Gail Okray & Carol Welhouse submit an article: Lessons Come In All Sizes in The Main Central Jin Shin Jyutsu Newsletter, issue Number 56, Spring 2007:

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continued…

Needless to say there was a fair amount of nervousness with the decision to have another litter a year and a half later. Progesterone levels were taken weekly beginning at week 2. The levels stayed in normal range throughout the pregnancy. Frieda asked for Jin Shin Jyutsu sessions regularly, especially when there was a hormone shift and the levels of progesterone were on the lower end of the normal range for pregnancy.

On day 56, with only 4 days to go, she began acting like a dog that is ready to whelp. The outlook for surviving pups born before day 58 is bleak, since one week of a dog’s pregnancy is equivalent to one month of a woman’s pregnancy. This birth would be 4 weeks early.

Main Central and Spleen Flows throughout the night kept labor from progressing (Philomena’s Mothers, Babies and Children Class). A trip to the vet for a check-up the next afternoon showed whelp was eminent. Since these pups were now 3 days early, the decision was made to let the dog go into full labor before the c-section to allow the pups maximum time in utero. Since Frieda likes her vet, she chose a late evening slot for this surgery and not the middle of the night. As I left with her to meet the vet at the clinic, I prayed I would bring the little bundles home. They were true preemies with no hair on their legs from the wrist and ankles to the toes, none on the ears and very thin hair on the body. As they ate and grew, I noticed on the boy a protrusion where the umbilical cord was attached and hardness under it. I tried right hand down, left on top several times a day and in a matter of days all was normal.

My sister (also a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner) came for a visit. It is amazing what a new set of eyes sees. As we talked I mentioned that I was a little concerned with the girl’s breathing and coloring in the face. Her jumper cables went into action.

November 29, 2006 – Puppies! With eyes open so Mom will let me touch them, Katara lies on her back and appears to have respiratory challenges. When held, she raises the left front paw, “I would like a Left 3 Flow, please.” Fitting in the palm of my hand while lying on her back, she receives the first step of the Left 3 Flow, moving through the four fingers individually, then the first step of the Right 3 Flow, repeating the same sequence of fingers during the session. Her hind feet ran and her body wiggled as she came into rhythm.

Several hours later, she raised the left paw again, and I repeated the Left 3 Flow. This time the pulse came in quickly, finishing the flow. We marveled at the changes which occurred: looser skin on the neck and shoulders as congestion decreased, pink belly, pink nose, and the jaw receded to its proper position, and of course breathing harmonized. She lost the “stuffed sausage” look, and the skin looked wrinkled and she wiggled. It was a truly amazing transformation.

Momo participated in the healing process; he held Katara’s 2s or 3s in the whelping box. By the next morning, “Miss Wiggle Butt” crawled in the whelping box, yawned, smiled and squeaked, just like a normal puppy.

Thinking of the 3 Flow, relationships spring into mind, like the breathing relationship of exhale to inhale, the relationship of bones in the jaw for free movement, the relationship of all aspects of the digestive tract, birthplace of the Mediator, the relationship of puppy to environment, and the relationship between Mom and Momo.

Boston Terrier owners have a saying, “Boston’s are love in a black and white wrapper.” This is our black and white lesson.

Thank you, Gail.

Thank you, Carol.

Thank you, Mary.

Thank you, David.

Gassho, Namaste, Blessings

All issues of The Main Central Jin Shin Jyutsu Newsletter are available at http://www.jsjinc.net.

Gail Okray & Carol Welhouse submit an article: Lessons Come In All Sizes in The Main Central Jin Shin Jyutsu Newsletter, issue Number 56, Spring 2007:

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Nine weeks of anticipation were over, and we had two healthy Boston Terrier pups, one boy, Momo (…a true Jin Shin Jyutsu puppy; located on his back is a white arrow showing the direction of the energy going up the back…) and one girl, Katara. As the veterinarian looked at the two products of this recent cesarean section, he raised a simple question. “What did you do differently with this litter than the last one?” Gail’s answer: “A year and a half of Jin Shin Jyutsu.” An open-minded guy, his response was a smile, “Well, Gail, it seemed to work.”

Mom Frieda has been Gail’s teacher from the moment of birth and reminds her often not to be too serious (an insight about her 15s). As a young pup practicing for the show ring, she would often get into a bit of mischief. One day when Frieda was about 9 months old, Gail saw Frieda running toward her from down the hallway, her head twisted to one side. At that age, Frieda’s favorite pastime was to take the bath sponge from the bathtub and hide it, just so you knew she had been in there. Well, this time Frieda must have hit her head on the tub, injuring the side of her head and ear. With an hour before the veterinarian’s office closed, there were no appointments available that afternoon to examine her. A veterinarian from the office would see Frieda in the morning before regular client hours.

With an upcoming dog show just days away, it was Jin Shin Jyutsu to the rescue. Frieda lay on the table as Gail started an opposite Kidney Flow to the ear in distress. Frieda was quiet as a mouse. The areas pounded for a long time before harmony began to take place. One half hour later as she followed me from my treatment room, she walked with an ever-so-slight tilt of her head but had no appetite to eat her evening meal. I applied my jumper cable for a few minutes several times that evening as she lay on the couch next to me. By 10 p.m. she was ready for something to eat. What a pleasant surprise the next morning when she bounded out of bed like nothing ever happened! A quick check at the veterinarian’s office showed a slight inflammation of the inner ear. I continued the Kidney Flow for the next few days, and she went on to win points toward her championship the day of the show.

When Frieda was two years old, after searching for 6 months for a stud dog, I found a match for her. Usually 21 to 28 days after breeding, a pregnancy check is performed at the veterinarian’s office. There were two pups on ultrasound and all seemed well. A dog’s gestation period is 58 to 65 days, but my breed generally has a 60 to 61 gestation. On Day 43 Frieda didn’t look well and her sides were sunken in. A trip to the vet included ultrasound and a progesterone test drawn. The result of the progesterone test was 12.5 nanograms per milliliter. (A dog cannot sustain a pregnancy when the levels drop below 5 nanograms per milliliter, with a normal level being over 20 nanograms per milliliter.) The ultrasound indicated one of the pups was not doing well. Progesterone was then supplemented for the rest of the pregnancy. Day 53 brought along another occurrence with the ultrasound revealing the loss of a pup. A c-section was done on day 61, delivering a big girl pup.

To be continued…