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BABY CLOSE-UP
Baby Close-Up: celebrating pregnancy, honoring the body
Your body is doing an extraordinary thing: creating a human being. It does so without any conscious attention on your part, without you having to concentrate on the process ("today I will make the toes!"), carrying you through life while also creating a small person, perfectly equipped for her own life.
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Pregnancy is a time of profound change, some of it subconscious, and some not. Maybe you have already started to buy things for the baby, to arrange her room, to talk to her or to play with her in the belly. Perhaps, while walking in the street, you had the sudden realization that all people who cross your path were once carried in the womb of a woman, as you are carrying your baby now. Maybe there is something in this extraordinary passage of life that you would like to mark in some way, perhaps you would like to understand its importance to you, or you would like to celebrate, to allow other people to share in the joy of your pregnancy, loved ones who may not fully understand the magnitude of the process for you.
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I created the Baby Close-Up Ritual following the teachings of Naoli Vinaver, who performs what she calls "natural ultrasounds", by drawing babies according to their position in the belly. The real purpose of the ritual is not so much the drawing, as your connection to your body and to your baby. You can feel her position, her movement in response to your hands, your partner can perhaps hear your baby's heartbeat by listening carefully, and if your baby has brothers or sisters, they are welcome to come too. Feeling the baby's movement, drawing the baby, coloring the drawing and decorating the belly is a great way to make the baby's presence more concrete for older children, and prepare them for her arrival.
Content of the Ritual
- we start by talking a little so you can help me get to know you and your baby better
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- you reflect on a wish, a message, a thought or some words you would like to communicate to your babyduring our ritual
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- you get comfortable, connect to your baby and send her a good thought; with your permission, I introduce myself to the baby
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- together, we contact your baby's head, back, feet, elbows; we feel the contours of your uterus, we guess the position of the placenta; you listen to your baby through your hands, you send him your love
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- we draw the outline of your baby's body, uterus, placenta, umbilical cord; we honor your body and what it is accomplishing through the colors we choose, the decorations, the care we take
- I take your picture, if you wish, and we close the ritual with a visualization
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- my rebozo is never far away, and I may suggest using it a little if I feel it would help support you.
Fee:
The fee is 160 euros.
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For home visits, I apply an additional fee of 30 euros, unless your condition does not allow you to come to the office (which may well be the case at the end of pregnancy), in which case I come for free.
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As with all offerings, if you can benefit from my work but it is really not affordable to you, I adjust to what is possible for you.
This is for you if:
- you would like to celebrate this passage of life, if you want to thank your body, if you need a little space to reflect and create meaning
- you would like to re-appropriate knowledge about the body which is, in fact, yours: knowing how to recognize the contours of your uterus, how your baby is positioned, where the placenta could be. This knowledge belongs to you just as your body belongs to you.
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- you would like to help your older children create a bond with the baby
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- you would like to celebrate your pregnancy with your partner, your friends, sister, or other members of your family. This ritual lends itself so well to happy and festive occasions. It can easily be incorporated into a Baby Blessing, or a Baby Shower.
Practical Info: Paris, Maisons-Laffitte, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, west of Paris
I book appointments on Wednesdays and Saturdays in my office in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, located at 34 Impasse des Louviers, a 5-minute walk from the RER A.
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I can come to you if you live in Paris or in the west of Paris: Chatou, Le Vésinet, Le Pecq, Marly-le-Roi, Montesson, Houilles, Sartrouville, Conflans-Sainte-Honorine.
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To draw on the belly, I use pencils designed for drawing on the skin, hypoallergenic and washable with water. We can use lipstick for a specific color effect; if you like the idea, we will use your lipstick. For best comfort, it helps to be in a well-heated room.