Today, I had an appointment with my midwife. As always, she came to my home. It was nice and quiet. The house is cool now that Fall is setting in (my favorite season). A stark contrast from the sticky, humid weather we were having that made my hair frizzy, my skin slimy and my patience more frazzled than usual.
I made myself comfortable on the couch. She then inserted acupuncture needles on the side of each knee, half way down each leg and at each ankle. In two weeks, she will add a needle to my pinky toe. She tells me this is to help harmonize my body. Really, she is inserting needles into nerves and by doing that, it's supposed to help clear up any blockages or tension, etc. By the time I go into labor, my body is supposed to be in complete harmony and it can actually shorten the duration of labor. I was in labor for six hours with Lila (Actually, 25-hours. However, only six of it the active, "I think I'm going to die," rough part). Any minute less than that will be an improvement!
I think this type of acupuncture can be viewed a bit like chiropractic care. Matt thinks it's quacky and it is his belief that it only works for people who think it will. It's part of my midwife's service and included in health care costs. I'll take whatever I can get. Karin did tell me that sometimes the baby will get very active during the procedure and that he did. Almost right away. So, I think it did something.
I've been having more anxiety about my fluid levels as I know that my body is starting to absorb fluid starting about this time. For the 1,000 time, I asked Karin about it and finally told her just how worried I was about it. She went into details as to how easily she can detect it and what she does in the event she notices it. Since the baby is growing and she can feel a huge pocket of fluid on my left side, and the fact that he moved his head since she last saw me, she is not worried at this time (babies who are not surrounded by enough fluid do not grow, are very inactive, and definitely do not change positions until labor kicks off and the uterus helps out). If she, at any time, notices low fluid, she will send me in for an ultrasound. Here in Germany, there has to be two complications in order for induction to happen in relation to low fluid. As a general rule, even OBs will not induce if they see just low fluid. They will induce if they see low fluid AND a failing placenta. They will also induce if they see low fluid AND heart rate issues. Or, all three combined. Low fluid alone is not an immediate indicator for induction. That being said, it doesn't mean I would not be placed in hospital for constant monitoring until I went into labor on my own. That could be an option, especially given my anxiety issues. However, my midwife is not at all concerned. I'm going to try to meet with a pre-birth doula (not to be confused with a birth doula) this week who specializes in relaxation techniques. My midwife thinks she will teach me some breathing and relaxation methods that will really help me get through this.
I do wonder, however, if my midwife went home, had a few glasses of wine, stuffed her face into a pillow and screamed bloody murder at the fact that she has a client so anxiety ridden! The poor woman!!
So, I've finished the first round of acupuncture. This weekend I can start drinking a special tea blend, made at a local holistic pharmacy and recommended by midwife, that helps prepare the body for labor. Operation "Get Baby Out" has begun! We're getting so excited to meet our little guy!
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