" but try to find some specifics). You will notice
that the more specific the memories you recall, the more poignant they will be
to those who shared the experience with you.
Describe the feeling when your baby was first placed in your arms. Think about
the experience in terms of a snapshot. Imagine someone had taken a photo, just
then. Describe the photo. What one or two details most stick in your mind about
the experience?
Who were your first visitors?
What was your first meal after childbirth?
What was it like to feed your baby for the first time? Make a mental snapshot of
those first feedings and describe it in as much detail as you can.
What are your memories of your spouse or partner? What feelings washed over you
when you were together with the baby for the first time?
Were there any feelings of fear? If so, what were you frightened of?
What advice would you now have for mothers to be?
Reflect on how you told distant family members about the birth.
Recall how you felt upon seeing the other members of your family. In what
special way did they each bond with the baby?
Describe the tiny hands and feet of your baby.
Which baby gifts were particularly meaningful? Why?
How did your pets respond to the new baby?
What was the first song you sang to your baby?
Tell the story of bringing the baby home from the hospital. What was the first
thing you remember doing?
Do you remember when you were first all alone with your new baby, in your home?
Describe how you felt.
What values do you most wish to pass on to your new baby?
What dreams do you have for him or her?
What traditions would you like to instill, to mark the occasion of this birth
each year? Maybe you will write your child a heartfelt letter each year on this
day, or take a photo of your child wearing the same outfit. A daughter may wear
your wedding dress; a son may wear the high school letter jacket of his father.
In what way are you proud of yourself, as a new mother?
How did the instance of becoming a mother change you? How did your worldview
change upon becoming a mother?
How did your relationship with your own mother change? Was there a shift in
perspective?
Using the above questions as a guide, try to open up and go beyond the surface
of the moment. Writing about the birth experience will help you tap the true
bliss of this birth. For many of us, this is the most life changing moment that
we will undergo. Make it last for generations.
Susie Cortright is the founder of Momscape.com,
http://www.momscape.com and Susies-Coupons.com,
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