Pink, Blue, Pink, Blue…balloons, everywhere on the wall; the WBFN conference room had taken on a festive new look. The usually sober room appeared to have suddenly taken on a new avatar. The decorations were adorably cute and created the right atmosphere and ambiance for a Baby Shower.

I have never been to a baby shower in the US, so, when the invitation to attend one at WBFN came to me, I jumped at the opportunity to witness and participate in a fun American tradition. I was deeply thrilled to be part of a lovely group of WBFN members, but, I was also anxious, since I did not know the rules of a Baby Shower and I was frankly, a bit self-conscious about the games that would be played and was totally unsure about the gift that I planned to get Nour.  

I googled “baby shower” wanting to know what exactly it was and I came to know that earlier in North America baby showers were actually held after birth, as a way of keeping the new mother company while she and her baby were in confinement. But, now, the Shower is held about a month or two before the due date. As the name signifies, the important aspect of the occasion is “showering” of gifts on the mother and the baby-to-be. Baby Showers are usually organized by a friend, colleague, or family member to treat the mom-to-be and make her feel special. Most Baby Showers occur during the last trimester of the mother-to-be’s pregnancy but this is not really a set rule. It is a truly special moment for the mom-to-be and if it is planned as a surprise for her; just like the one organized at WBFN; then, it certainly creates an added delight and enjoyment for the guest of honor. Just as gifts are a key element of the Shower, games are an important facet of the occasion. And just as the gifts range from the practical to preciously beautiful, the games range from hilarious to exciting.  

Nour’s Baby Shower was held on November 4th 2008. The shower began with a light lunch and then moved on to the central aspect – games. The key person behind Nour’s Baby Shower was Chantale Holzmann; she did the planning and the execution. She had carefully selected entertaining games which made the event really memorable. The games helped keep the atmosphere light, friendly and cheerful. I personally think that organizing the games is the most difficult part of the Baby Shower because they have to sustain interest as well as maintain tempo; they have to afford amusement but also offer food for thought. We began with an ice-breaker game where we had to draw the portrait of a baby on a paper plate that was placed on our heads. It wasn’t easy and the results ranged from outrageously funny to meticulously accurate. Christtine did an awesome job by drawing a charming baby portrait. We moved on from there to a lot of guessing games like guessing the flavor of baby foods, guessing the mother-to-be’s girth, guessing how babies are called in various languages etc. Every single game provided enormous amusement and delight as we moved on to pinning the diaper on the baby.  This was the high point of all games, it was incredulously enjoyable and everyone split their sides bursting with laughter. The diaper ended up being pinned everywhere from the baby’s head to its toes. The last game, gave us the opportunity to tell Nour about an important piece of advice that our mothers had given us. All our advice was collected and gift-wrapped in a blue ribbon that went to Nour as a keep-sake. How thoughtful!  

The enjoyment continued as we moved on to the next phase of unwrapping gifts. Nour was touched by the wonderful gifts that she received for her baby. There was a noticeable joy and marked composure as she went through the big pile of gifts that lay before her. She fondly un-wrapped each gift, marveled at all the baby paraphernalia, profusely thanked each guest and brought the fun Shower to an end. There was something nostalgic and alluring about this Baby Shower and the memory of this occasion will remain with me for a long time.

Vidya Rangan