Prenatal + Labor Support
Chinese Medicine has much to offer both mother and baby during pregnancy. Each trimester comes with its own characteristics and issues. Regular check-ins and treatments can play an integral role in a healthy pregnancy, birth and postpartum recovery.
During the first trimester, the fetus is in a delicate place, so we offer therapeutic guidance to nurture and support this incredible new life. As the fetus grows and becomes stronger, the minor discomforts of pregnancy can often be effectively treated with acupuncture, herbs, and dietary recommendations.
During pregnancy, labor and postpartum, acupuncture can be helpful for:
- Preventing miscarriage
- Preventing threatened miscarriage including ruptured membranes
- Placenta previa
- Morning sickness
- Acid Reflux
- Constipation
- Varicose veins
- Insomnia
- Slow growth of fetus
- Low fluids
- Leg cramps
- Body pain
- Breech position
- Mal position
- Pre- and postpartum depression
- Immune support
- Cervical ripening and inducing labor
- Anxiety/ Depression during pregnancy
Labor & Delivery
Did you know that Acupuncture can greatly increase a woman’s chances of giving birth naturally and has been proven to not only help labor + delivery, but assist with helping women deliver on time?
We use a technique called “cervical ripening”. Usually in my practice I ask women to start coming at week 36 for this to begin balancing the body’s energy. She will come once a week until week 39 where she will start coming twice a week and then three times a week in week 40 and week 41 until delivery.
95% of my patients have had the birth they wished for. This is just as effective for VBAC patients as it is for women who have previously had a natural labor or for those who have never given birth. Your body recognizes the energetics of the points which starts to slowly and gently dilate the cervix.
Acupuncture can turn breech babies! This is something that many people do not know and it works 80% of the time!
The same technique that is used to turn breech babies may be used to “induce” a baby when it might be overdue. It works really well for this and most of my patients who come to me for this end up going into labor that day or within 2 days. Ideally though, we start acupuncture treatment in week 36 if not before so we don’t reach this point of a baby being to overdue
Other reported positive effects of acupuncture helping with labor and delivery are :
- Shorter delivery time
- Fewer to no interventions needed
- Less to no perineal tearing
- Better recovery