, the ones who are already symbiotically nurturing their wee-ones-within? What do new mothers want most?

Most pregnant women want assurance that everything is going to be okay during their pregnancy, birth and after their baby is born. Typical concerns focus on health, finances, lack of sleep, inevitable changes in relationships and their ability to nurture adequately.  While, there are no true assurances in life, I did think of a fun and fabulous gift that can assuage some of her worries. Assembling the gift requires imagination, love, generosity, an empty jar and a hefty supply of glue, feathers, shells, leaves, confetti or any other decorations (you get extra points if the crafty materials are sustainable and non-toxic).

Get Crafty!

1.  Cut out hearts from colored paper.

2.  Write one offering or affirmation on each heart. For example:

“1 organic home cooked meal” “1/2 hour foot massage” “bubble bath” “weekly grocery shopping” “Laundry duty” “your baby chose you” “I love you” “1 hug” “ you were born to birth,” etc.

3.  Decorate the jar.

4.  Put the hearts with offerings and affirmations into the jar and add some feathers or leaves, so when she opens the jar, it is oozing love and whimsy.

5.  Any time she wants, she can pull out a heart from her sacred jar and redeem the offering.

There are no rules to what goes into the jar, or how many people contribute hearts. If there are any restrictions (i.e. laundry heart can only be redeemed on weekends) then they can be written on the heart or an accompanying card.

If you are not in a crafty mood, buy:

EarthMama AngelBaby Organics “Mother of All Pregnancy Gift Basket,”containing the highest quality organic products for all the stages of pregnancy, labor, childbirth and beyond, and packaged in a pink keepsake heart colander. (This company is inspiring and their website has resources galore, including a free birth plan that you create from a list of choices, and then print out in minutes - now that’s as much reassurance as you can get). www.earthmamaangelbaby.com/