Receiving support through acupuncture is a safe and gentle way to optimize your health during your pregnancy. From preventing some types of miscarriage to relieving pain, nausea, constipation, and preparing you for labor and delivery, our skilled practitioners will safely help you through any stage of your pregnancy.
MORNING SICKNESS
Acupuncture has long been used as a treatment for nausea. In fact, Sea Bands, which are commonly recommended for motion sickness, are as effective as they are because they stimulate the acupuncture point P6. Acupuncture performed during pregnancy by licensed and experienced practitioners is completely safe and can be helpful in reducing early pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness.
PREGNANCY FATIGUE
Fatigue during pregnancy is a symptom many women experience, especially in the first and third trimesters. Most of our patients receiving acupuncture for any reason report improvement in energy levels, and it is especially noticed during pregnancy
PREGNANCY BACK PAIN
During pregnancy, back pain can be a common experience as the baby starts to put pressure on the back and pelvis. Acupuncture is widely accepted as an effective treatment for back pain, and is particularly effective for pregnancy related back and hip pain. It is best to treat this type of pain as soon as it starts to develop as it can worsen as the baby grows. Acupuncture is safe during pregnancy and can help resolve pain in any part of the back, neck and shoulders and hips, including sciatica.
PREGNANCY SWELLING
Water retention and swelling is a common side effect of advanced pregnancy and can be helped with regular acupuncture treatments. Our skilled acupuncturists can also recommend simple dietary and lifestyle changes to assist fluid metabolism in the body for the remainder of the pregnancy.
BREECH BABY
At around 34 to 37 weeks gestation, a fetus becomes positioned for birth with its head down. When not positioned this way, it is considered a breech presentation. By using moxibustion (the warming a specific acupuncture point with an herbal incense), babies turn into the correct position 69-85% of the time.
LABOR PREPARATION
Several acupuncture points have been shown to stimulate uterine contractions. While these points are avoided throughout most of the pregnancy, they work wonderfully for signaling the body to go into labor at full term. This type of treatment is completely safe and should be started at around week 37. Labor induction with acupuncture was recently shown in a study to reduce medical inductions by 35-43%, the use of epidurals by 31% and emergency Cesareans by 32%.
POST PARTUM DEPRESSION
After giving birth, the body goes through hormonal changes that can manifest both physically and mentally. Acupuncture can help moderate these hormonal changes and smooth this transition. Our experienced practitioners can also prescribe safe Chinese herbs to help speed recovery and stabilize the mood.
POST PARTUM RECOVERY
Women experiencing any symptoms after giving birth can benefit greatly from acupuncture. At the Yinova Center, we often help women who are experiencing constipation, urinary and pelvic floor problems, insomnia, back pain, hip pain, low milk supply, carpal tunnel, insomnia, night sweats, post partum depression, or fatigue associated with the post partum time.
LACTATION SUPPORT
There are specific acupuncture points and Chinese herbs that can increase the milk supply in lactating women. Our experienced team can also discuss dietary and lifestyle changes to support healthy milk supply.
Would you like to dig a little deeper?
- Watch Dr. Jill Blakeway on ABC news demonstrating acupuncture for back pain in pregnancy.
- Learn some massage techniques for relieving muscle + ligament strains.
- Read this list of 10 things we would recommend avoiding during your pregnancy.
- Get our tips on how to battle pregnancy fatigue.
- Varicose veins are an occasional pregnancy ailment. Find out what can be done to treat them.
- See how we treat musclo-skeletal pain in pregnant women.
- Learn more about what you can do to help battle morning sickness and heartburn.
- Check out this blog article about how acupuncture can help you through your pregnancy.
- Find out about how you can use acupuncture to help treat pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy.
- We often get asked about how to exercise during pregnancy. Here’s what we tell our patients.
- Pregnancy can affect digestion. Here’s what you can do.
- Here’s a helpful guide on how to tackle pregnancy related itching.
