Pregnancy Support

During pregnancy, acupuncture and Chinese medicine offers safe, effective, and drug- free prenatal care. Chinese Medicine assists mothers to sustain a healthy pregnancy and give birth to a healthy baby. The use of acupuncture and Chinese medicine in gynecology and obstetrics has a history dating back to the Shang dynasty (1500-1000BC). Many changes occur during pregnancy and often imbalances in the mother which were hardly noticeable prior to being pregnant will become more pronounced and may lead to possible problems either during or in the post-natal period. These imbalances can be regulated and harmonized naturally with acupuncture. Common conditions that acupuncture can effectively improve during pregnancy include:

• Morning sickness: nausea, vomiting (hyperemesis gravidum)
• Aches and pains (pelvic, low back, headaches, etc.)
• Heartburn
• Premature contractions
• Breech or posterior positions
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• High blood pressure
• Blood sugar dysregulation (e.g., gestational diabetes)
• Edema
• Hemorrhoids
• Constipation
• Fatigue
• Itching

Pre-Birth Treatments

From week 36 to 37, acupuncture can be utilized for pre-birth treatments to strengthen and prepare the mother and her body for labour. Pre-birth treatment helps to ripen the cervix, position the baby in the best presentation for labor and promote optimal energy and stamina for women to enter labor. It has been shown that women who have pre- birth acupuncture treatments require less medical intervention and have more efficient active stages of labour.

Data on 169 women was gathered by 14 midwives as part of their midwifery practice in Wellington, New Zealand. It found that when comparing all caregivers (midwives, general practitioners, and specialists) to those women who had received pre-birth acupuncture there was:

• An overall 35% reduction in the number of inductions (for women having their first baby this was a 43% reduction)
• A 31% reduction in the epidural rate.
When comparing midwifery only care to women receiving pre-birth acupuncture there was a:
• 32% reduction in emergency caesarean delivery.
• A 9 % increase in normal vaginal births.
• There was no difference in the onset of early labour in those women receiving prebirth acupuncture.

Postnatal Care

After the birth, physical and emotional symptoms may be compounded due to the birth and huge changes in the coupleʼs life. At this time acupuncture can address the acute physical issues, assist with breast health for breast feeding, strengthen the motherʼs energy, and assist in the emotional transition of being a parent.

Postpartum Depression

Many clinical studies have shown acupuncture to be significantly effective in treating postpartum depression. Examples of such studies are:

• Acupuncture was found to be an effective treatment for depression during and after pregnancy.read more
• Acupuncture was found to be able to alter the levels of hormones and enzymes involved in depression.read more
• Acupuncture was found to alter the proliferation of cells in the hippocampus of the brain, a key element in many cases of depression.read more