Thank You Acupuncture!!

As I've mentioned, I go to get weekly adjustments from a chiropractor, who also happens to be my good friend. Her partner, who is an acupuncturist, is also my good friend. Though I don't get acupuncture nearly as often, it is definitely useful for some things.

For instance, a few weeks ago when James David was still head up, I made an appointment for yesterday to get him to flip over. Craig (my friend) said that it was pointless trying to flip them sooner because they would just flip back. So I made the appointment just in case I got here and he was still head up.

Luckily, as we know, he is head down and engaged. The shooting pains down my inner thighs and my 2X per hour bathroom trips are evidence of that. (And, on happier notes, less heartburn and more ability to put on my own socks).

So when Craig walked into the room yesterday and said: "So what are we treating you for today?" at first I was like: "Uuuuhhh, I don't know! He's head down and engaged, so that's good, and it's not time for him to come out yet, so I don't need acupuncture for that yet . . . " Finally I ended up explaining about the back pain I have been having.

So he did his thing and I sat there with needles in one arm and one leg, wiggling my back from time to time, per his instruction, and I could actually feel things happening in there--a heat flowing through . . . afterwards, I went merrily on my way.

And you know? It helped SO MUCH!!! It isn't completely and totally gone, but last night was the first night in maybe a week that I didn't take Tylenol just so I could fall asleep. Over the last week or so, I've been asking James to rub it so hard and so often in this one spot that I think I have bruises now. Well last night I was able to let them heal because I needed minimal back rubbing as I fell asleep.

I am just SOOOO grateful. Especially since in the past, when I've had acupuncture, it usually takes a couple days before the treatment reaches its full effectiveness, so I'm hoping it will continue to be really manageable!!

I don't know why I sound so surprised. Acupuncture has done miraculous things for my back pain in the past. But usually back pain is supposed to be caused from blocked qi that is caught in your stiff muscles (according to chinese medicine), and I guess I figured since mine is caused from carrying a baby around in my uterus that he might be less able to help me. But I was so wrong. I could feel that qi getting unblocked as I sat there, hehehe!!

I am just so so happy, it's been pretty miserable the last couple of days.

I made another appointment for 3 weeks from yesterday (the day before I am 39 weeks), so I can get acupuncture to make the baby come on time. Craig has great success with inducing labor and said none of his patients have EVER gone more than 1 day past their due date. So I made that "Let's kick the baby out now" appointment.

But honestly if my back pain comes back I might just try to get acupuncture every week for that, because it helped SO much!!

THANK YOU CRAIG!!!

(Incidentally, Craig is the brother of my friend Steph who I just learned is pregnant . . . so he'll be an uncle in May!)