Journal Entries
Diamonds *are indeed* a girl's best friend
Posted Oct 1, 2002
Hoorah! I am now *offically* engaged!
My honey and I decided to do the marriage thing quite a few months ago, but we only got my engagement ring last weekend (Equinox at Avebury... 
)
We decided to have the ring made as we wanted something individual that we both liked....and the fact that there seems to be a lack of beautiful rings for us females with large hands and 'quirky' tastes...(does that make me sound like a transvestite?! 
)
Oh I could witter on for ages about how lovely it is....
I never thought I'd get so excited about an object!
Discuss this Journal entry [34]
Latest reply: Oct 1, 2002
Welcome to the world
Posted Jul 16, 2002
After what seemed like an age of waiting, my friend gave birth to a healthy 7lb 15oz baby boy at 10.50pm Saturday.
I was there for most of the labour, giving her shiatsu and acupressure for pain management and emotional support.
What an experience! I'd never seen a birth in "real life" before, and it totally blew me away. The hours and hours of labour were so taxing for the mother, and it was really hard for her husband and Mum to witness her pain seeing as there was not much that they could do to help her. Birth is a one woman show.
During the labour, I was working some acupuncture points to help facilitate the downward movement of the baby and to help dilate the cervix more quickly. One point in particular seemed to be doing the trick, and my friend's mantra throughout her labour was:
"aaaahhhhh!!!......harder!!"
It was a really tiring day for me too. My friend called me at about 11pm to say that she had had a show, and she thought that she was therefore going into labour fairly soon - no sleep for me! Another call at 3am to tell me that she had begun labour, but the pains were not yet that strong and she would call me when they became harder to deal with. At that point I got up and dressed, made my sandwiches, had breakfast (!) and sat down to wait (going back to bed was just not an option - I'd started to flap about at that point, and was really nervous and excited.
Got the call at about 5.30am to go over - got there at 6am to a surreal scene of Mum-to-be wandering around the house with her trousers round her ankles, Dad-to-be making a bacon sandwich and Gran-to-be flapping around doing the cleaning and washing up.
I used some points to help relieve the mild contractions, and didn't have the heart to tell my friend otherwise when she said "oh the pains are quite strong now, like bad period pains. I don't think they're going to get much stronger than this". 
When they started getting stronger and harder, we got in the car to get to hospital - my friend on all 4's on the back seat with her backside stuck high in the air, me behind her massaging her back.....we got a fair few funny looks from the neighbours.....
To cut a long labour short, my friend handled it really well, especially as her cervix was being slow to dilate. After a run-in with one of the midwives (there were 3 lots of shift changes during the course of the labour!) who seemed to want to scare my mate into giving birth "now!" or have a caesarean, and telling her that she was "disappointed in you that you haven't dilated enough" 
,
2 really lovely ladies came in to deliver the baby boy at 10.50pm.
Sleep deprived and emotional, I couldn't contain myself when he was born....what an experience. I feel blessed to have been a part of the birth - not many people get to witness giving birth unless it's their own or their partner's labour. During the first part of labour, I found myself thinking "ooh not for me.....I don't want to go through this!", but as soon as the baby was born, I saw my friend glowing with such a radiant light (and endorphins and the dopamine rush!!) that she looked like a goddess....words cannot describe the rush of emotions at that moment.....relief, joy, fatigue, concern, joy, joy,joy......and I found myself thinking "I can't wait for this to be me".
Discuss this Journal entry [23]
Latest reply: Jul 16, 2002
the waiting game
Posted Jul 7, 2002
Well, I've been back in Essex waiting for my friend to go into labour for 3 weeks now.....she was convinced that she was going to be early, but her due date was the 6th July, and no baby.
I've been massaging her induction points, which has had the effect of making the baby move lower down into her belly - now she has shelf instead of a round bump. I think I'm going to needle those induction points tomorrow...
My mum suggested that she take a huge dose of cod liver oil to get things moving - my response was to think "oh right, that will work", but now I'm thinking that I'm going to buy the biggest bottle I can find tomorrow...I just want things to get moving so that I can go home to my partner and cats...or at least be able to go clubbing in London!
I know that babies come in their own time and not before, but I'm feeling housebound - nothing much for me to do here now that my home is in Somerset.
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Jul 7, 2002
The Wet Country
Posted Jun 17, 2002
Having recently moved to Somerset, it hs come to my attention that either through innocent omission, or through purposeful intention, that an "S" has been added somewhere along the way to what should have indeed been "the Wet Country", not the "West Country". Its always b****y raining! Although I must admit that the fact that it has been raining elsewhere in I-N-GERLAND has made this bearable...that, and the fact that I won't be able to go to Glastonbrury Festival this year (despite it only being 10 miles away! *sigh*) due to being on call for delivering a baby...this incessant rain makes it more than likely that the Festival is going to be a mudbath again! Hoorah that I'm not going!! I've been there during a year of an unfortunate amount of mud, and I never want to experience that again - the mud is ikky enough, but the fact that cows have s**t in that mud for the rest of the year makes it reason enough to not to want to wallow in it the way that some 'lost weekenders' do.
I just want this baby to come so that I can get my life back again! (Not that I'm hurrying him of course - he'll come when he's good and ready and not a moment sooner or later!)
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Latest reply: Jun 17, 2002
straw house
Posted Dec 18, 2001
"I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down!"
Thankfully, houses made from straw bales are suprisingly sturdy and long-lasting (some could last in theory for hundreds of years) - why do I know this? Because I've spent the best part of a day looking up their construction and longevity on the net....
Let me explain...
My partner and I want to move. We want to live in the country. We want to live in a big house. We want to have land for horses and stuff. We can't afford to pay loadsa pennies. The plan? To buy a few acres and build our own house. Apparently, not only is building with straw relatively cheap, but it is eco-friendly as straw is essentially a waste product, and offers twice as much insulation as a "normal" house. Houses made from straw are not a fire hazard once treated properly either. On to a winner!
The best thing in my opinion though, is that once the frame of the house is up, then anyone can join in with the stacking of the straw bales - if that isn't going to satisfy my nesting instinct, then I don't know what will! Sounds like hard work, but great fun at the same time.
So, any offers with advice or labour?!
Discuss this Journal entry [10]
Latest reply: Dec 18, 2001
Leopardskinfynn... sexy mama
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