Welcome to Gaia! ::

Mephiti smiled in relief as it seemed that Aranea had calmed down a bit--she was nervous enough about treating the unknown without having her patient yell at her. "Alchemy...fascinating!" She took down a few notes before turning her grin up at Aranea. "Hormonal imbalance is one of the ills of pregnancy, I've read. I'm sure once the child is born things will even out again. How far along are you, by the way? When did you first start experiencing any out-of-the-ordinary symptoms?"

"Well, a human's gestation period is nine months long; given a Fey's rate of growth, I'd bet yours will be considerably shorter." This was all mere speculation--the books had gone into short detail regarding symptoms and the corresponding treatments, but the timelines given were rather vague. A possible reason for that, Mephiti thought, was that the duration of pregnancy varied among their kind--that would hardly reassure her patient, however. "Moodiness, cravings...you mentioned the illness passing. Are there any other symptoms? Any swelling other than--well, the obvious?" The healer's eyes were torn between her notes and her patient, and she felt a peaceful thrill; this was what she was meant to do, she knew, even if Aranea was her first patient.

She probably shouldn't mention that.

"You aren't fat, you're pregnant. And in a few more months or so, most likely, you'll be neither once more," Mephiti reassured Aranea with a gentle smile. "I don't know for sure, but I'd say by the end of summer at the absolute latest--that's with a few-month cushion, but better safe than sorry!"

"Well, no, I can't give you an exact date," Mephiti replied after a moment's hesitation, tail giving a nervous twitch. "It's, um, likely best not to worry about it--it will happen when it happens, and I don't think unnecessary stress is healthy for either of you at the moment."

"I'm sorry," Mephiti replied automatically, rising from her chair--it didn't feel cold, she realized; perhaps this was a symptom of pregnancy? She'd have to look into it. She had reason to now, certainly. "If you'll wait here a moment," she said, retreating towards a wooden cabinet. The skunk opened it, rummaging through it for a moment before producing a small jar, an envelope, and a tea ball. These she brought back to Aranea, holding them out to her. "This," she started, holding up the jar, "is typically used for muscle soreness, but it should work for aches and tenderness as well. You won't need to apply much, and it's safe to use throughout the day. And you should steep a few pinches of this," here she held up the envelope and tea ball, "in a cup of hot water for a few minutes each morning. By itself it's a little bitter, but feel free to add sugar. Is there anything else you need?"