Pregnant Reed Making

One of the musical areas that have really been affected by being pregnant has been my reed making; to be honest, this has been a HUGE surprise for me. I guess I expected my playing to be affected, because it just seems logical, but reed making isn’t really that much more physically demanding than sitting in a chair. Turns out that it’s actually one of the most exhausting things that I do on a daily basis.

 

Most days when I get up from working my hips are pretty stiff, and if I’ve pushed myself past my physical and mental boundaries (this happens more frequently than I should admit) I have a lot of difficulty walking normally. To the point that my husband notices and comments on the physical changes that reed making seems to be having on me. When I push too hard, pretty much the only thing that helps is to take a warm bath.

 

To combat this, I’ve had to learn to get up and move around every 30 to 45 minutes while I’m working. I play with the dogs (they think pregnancy is having a positive effect!) walk around a little, get a drink, go to the bath room, etc. You’re probably thinking that this shouldn’t be that difficult to accomplish, but I’m used to working on reeds for 3-4 hours at a time and MAYBE taking one break. I’m hoping that having to do this while I’m pregnant will translate into healthier reed making habits after the baby is born.

 

Moving around during reed making sessions is actually helping with the other pregnancy related problem: Pregnancy Brain. I have NEVER been this distracted while making reeds. The whole time I’m working, I’m completely distracted by thoughts of sitting on the couch, reading magazines or books, surfing the internet and watching TV. Without much effort, my brain can convince me that it’s not really that important to stay and work on reeds. The small breaks really help me commit to staying focused for shorter periods of time.

 

Making reeds during pregnancy has definitely been a learning experience for me. It’s not just about dealing with my own mental and physical reactions. Sometimes the baby gets tired of me being in the same sitting position and she kicks in protest, which is incredibly distracting. Most of the time being kicked is a happy feeling, but during a reed making session it’s just one more thing taking up some of my focus. I’m learning to cope with the changes, and I’m sure that there are more coming in the future, but for now I feel like I’m starting to make some headway. I would love to hear from other reed makers about what worked for them, both in pregnancy and afterwards. Happy (focused) reed making!