Baby showers are a rite of passage that many expectant parents cherish. But when author Laura Lane was pregnant with her first child, she was eager to skip this particular ritual.
“For a variety reasons, I knew I did not want to have a baby shower,” she told HuffPost. “I’d had a miscarriage already and had a high-risk pregnancy, and almost felt superstitious about it. The traditional baby shower, with its pastel decorations and diaper cakes, was not for me.”
Although such gatherings are well intentioned, Lane believes they “don’t always serve the modern mother, who is grappling with the seismic shift of becoming not just a caregiver, but a new version of herself.” Instead, showers tend to prioritize the external trappings of parenthood, with moms-to-be unwrapping their preselected burp cloths, diaper caddies and onesies for all to see.
As Lane’s pregnancy progressed, she realized she wanted to mark this transitional period of her life with loved ones in a different way. And she remembered how meaningful her bachelorette party was.
Enter the “hatchelorette.”
What is a hatchelorette?
As the name suggests, a hatchelorette is sort of a bachelorette celebration with a prenatal twist. It’s an opportunity to get away and make memories with close friends and family before the whirlwind of parenthood sets in.
“I wanted to celebrate this new rite of passage with friends, just as I had done with my bachelorette party. But now I was ‘hatching’ a baby, so I decided to call it a hatchelorette,” Lane said.
Although there are many cheesy cliches associated with bachelorette parties, she noted that they have evolved into a more individualized experience reflecting the honoree’s desires and personality.
“They are not constrained by a rigid template like a baby shower,” Lane said. “Whether it’s a wild weekend in Las Vegas that you’d have to pay me to go to, a meditative retreat on the beach (which is more my style), or a quiet dinner with close friends, the bachelorette party is about the person, not a prescriptive idea of what a milestone celebration ‘should’ look like.”
Similarly, a hatchelorette can be anything ― a relaxing beach trip, a mountain getaway, a weekend at the spa, or even just a couple of nice evenings spent lounging and chatting with loved ones. The only constant is the focus on the expectant parent and their needs.
“It’s about crafting a moment that feels true to the mother-to-be, not about conforming to…
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