Birthing 101

Luce welcomed Banshee to the reception with a smile, which quickly turned sour as the petulant girl opened her mouth. Her lips lifted in a snarl, baring her teeth threateningly. "Don't make me call your father, Banshee. Sit and listen. You are no longer permitted to speak at this gathering until Deathbelle permits it." Recovering her composure quickly, Lucretia shook off the rude interruption with a polite little cough.

"Now, all of your points are correct, if a little humorous. It's perfectly natural to find some of these changes amusing - but they are also frustrating, and can sometimes be debilitating for the mother-to-be. I'd like to start with ways to address morning sickness," She said, turning and revealing some piles of herbs she had stashed beneath a large, overhanging leaf. "Agrimony will calm nausea, but it's important to follow it with some alfalfa in order to maintain your appetite. If you lose a full meal, it's important to recover those nutrients for the developing puppies." Luce gave Zee a knowing look, followed by a smile. They had already discussed some of this material in private.

"Besides sickness, the body of a pregnant female goes through many changes. As the puppies grow, your internal organs will shift to accommodate them. Additionally, you will find yourself lethargic - your body is now not only supplying you with the energy needed to complete your daily tasks, it is providing the means for your litter to grow in size and develop all of their own necessary internal parts. It's a lot of work!" Luce said, casting Deathbelle a pointed look. "So it's important to eat enough and maintain a somewhat modified level of physical activity."