14/05/2025
On May 4th, my beautiful Willow became a mama to five gorgeous pups. š¾
But it didnāt go the way I imagined, so it's taken a while for me to share.
The first pup was arriving back end firstāno big deal (around 40% of pups do). But this one was stuck, and it stayed stuck for over 30 minutes. Despite pushing, Willow couldnāt deliver it, and neither my friend nor I could free it. I called the vets, but they felt they couldnāt do anything more than I could at home.
Willow paced. She panicked. She looked at me for answers I didnāt have.
It was both heartbreakingāand humbling.
And thatās when support arrived.
š My Reiki teacher and gifted animal communicator Lisa, working from afar, gently turned the first pupās energy, freeing the cord that bound it.
Out it came. Stillborn.
Willow, still panicked and overwhelmed, went on to deliver four more pupsāstrong, healthy boys. But she had no interest in them. She hadnāt read the book. I had.
The scan had shown four pups, and now we had five. My friend and I both pausedāwerenāt we sure there was a girl?
Willow was still panting, her eyes wide and uncertain.
And then, a sixth pupāanother girlāwas born. Stillborn. My heart cracked as I tried to revive her, but I couldnāt. I thought that was it.
And thenā¦ a miracle.
The seventh and final pup, a tiny girl, came into the world cryingāalmost as if she knew something was missing.
Willow still didnāt want them. I helped latch the pups onto her, and she fed them because I asked her toānot because she knew how.
š My neighbour, a calm and experienced breeder, came the next day and patiently helped me reintroduce each pup to Willowāone at a time.
š That evening, my dear friend Mary @ worked with Body Code to ease the trauma, fear, and griefāboth for Willow and her babies.
With their supportāemotional, energetic, and practicalāWillowās instinct slowly returned.
She stepped into her role.
Not because she was forced.
But because she was held.
And it reminded me: how often are women (and animals) thrown into huge life transitions without warning?
Motherhood. Loss. Grief. Change.
Weāre expected to just know what to do.
But weāre not meant to do it alone.
Today, Iām feeling deeply gratefulāfor my friends, for the healing hands that surrounded us, for the traditional and the holistic, and for the sacred strength of women supporting women.
Have you ever been held through a moment like that?
Iād love to hear about it. š¼
With love (and a very sleepy pile of pups),
Emily x
