Traditional East Asian Medicine focuses on the health and well-being of a woman as a means of ensuring a healthy pregnancy and child. While our culture tends to approach pregnancy preparation from a financial standpoint, we have much to learn from traditional cultures about preparing the body for pregnancy. The health of a pregnancy starts many months, ideally at least a year, before conception. This is a time to focus on nourishing foods, balanced hormones, and adequate pelvic flexibility and flow. Most of us hold a lot of tension in our pelvis impacting local blood and lymphatic circulation. This impacts fertility as well as a smooth delivery at the conclusion of a pregnancy. Acupuncture can be very beneficial for improving pelvic flow in preparation for pregnancy, while weekly acupuncture, chiropractic care, and massage starting at week 36 can be valuable in supporting a smooth delivery.
Acupuncture can offer gentle support throughout the duration of a pregnancy to mitigate common discomforts such as nausea, heartburn, low back pain, and sciatica. In pregnancy it is best to approach acupuncture as ongoing supportive and preventive care. For instance, it is rare that a woman who comes in for acupuncture for the first time ever is able to find relief from nausea in her first appointment. Instead, I have found that women who follow my nutritional suggestions and regularly receive acupuncture in preparation and throughout their pregnancy have minimal issues with nausea. Read about herbal teas to support fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and nursing.
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There is extensive literature both historically and present day discussing the benefits of acupuncture in preparing a woman for pregnancy, supporting healthy hormone levels in the critical first 8 weeks of pregnancy, relieving discomforts such as morning sickness and low back pain, preparing a woman and her body for labor, and the often overlooked post-natal period. One contributing factor to the effectiveness of this medicine is that it is not only looking at the physical body, but also sees the relationship to and impact of the emotional, spiritual, and community in all aspects of a healthy pregnancy and 4th trimester.
Acupuncture for Every Season 