A new little life is here!

(beautiful images above of my sister Hollie & baby niece Harlow)

Im so very excited tonight - because today, a dear friend of mine gave birth to a healthy baby boy! How awesome is that?

I want to share briefly of her pregnancy journey, and I will keep it brief as I don't have her permission as of yet! BUT I was privileged enough to have the first phone call today from one very very proud mother sharing of her news.

This friend and patient's pregnancy was slightly complicated, and so after some discussion of her situation, I knew that I would be able to help. Can I just add - love my job! Im busting at the seams with joy since I found out of her birth! Anyway, back to the blog. So, after weekly acupuncture we were able to successfully treat the pregnancy and mother to full term. From 36 weeks gestation, we began preforming pre-labour acupuncture. This type of treatment really prepares the body for what lies ahead, and has been proven to decrease labour duration by 40%. The specific formula of points are used to assist the body in what it should already be doing. This is opening the pelvis, by assisting in relaxin (a hormone secreted by pregnant women that 'relaxes'), softening and relaxing muscles and tendons, ripening, softening and opening of the cervix, as well as supporting the woman's body in general. Midwives and acupuncturists all around the world use variations of acupuncture formula's to promote labour. For me, over the past 5 years, it has taken time, experience and some trial and error to find what works best.

When I saw her yesterday and I knew we were close. At this point, she was 40 + 2 days, and so we preformed 'induction acupuncture.' It differs somewhat to Pre Labour treatments as it is more intense and the location of the points change slightly, with a focus on stimulating the body to get things moving. Its important to understand the difference between the two type of treatments. One is more gentle and slow, the other is aiming to get things moving quickly.

An interesting thing happens as a woman's body begins to prepare for labour. She begins to go inward and may appear somewhat 'absent' to what is going on around her. My friend was like this yesterday. I could see she was so near, and when she asked me if I thought she would go into labour overnight, I confidently answered yes!

I awoke to a beeping phone around 6am this morning, with an sms reading "contractions 10 minutes apart" - it was game on! I assumed no news was good news and just before 11am, I got a phone call from one beaming mother. I could feel how elated she was that her birth was a positive experience, not to mention without complication and best of all swift! She was so delighted and grateful, I got to be the first person she called - to share her news and thank me! Words cannot explain how that made me feel. Im so proud to have had her under my care. Im even more proud of the effort she went to in educating herself, trusting her body as well as my treatment to assist in her birth being a positive experience.

The fun isn't over yet for me this week because one of my closest friends is nearing her due date also. Im surrounded! Her previous birthing experience was not ideal for her, and she will be the first to tell you that perhaps there is a chance, that things would have been different with empowerment. Im equally as proud of her, as she has turned her thoughts and beliefs of she was once afraid of into something she is excited and very able to do. She is no longer questioning her bodies ability. She will get her birth, and again, Im so privileged and proud to be part of her journey also.