Many people question the value of celebrating pregnancy, those oh-so-slow months of growing and passing though varying degrees of discomfort and ungainliness. After all, why would you want to remember your body being so strange and large, especially since it can feel like forever when you’re waiting for your baby to actually arrive? Parents-to-be are often shy or too busy with other things on their mind. And so time moves on, a baby is born and everything changes.

It’s often after a pregnancy that women wish they had done more to mark this unique phase of life. Caught up in caring for a baby, new mothers’ bodies quickly return to being more familiar, and many women wonder if it was even possible that they were pregnant once-upon-a-time.

Not surprisingly, many of my photography clients are pregnant with their second or third child. Having been through it already, they realize how fleeting and special this time is. Experienced mothers also tend to feel less hesitant about revealing their bodies to a “stranger” since they’ve already “shown it all” during their first birth and now don’t care as much. I’ve even heard grandmothers reminisce and say, “Makes me almost wish I could do it all over again” when they see prenatal photographs.

There are many different ways to pause and celebrate your pregnancy. Consider some of the following options and personalize the experience to suit your own tastes:

Henna or body paint – have your friends decorate your belly or embellish you and the babe-to-be with welcoming, supportive messages (see www.hennabyholly.com for more info)

Bellycasting – with your partner, friends or a professional, create a plaster cast of your belly that you can keep, decorate and hang in your child’s room. You might also want to make your partner wear it around the house to empathize with your condition (see www.energybirth.com/bellycasting.htm for more information)

Photographs – do them yourself, or better yet, hire a skilled photographer to help you see your body from a different, more beautiful perspective.

Taking the time to document and commemorate your pregnancy helps to make it more real and communicates to your child that you care about them even before they make a physical appearance in the world. According to Ann Douglas, author of The Mother of All Pregnancy Books, having your picture taken is one of the top 10 things you should consider doing while you’re pregnant.

Be proud of your bigness - it won’t last forever. When it’s gone and your belly is a distant memory, you might find that you actually miss it! Whether you choose to publicly show off your tummy or conduct your own private ritual in the bathtub, don’t miss the chance to honour your pregnant belly, that moving, changing Mystery which is part of you.

Copyright Rebekah Jamieson, 2009 Tel: 519-821-4176