Acupuncture

Okay, so Blogger changed its format and when I post from my phone, all the paragraphs just run together. Sorry bout that.

I'm still pregnant. I have one aunt and one uncle who keep calling to "check" on me and wish me well, which I appreciate, but it is becoming really annoying. A few others have been calling and texting to ask if the baby is here yet. Really, people? Like I would really keep that info a secret until you happen to call and then be like, "Oh yeah, now that you mention it, the baby was born." Seriously.

While Louis headed in for his last day of work before his month-long vacation (woohoo!), I went in for an acupuncture session. I decided to try out a new place called the Oakland Acupuncture Project. It's in the Laurel district and basically it's whole mission is to make acupuncture accessible to the masses. Each treatment is provided by licensed acupuncturists who charge a sliding scale of $15-$35 per session. That's a huge difference from the $85-$150 rate most acupuncturists charge. The way this clinic can make money is that all patients/clients receive their treatments in one big communal room, with the acupuncturists moving from one person to the next pretty quickly. There are no lush, ultra peaceful private rooms with lots of one on one time, but for many people and purposes, that's totally okay. I wouldn't recommend the OAP to somebody getting acupuncture for the very first time, because there are definite benefits from the regular pricey treatments, but I would totally recommend this place to anybody interested in receiving regular treatments.

Yesterday, I easily made an appointment online, and I got to choose the practitioner I wanted to see, based on their online bios. I loved that there were lots of next day appointment options to choose from. When I showed up today, my person introduced herself right away and looked over my initial health history paperwork. She made me feel very comfortable and it wasn't at all rushed. After the paperwork, she showed me into the treatment room, asked me to choose a recliner and showed me how to adjust the chair and use pillows or blankets if I wanted. Once I made myself comfortable, she came back to needle me. I explained that I wasn't necessarily looking to start labor today, but that if it happened, it would be totally okay. She did a bunch of points on my hands, feet, and ankles, plus a few on my head and one in my ear. A few of the points were extra sensitive and I jumped when she first put the needles in. A good sign! I got to relax for about half an hour with the needles in, and the baby was moving and my uterus was hard the whole time.

This afternoon and evening, I've been feeling little shocks in my cervix and lots more pressure down low. Louis came home totally exhausted from his last day of work, and crashed early. Argh, come on already. I'm tired of holding back. My body is ready to go. I definitely feel like the acupuncture worked today. Hopefully once Louis is rested and focused tomorrow, I can get this party started.

Our midwife will be coming over for a prenatal visit in the morning. Tomorrow happens to be her birthday, so I'll be baking some carrot cake cupcakes (her favorite) for her before she gets here. Tomorrow would be a good day to have a baby :)