Acupuncture can be used safely during all stages of pregnancy. It can help a woman deal with the physical and emotional changes that affect her during pregnancy. It is beneficial for the pregnant women from the first weeks of pregnancy through labor and delivery and also for postpartum care.

Nausea
Many pregnant women experience some nausea and vomiting during the first trimester of pregnancy. As most women are reluctant to use conventional pharmaceuticals to help alleviate their symptoms, acupuncture can be a safe drug-free treatment to reduce nausea and vomiting. In the first trimester of pregnancy, acupuncture supportive care can be beneficial for: fatigue, threatened miscarriage, and morning sickness.

Promote Baby Development
In Chinese medicine, there is a saying, To help the child, treat the mother. In pregnancy this is especially true. Keeping the mother-to-be healthy from the beginning to the end of the pregnancy, will strengthen and promote good development of the baby.

Most women feel good during their second trimester of pregnancy. Some women have minor symptoms such as: constipation, heart burn, hypertension, insomnia, sinusitis and skin rashes; all these can be helped with acupuncture treatment.

Muscular-Skelatal Pain
Postural changes, hormonal changes, weight gain and edema cause some women to experience muscular-skeletal pain during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Acupuncture is an effective drug-free pain relief treatment for all of the following musculoskeletal conditions: lower back, sciatic pain, headaches or migraines, carpal tunnel syndrome with tingling in the arms, swollen ankles and painful feet.

Breech Baby
The National Institutes of Health recognize acupuncture and moxabustion as effective treatments to help turn breech babies to the natural delivery position. If a baby is in the breech position, the heat of a lighted moxa stick is used to warm a specific acupuncture point during weeks 36-38 of the pregnancy. This treatment successfully turns many babies. Moxa is a Chinese herb, Artemisia vulgaris, which is rolled into a stick that looks like a cigar and is used to heat acupuncture points.

Pre-Birth Treatment & Labor Preparation
The month prior to the birth, weeks 36-40, is the best time to prepare your body for labor and delivery. Acupuncture pre-birth treatment helps prepare the mother-to-be for an efficient labor with less anxiety.

An acupuncture study of 167 women in New Zealand found that acupuncture once per week for the four weeks prior to delivery promoted an efficient labor with: less medical intervention, decreased labor time, reduced caesarian section rate, reduced pain medication during labor. The women received fewer epidurals and there was less need for the use of the drug oxytosin to speed up contractions. "Obstetrics in Acupuncture" by Debra Betts.

Acupuncture treatment for labor: promotes readiness of the cervix, increases the strength and frequency of contractions, reduces fear, anxiety and exhaustion, and helps with pain management.

Pain Relief During Labor
Acupressure on specific acupuncture points can also be effective for pain relief during labor. During the month of your pre-birth acupuncture treatment, your acupuncturist will train your partner in the specific pain relief points to be used during labor.

Natal Post Care
After your baby is born it is important to continue to take care of yourself. Childbirth can be physically and emotionally demanding. A new mother needs supportive care that will replenish, strengthen and bring her body back into balance. Acupuncture treatment is especially helpful for the following postpartum conditions: hemorrhoids, incontinence, blocked ducts/mastitis, insufficient lactation, and postpartum depression.

You are welcome to share this © article with friends, but do not forget to include the author name and web address. Permission needed to use articles on commercial and non commercial websites. Thank you.
Search Cancerlynx.com - We Prowl the Net^TM What do you think?Top of Page Home