Blessing for a Mother-to-Be
A prayer to be said by a group of friends or family for a woman close to giving birth using the symbolic red thread from Rachel’s Tomb
Celebrating Pregnancy
Describes the customs of Sephardic Jews who celebrated a woman’s first pregnancy by cutting the swaddling clothes at a festive gathering of women
M’ugelet
It is customary for pregnant women and women seeking to become pregnant to offer prayers to Rachel, Judaism’s mater dolorosa. Specifically, women visit Rachel’s tomb in Bethlehem, wrap a red cord around the tomb, then cut it into smaller pieces which they tie around their own wrists. This ritual for a pregnant woman is based on this custom.
A Prayer to be Said upon Entering the Ninth Month of Pregnancy
From an Italian collection of 18th century prayers for married women written by Dr. Giuseppe Cohen and presented to his bride as a wedding gift
Simkhat Yoledet
A ritual to be performed in a women’s group focusing on the new mother
Temenos
A poem that likens the womb’s circles to other circles within Judaism
Blessingway Ceremony
A ceremony for a woman about to give birth, based on the Navajo custom of the blessingway
Birkhot Shamayim Me’al: Pregnancy Song
From Genesis 49:25 and Deuteronomy 7:13
Hannah’s Prayer from Berakhot 31b
A form of this touching prayer in modern English
As at the Creation of Eve
A prayer that may be said before a medical exam for those undergoing fertility treatment/counseling
