Acupuncture during Pregnancy
Pregnancy should be a joyful time for all women. It is a time to pamper yourself, a time to slow down and be mindful of the new life inside you. Unfortunately, for many women the nausea, aches and pains, emotional ups and downs and other complaints of pregnancy can cast a cloud over even the healthiest pregnancy.
Just because your symptoms may be part of a normal, healthy pregnancy, doesn’t mean you have to suffer through them. Acupuncture is a safe and natural therapy that can be an integral part of your pregnancy and postpartum care.
Pregnancy
Treatable Conditions
Click on the links for self-care measures you can try at home.
- Nausea
- Heartburn
- Constipation
- Pelvic pain
- Low back pain
- Varicose veins
- Hemorrhoids
- Sinusitis
- Fatigue
- Edema
- Carpal tunnel
- Anxiety/depression
- Insomnia
- Vaginal itching
- Vulval varicosities
Acupressure for Labor and Delivery
Whether your goal is a natural birth, or you’d simply like another option for pain relief, acupressure is for you. At Whole Family Health we offer classes on acupressure massage in labor and delivery. Click here to find out more about classes we offer.
Specialized Prebirth and Postpartum Care
In two separate studies, women given acupuncture during the last 4 weeks of pregnancy had shorter active labors than the control groups. On average, their active labors were 1.5 to 2 hours shorter. Prebirth acupuncture allows your body to move to a place of greater balance and calm in the last weeks of your pregnancy, while giving you the strength and endurance for labor and delivery. At the same time it provides relief from some of the common complaints of late pregnancy. In a 2004 study of prebirth acupuncture by nurse-midwives, researchers found that women receiving prebirth acupuncture have, on average, shorter and more efficient labors, fewer inductions, fewer epidurals, and fewer medical interventions. Prebirth acupuncture begins in your 37th week. We combine treatment sessions and patient education to prepare you and your birth partner for labor and delivery. To learn more about prebirth acupuncture, click here.
The Chinese refer to the month following birth as a woman’s “Golden Month”. It is a time to rest and recuperate; a time to invest in your health. By taking care of yourself during the six weeks following the delivery of your child, you will have the energy and strength to not only endure that tumultuous first year, but to truly enjoy it. Our Postpartum acupuncture combines acupuncture treatments with information on dietary therapy for optimal recovery, as well as acupressure points and other home remedies to help cope with common postpartum complaints. Treatments take place in the comfort of your own home. Some postpartum concerns that can be addressed with acupuncture are:
- Afterpains
- Night Sweats
- Perineal Discomfort
- Insufficient Lactation
- Engorgement
- Insomnia
- Baby Blues
Safety comes first
Acupuncture is a safe, natural and effective therapy for common complaints of pregnancy. Studies published in such peer-reviewed journals as the Journal of the American Medical Association and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology have reported no adverse outcomes from the use of acupuncture in pregnancy. For an extensive list of research studies on the use of acupuncture during pregnancy, please click here.