Introducing Shannon the Pincushion! Oooohhhmmmm...

Me contemplating the needle in my third eye.

So I've had my seventh acupuncture treatment for the nausea. Interesting experience. Not instant results necessarily, but I like the clinic (NW Acupuncture Clinic) and Susan, the Sadist, er, Acupuncturist. They specialize in reproductive treatments, and might come in handy when we get closer to the due date as they say they can work all kinds of miracles with back and tailbone pain, there's even a spot on the foot for encouraging a baby to turn if it's breech.

It doesn't hurt (most of the time) as much as I thought it might. Usually it's nothing or a tiny prick. Once in a while they hit a nerve and it sends an electrical type shock down my arm/leg and can hurt for a bit. Sometimes I get a little bruise, but otherwise no big deal. They often leave these tiny little thumb tacks in my wrists and stomach, and little beads on my ears for acupressure points. The ears work the best. I'd hate to see how bad I'd be feeling if I wasn't doing this!

It's interesting the approach to pregnancy that different people take. Some are very "whatever my Doctor says is gospel, give me all the drugs you've got!" others are frankly braver than I am and are going the Douala and home birth route with a "I'm sure it will all work out fine!" attitude. I'm somewhere in the middle. This is one of the only projects I've undertaken without already having lots of firm opinions and ideas to build on.

Every issue requires new thought and research as I just have had no basis to form an opinion about a lot of it. Circumcision, strollers, co-sleeping, toilet training, type of diapers... the list seems endless! I know we don't want to be the super anal "organic only/washed in angel's tears" type parents, but it's hard to make a distinction between that and "actually... it turns out that actually is pretty bad for you" type stuff (like lead paint on furniture, asbestos in bedding, melamine in baby formula). I hate fear based marketing, but when the stakes are potentially so high it's hard not to want to err on the side of caution... we'd just go crazy and broke trying to do it all the time!

It would be super swell if they could stick a needle in my "maternal instinct chakra" so that I would just magically know all these things. I'll have to ask next time, I'll let you know how hard they laugh.