Pregnancy is an important time in a woman’s life and, in today’s world of information, there is an abundance of resources available to help her through that time. Most resources, however, focus upon the physical aspects of pregnancy—how her body is changing or how the baby is growing. Sacred Pregnancy: a Loving Guide and Journal for Expectant Moms looks at the spiritual aspects of pregnancy, giving women a place to explore the emotions associated with this time in her life.
Anni Daulter explains that “this book is here as an inspirational resource, a good friend, and a practical guide to help you through your personal process of becoming a mother.” She invites women to explore themselves and their journeys as they become mothers. In our fast-paced world, Anni recommends taking time for introspection, to “embrace pregnancy with reverence.”
As a mother of three girls, I deeply appreciated Anni’s advice and insight. This was the sort of book I wanted but couldn’t find, especially during my last two pregnancies. I knew “what to expect” about the changes to my body as my baby grew, but each pregnancy is still an emotional journey. As a writer, I turn to books and journaling to explore my emotions, but none of the pregnancy journals I saw in the bookstores spoke to the emotional, spiritual needs of mothers.
Sacred Pregnancy is the perfect size of a journal, with beautiful, glossy pages. Each chapter is fairly short and includes a section on Your Body (what’s happening for you), Your Baby (how your baby is growing), Your Spirit (what might be going on emotionally, and what you should focus on this week.
Anni includes reflections, such as this advice for Week 22:
“Meditate on how you deal with trust vs. fear and which normally wins that argument in your head. During your pregnancy, you are called upon to have confidence that your baby is growing perfectly and that you will be able to deliver your child with ease.”
She then lists ideas—further questions to consider or things to think on. Finally, at the end of every chapter she provides a list of extra resources—books, websites, products, music, movies, etc—to help you on your journey. Then there is space for journaling, sketching, or pasting photos.
When Anni speaks of sacred pregnancy, she means “sacred” in a general, spiritual sense, rather than a Judeo-Christian way. As someone approaching the book from a Christian viewpoint, I found myself changing some of her suggestions to fit my traditions. For example, in Week 2, Anni suggests creating a “pregnancy power altar” with candles, birth art, the journal and other important things. I would make this a prayer altar where I could meditate on inspiring Scriptures and include pictures of Mary with baby Jesus or other patron saints of childbirth.
Anni writes like a friend sitting beside you, walking through this journey with you. I appreciated her insights and calm, soothing advice about the various stages of pregnancy. I found a couple sections repetitive and noticed some typos that annoyed me as a writer/editor, but this book will join the rest of my pregnancy resources. The photographs and layout were gorgeous in themselves. I’d recommend this book to every woman, whether this is your first or fourth pregnancy.
For more information about Anni or the book, visit her website. Anni offers more resources there, including community, classes, retreats, and a magazine. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. I was provided with a copy of the book to read, but the review and opinions are all mine. They have also given Untrained Housewife readers the opportunity to win the spring edition of the Sacred Pregnancy magazine. You can enter in the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!
Love this! I don’t think the mechanics of pregnancy and birth should ever be separated from the mental, emotional, and spiritual side. So glad to see someone focusing in on this. I really needed space to feel baby and react to the intuition I got from them. Yoga definitely helped me to be more aware of my body and the baby.
This sounds beautiful! And to answer the question, sitting and feeling my baby move is always what has “nourished” me throughout my pregnancy. (That and good quality pint of ice cream 😉
thank You, my hubby and I are discussing when to get started. He has one son from a previous marriage, and I have never had kids. I confess, I am terrified and overjoyed at the idea. This looks like the perfect book to help me through the transition process into motherhood.