©2005 by Colleen Keegan Woodyear, RYT
Becoming a new Mom has its specific challenges and is one of the hardest and least appreciated jobs in the world. I know. Nothing truly prepared me for the overwhelming responsibility, and I was a nanny once. Thank heaven for my remedies!
I believe that the flower remedies are the wave of the future. More and more people are turning to health alternatives for well-being and
are bringing them into mainstream culture. Harmony with the earth and nature for generations to come is being brought about by Mother Earth's own desire to fulfill herself, in part, through the flower essences and gem elixirs. When we take these remedies we become more fully who we truly are.
Giving birth is a huge transformative process at its core level not unlike the mythical firebird, the Phoenix, which rises from its own ashes to be reborn. When a baby is born, so is a mother.
Part of the challenge was being fitness-limited while pregnant and then saddled with baby 24/7. The sheer physical challenge after a Cesarean was enough to overcome let alone a baby to care for. Forget about exhaustion, I could barely think! Whew!
It took some time for me to get it together enough to figure out what remedies I needed to test for. But a few months after my sweet, little girl, Amaya, was born I had a new batch and a new life lease. It was as if someone switched the light on inside my darkened room.
Bach's Elm and Olive helped me to get my head above water from the initial overwhelm and exhaustion, but to swim? That's another story. After taking those I found myself still "hitting the wall", the place where you feel your energy can go no further. Something's got to give and that's when it was time to get creative.
A sense of play, I found, is the simplest and most precious way to make it through the day. When everything is a game or has a song attached to it, then smiles and giggles replace sighs and cries of frustration. Sensing a rhythm and a harmony trying to emerge with Shasta Daisy, I surrender to it. Doing some activity for her, and then something for me, and then something mutually beneficial, creates a mandalic symmetry within the relationship. This balancing act sets up good skills that last a lifetime. I respond to my baby's changing needs with Star Tulip and then add Buttercup and Witch Hazel to create a gentle, contained energy for my new arrival.
Babies are so cute and the first year is fleeting so I say let's suck up all the goodness that
it has to offer. Cinnamon gleefully expanded my appreciation of my little one in such a
sweet, playful way. Babies are like moon-beings mirroring back to us who we are and what
we need. If Amaya becomes frustrated and impatient with me, giving her Bach's Impatiens does not help nearly as much as me taking it myself. Add to it Zinnia essence and we start playing games of waiting, for instance, I say "I'm gonna gitcha" three times while she squeals in anticipation of the purrs and raspberries that come on the third time. I usually just give her Bach's Rescue Remedy for little bumps and upsets.
I began taking Lemon to be able to collect my thoughts and make basic plans. I added Echinacea to combat a kind of broken up, splintered feeling after my Cesarean Section and it helped me to regain my inner core integrity and even deal with abuse issues from my childhood that emerged. That's when I really felt I began to power up again.
Indian Pink then helped me to be able to multi-task, juggling all the necessary daily activities. Our clusterclump weekend "to do" lists turned into streamlined strategies that my husband and I could agree on and have some fun with.
But there was still this nagging tension in my shoulders and jumpiness about doing other basic necessary things aside from her care as if I was on red alert all the time. Good ol' Mimulus made by Bach, a frequently overlooked remedy for anxiety, did the trick amazingly fast. Sure I get achy but this had been nervous anxiety, is my guess.
Pomegranate, the feminine nurturer, is a must in a new mom mix ((ED NOTE: We couldn't agree more.
Have a look under Pomegranate in our
site-wide search engine for more articles about it.). This essence mixes well with Borage and Bach's Mimulus as a milk letdown speed enhancer. Bach's Wild Oat is for keeping it real and keeping me true to myself. I have little time for error, and my steps need to be sure with precious Amaya in tow with me where I go. Now as a practitioner, I recommend combining Mallow with Edelweiss, Lemon, and Four Leaf Clover along with Bach's Wild Oat to keep up with a baby's sudden, lightning-like changes the first year.
Since my latest, personal essence combination, I feel all shiny and new now and in love with life and my husband all over again just in time for spring. At this point I find myself needing to prepare for a new life adventure. Mallow is my ally here. I feel genuinely refreshed as a cool shower to begin fresh and/or return to work. Edelweiss by Pegasus is bringing me to the entry point of a fine treasure map written on my soul with improved instincts. I have made my new beginning here by authentically telling my own story, and dreaming up a possible new future with Bougainvillea steering me toward creative solutions.
One side effect of taking remedies can be seeing the Devas, the nature spirits. Living in the country closer to them and being an Irish flower essence practitioner, I seem to have attracted a leprechaun. Although they don't usually socialize with people and when they do are known for their tricks (making you slide a bit when you step), one of them came and told me a lovely story. Does anyone know a good publisher of Children's stories?
Children love a magical tale. I share the world of magic and possibility with my darling daughter reading her a story about rainbow fairies every night before bed.
But maybe I'm just a silly old Irishwoman. "Aye, to be sure."
Keep on singing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Colleen Keegan Woodyear, RYT resides on property in magical, rural Wimberley and has been working with Flower essences and Gem elixirs for over 10 years now. This is a culmination of a lifelong study in vibrational healing, Spirituality, and multidimensional living. Specializing in personal, custom essence combinations and fragrant atomizer blends that address the various needs of her clients, Colleen selects only the remedies that make the individual stronger using muscle testing or dowsing. She believes in the innate ability that we all possess to heal and genuinely transform ourselves. In addition to working with the Essences, Colleen is a new mom and a Hatha and Kundalini yoga teacher of 9 years.
Phone number (512) 576-0842; eEmail: Colleen@TheVillageWitch.biz.
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The World Wide Essence Society does not mean to imply any recommendation of nor give certification to any individuals or companies above. This article is provided purely for informational purposes. We ask consumers to make their own determination as to quality of the services and products offered above. This article is not meant to be advice, and the information is not meant to replace medical or psychological treatment.
