With the Duchess of Cambridge about to have her second baby, I am reminded about how painful media events such as this can be for women who are struggling to conceive or whom have recently miscarried. Reading this article also reminded me of some of the painful things that people said to me whilst I was trying to conceive. If one hasn’t lived through or been close to someone who has lived through the pain and sadness of being childless it is easy to get it very wrong. Statements such as “You just need a holiday. I know someone who couldn’t get pregnant and went on holiday and after a few gin and tonics came back pregnant” and the classic ” Oh all I have to do is look at my husband and I’m pregnant” made me want to punch the person! Perhaps one of the worst I remember was a friend who had two children telling me that I did not know how lucky I was to be childless as raising small kids is so hard. Hmmmm.
If getting pregnant or having a baby is proving to be difficult, please do read the article and know that you are not alone in having to hear painful comments from friends, family and even strangers. I don’t think I was brave enough to state out loud the retorts in my head. When you’re feeling vulnerable or caught off guard, being witty or just downright honest can be hard. But I would have loved to have said something back to those people.
One of the things that our clients love about their acupuncture is the space they have to talk. In the acupuncture room they are free to express any feelings they have. It is a safe space to vent, to be angry, to cry, and yes, we do get through a lot of tissues! Being able to express our emotions is an important part of moving our ‘qi’ or energy. When emotions are buried or lie dormant, they build up leading to all sorts of emotional and physical issues down the line.
If you want to find out more about how acupuncture may help you on your journey of becoming a parent, please do get in touch.