Solar eclipses, bumps and babies

Published as a Saturday Love Letter on August 15th, 2026

On August 11th, 1999, the day of the eclipse, I was watching as Gerald shovelled compost from one place to another. Gerald had volunteered to help a friend in his vegetable garden and I went along for the company. At 26 weeks pregnant, my bump was just starting to get round and though I drew the line at wheelbarrowing a pile of dung to the other end of the garden, I did partake in the wider gardening project by pulling out the biggest carrots for a salad. 

When the moon rolled in front of the sun, we stopped what we were doing to look at the Belfast sky, overcast, hazy and grey. We were lucky to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse, the radio on in the background. The presenter announced that it would be 27 years before the sun and the moon would align in this way again in European skies and I wondered where I would be.

I can report that, strangely, I watched Gerald with a wheelbarrow and shovel again. This time, he was moving gravel to make space for the lawn we are about to lay in our garden. Again, I did not take part in the heavy lifting, instead brushing our newly laid garden path. 

We have a fully grown daughter now, she’s 26 years of age and, between eclipses, I gave birth to her, mothered her and watched her fly the nest. 

Between eclipses, I have found my way into women’s work. 

This week has been full of beautiful encounters with pregnant women, newly postpartum women and women whose babies have turned into toddlers and I recognise myself in my clients. And when you lie on my table, I know what it is like for a body to feel tired and tender from the work of pregnancy and mothering. I also know what it feels like for that weight to be lifted and that’s the place I come from when I help your body release all that tension. 

One of my clients asked me this week: “What do you call this kind of massage? It’s not a normal massage.” She had loved her postpartum session, finally finding some relief in her hips, tailbone and low back. 

I shrugged, “It’s a mixture of approaches developed in almost three decades of working with women and tailored to you.”

She thanked me and told me that she felt very happy to experience it and I thanked her in return.

And now I want to thank you. For trusting me, for continuing to support me, for recommending me — word of mouth is still how most of my clients find me — or sharing your baby news with me and for continuing to open these emails. It means the world to me.

Have a lovely weekend.

Love,

Nicole

Oh, and if you feel like it’s time for another massage, you know what to do.