Prenatal Acupuncture

After conception, acupuncture and herbs can prevent miscarriage by promoting overall health and proper circulation throughout the body, ensuring that essential nutrients are passed to the baby for growth and development.

Acupuncture is also effective at easing pregnancy discomforts such as:

Nausea/vomiting
Heartburn
Fatigue
Insomnia
Constipation
Anxiety & depression in pregnancy
Itching
Breech & posterior presentations
Edema
Pregnancy sinusitis
Lower back and hip pain
Varicose veins, hemorrhoids and vulval varicosities

Pre-Birth Acupuncture

Acupuncture at the end of the third trimester can help prepare the cervix and pelvis for labor. A series of 3 weekly acupuncture treatments using a specific point protocol has been shown to reduce mean labor time from 8 hours and two minutes in the control group to six hours and 36 minutes in the group who received pre-birth acupuncture. Also, midwives have also report a lower rate of medical intervention when pre-birth acupuncture is administered starting at 36-37 weeks gestation.

Acupuncture for Labor Induction

From a Traditional Chinese Medical viewpoint, labor is expected when three factors occur simultaneously. Yang activity becomes predominant over Yin growth, qi and blood begin to move freely, and the uterus dilates. When these events sync up, an easy harmonious labor ensues. Our acupuncturists have had the honor of inducing a number of births naturally. Also, many pregnant women report increased fetal movement during acupuncture, with labor following 2-4 days later. Therefore, we recommend treatments are continued every 3 days.

The Journal of Maternity Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, published a study in Aug 2006 conducted by Harper TC and others. The study was conducted to evaluate the utility of outpatient acupuncture for pregnancy and labor induction treatments. The results were very encouraging. Compared to controls, pregnant women in the acupuncture group tended to be more 70% more likely to labor spontaneously and 39% less likely to deliver by cesarean section.

If you are pregnant and are concerned with labor pain, or the delivery, we encourage you to consider acupuncture to encourage labor, shorten the duration of labor, relieve pain and also avoid a medical induction.

Post-Natal Acupuncture

In China, the first few weeks after childbirth are called “chan ru.” Chan means childbirth, and Ru means mattress. In traditional Chinese culture, women were prescribed bed rest for one month after childbirth. Female relatives would take care of both the new mother and the baby. There were specific herbal prescriptions given to help shrink the uterus, stop bleeding, encourage lactation, and return vitality.

In today’s fast-paced society, few new parents have the luxury of resting for a month after childbirth. Most of them need to return to taking care of family or work before their bodies have had a chance to fully recover from the birth experience. Growing and birthing a child greatly depletes the body’s qi and blood. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can accelerate recovery time.

In addition to returning the body to a state of balance and optimal reproductive health, some of the postpartum conditions that acupuncture can treat are: