Coreiki

Atlas discovered a lime today on our walk.

I had found a few limes on the ground from some nearby trees and as I was carrying him in from our walk he grabbed onto one of them and didn’t want to let it go. So he got to play with it while I made lunch and decided to cut it in half and let him try it per baby led weaning style recommendation. Surprisingly , he really liked it and had fun playing with it!

As we’ve been introducing solids, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Five Flavors in Chinese Medicine: sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty.

Today was sour.

In Chinese Medicine, each flavor has its own qualities and effect in the organ systems. Sour is associated with the Liver. It has an astringent and gathering function, which helps to contain and pull things into the system. In a balanced amount, sour food can support the Liver in all its functions, one of the main ones being storing blood.

It’s been really fun for me to dive back into the basics of the medicine with these flavors and seeing how my baby reacts to them.

Apparently, Atlas is a lime guy 🍋‍🟩

✨evening vibes for last session of the day 🍂🍁

Making it through this heat wave with a summer salad, coconut citrus water, and some avocado mash for baby 🥗

Chinese Medicine food therapy isn’t keen on uncooked vegetable, dairy, or cold food/iced beverages. They are said to create dampness in the body which can slow down digestion and create further imbalance. Chinese Medicine also encourages eating with the seasons, and there are some cold foods by nature that are still part of the medicine such as watermelon and cucumber.

I take a little bit of Chinese Medicine, some other nutrition philosophy, and intuition in how I determine what’s best for me and my baby.

I also tell all of my clients that in general it is better to have the majority of foods cooked and to limit iced beverages and raw food. But on a hot day, have an iced beverage, a salad , or some ice cream! Because I also believe foods that bring joy nourish the heart.

For those trying to conceive, I steer towards warmer foods as we want to think about the uterus as a warm incubator. Too much cold in general going into the body can also bring cold into the uterus, making it more difficult for conception to occur. Even for fertility cases, on a hot day, it’s ok to have some cooling foods and beverages.

I will often suggest ways to counter the cold by adding some warming foods or spices like cooked chicken or veggies on a salad, ginger tea after eating, or adding cinnamon to some yogurt or on top of fruit.

It’s really all about finding balance. Too much in excess, even warm or hot food can also create imbalance. In general, I’m an everything in moderation kinda girl. As long as the majority of food is well made and well sourced, even the “less healthy” things can still bring health to the body.

Just wrapped up first full week of September with a new schedule! I’ve officially added Wednesday mornings in addition to Tuesdays and Fridays 🩷

Book with link in bio 🍁🍂

2210 E. Vista Way, Ste 2, Vista, CA 92084

Our first airport trip together 💛

Our first time in the nursing room at the new SD airport terminal 1. I know women have fought many years for this to happen. We still have a long way to go on better supporting families in this country, but it’s a start!

Officially checking out on here for the week so we can fully enjoy some quality family time.

In the meantime, I have a new YouTube video Postpartum Series Part 8: A Reflection on the First 6 Months. The constant grief that is being with a tiny human that’s always changing, back to work, and so many other feels that come with it all. More to come on traveling with a baby! Check out my video in the Postpartum Series with the link below.

For now please pray for us that we have a smooth flight and make our connecting flight as we’re already delayed 😭

Watch YouTube video: https://youtu.be/9jteJ-grJFg?si=asFKoMVbKg62HvJS

A little mom brain moment over here 🫠

I realized the original Fall Harvest flyer had the wrong day of the week!

The correct date is SATURDAY, September 26 from 1–5pm 🍂

Everything else is the same, and I’m so looking forward to gathering at Fern for an afternoon of Qigong, sound healing, acupuncture, seasonal tea and community.

Thank you to those of you who already registered (and for rolling with me!). Babies and children are welcome, so bring the family and come celebrate the beginning of fall with us.

Saturday, September 26 | 1–5pm
Fern Acupuncture & Family Wellness
2210 E. Vista Way, Ste 2
Vista, CA

Free registration through the link in my bio.

FallWellness

Today is my last day in the office before we take our first family vacation with Atlas!

I actually haven’t been on a plane since last May just before finding out I was pregnant. This is the longest I’ve gone in many years without traveling on a plane.

It’s actually felt quite good to be grounded and finally feel like my life is rooted here in North County, San Diego.

So much has grown in our little office this last year, including this fern I bought at Costco! My actual fern has been growing right along Fern Acupuncture & Family Wellness. I feel so proud 🥹

When we return from our trip, I’ll be adding Wednesday mornings to my schedule in addition to Tuesdays and Fridays. I hope to see you soon!

🌿Book a session with me 🌿www.fernacupuncture.com

I’m so excited to welcome you into the clinic for our Fall Harvest Gathering on September 26th 🍂

This one feels a little extra special. It’s our first big event since I returned from maternity leave, and it also happens to be almost one year since we celebrated the grand opening of Fern Acupuncture & Family Wellness and Apollo Acupuncture & Herbal Wellness.

Fall has always been my favorite season, and I love having a reason to gather around the equinox and celebrate the shift into a new season together. In Chinese Medicine, this time of year is an invitation to slow down, turn inward, let go of what we no longer need, and nourish ourselves for the months ahead.

We’ll spend the afternoon with Qigong, sound healing, acupuncture, seasonal tea, and plenty of time to simply connect and be in community.

Come for one session or stay for the whole afternoon. And please bring your little ones, babies and children are welcome. This is a family-friendly gathering (including all the sessions). Our baby, Atlas will be joining too 🥰

Friday, September 26 | 1–5pm�Fern Acupuncture & Family Wellness | 22110 E. Vista Way, Vista, CA 92084

The event is free! Register with the link below. We would really love to celebrate the season with you.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fall-harvest-gathering-family-wellness-community-tickets-1993945632061

I loved cantaloupe when I was pregnant!

I ate so much of it at this same time last year, until suddenly we had some that was overripe and then my smell aversion got the best of me and I was done with it!

Interestingly, this time of year coincides with the Earth element in Chinese Medicine. Earth is associated with late summer, which is typically hot, damp and sticky. The color associated with this season is yellow/orange, so typically foods of this color help balance this element. And also, sometimes too much of one food can also make Earth go out of balance.

So maybe that’s what happened to me 🤷‍♀️

The smell of overripe fruit and stinky feet stuck with me most of pregnancy but was particularly unbearable over the summer when I was in the first trimester and well into the second.

I just started eating cantaloupe again this week and can confirm it’s delicious again and even my baby is loving it!

We started introducing solids with Atlas officially since he turned 6 months and are definitely learning alot. We are focused on what’s called baby led weaning (blw) for those who are unfamiliar. Part of BLW encourages giving babies large pieces to chew on.

Cantaloupe has been an Atlas favorite. An extra perk of it is that it also contains vitamin C which supports iron absorption. At 6 months, babies iron stores become depleted, so it’s important to start supplementing. We have decided to do that with meat based products and are using vitamin C rich foods to support his absorption.

On top of nutrition alone, we are also introducing foods for the sake of Atlas learning how to eat and exploring textures. We were reminded by our pediatrician that eating at this age isn’t as much for nutrition as it is learning how to chew and swallow, as he still gets his primary nutrients from breastmilk. We are learning new things every day and are super excited about this process! Keep following along as we continue to share how this new phase goes for us 🍈🍉🍗🥩🥑🍓🥚🥕