Prenatal & Postpartum

Specifically,  prenatal acupuncture can help you to address these trimester symptoms:

• 1st trimester (week 0-12) – Sets the foundation for a healthy pregnancy and prevents early miscarriage.  It helps to alleviate morning sickness, nausea,  vomiting, constipation, fatigue and insomnia.  Weekly acupuncture is recommended.
• 2nd trimester (week 13-27) – Offers relief and balances the body from common complaints, including heartburn, constipation, hemorrhoids, stress, insomnia, edema, leg cramps, ligament pain, and elevated blood sugar.   Bi-weekly or monthly acupuncture is recommended.
• 3rd trimester (week 28-40) – Prepares the body for labor and delivery. It helps to alleviate sciatica, hip, joint, pubic and back pain and reduce stress, shortness of breath and high blood pressure.  Weekly acupuncture is recommended.

Studies

Breech babies  (week 32-36) 

Traditional Chinese medicine has been used for centuries to turn breech babies.  Treatment involves a technique called moxibustion, or applying heat from the burning of Chinese herb mugwort to a specific acupuncture point UB67 on the little toe,  bilaterally for 20 minutes.   Acupuncture is applied once a week, moxibustion is applied everyday for 5 days as a course of treatment.  After the first treatment, the patient will be instructed how to use a moxa stick over UB 67 at home for 5 days.

Patients usually report that the baby becomes more active following or during acupuncture and moxibustion treatment, but it may take several days before they notice a significant increase in the baby’s movements. After the surge of baby’s activity, visit your doctor or midwife to have a scan to see if the baby has turned into the correct position. If the baby has turned within 5 days of moxibustion treatment at home, reduce the treatment time to 10 minutes until the 5 days has been reached to secure the baby’s position.

If the baby has not turned after 5 days, pause moxibustion for 2-3 days and monitor the position of the baby. After one week from the initial treatment, if the baby has not turned, the patient will receive another acupuncture plus moxibustion treatment at the clinic and perform daily moxibustion for another 5 days at home.

 It is most effective to have the treatment between the 32th to the 35th week, up through the 36th week of pregnancy.  As the baby continues to grow beyond the 36th week, there is less space for turning.  A clinical study in 2003 showed 76.4% breeches successfully corrected with acupuncture treatments. The study concluded that acupuncture is a relatively simple, effective and inexpensive method for breech birth presentation.    A randomized controlled trial study in 2004 showed that the proportion of Cesarean sections for breech presentation was significantly lower in the treatment group which received bilateral acupuncture plus moxibustion on UB67 than in the observation group.

Study

Study

Postpartum

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) places strong emphasis on postpartum care. The practice of Chinese postpartum confinement- “ Zuo Yue Zi” or “sitting the month” is observed throughout history till this day.  During the first 4-6 weeks after childbirth, the new mother is expected to stay at home to allow this time for her body to rest, reset and recover.  

According to TCM, the postpartum period is a very vulnerable time for the new mother due to the loss of blood, body fluids and energy “qi” during the childbirth.  Therefore, special foods and diet are prepared to replenish and nourish the woman’s body for her recovery and milk production.   TCM postpartum “ stay warm,  avoid cold” guidelines restrict the new mother’s exposure to coldness, wind, and dampness to protect the body from the invasion of external pathogens.  This includes eating cold, raw foods and vegetables,  drinking cold water and juices,  going out with wet hair, sleeping or breastfeeding under a fan, or an open window,  getting chilled from leaving hot showers or baths. These careless behavior can be detrimental to postpartum recovery and can exacerbate certain conditions.

Mother Warming Moxa

“Mother Warming” is a technique that employs burning Moxa,  or Mugwort, a powerful Chinese herb to  warm the body and aid postpartum recovery.  Moxibustion is an ancient practice that has been widely studied.  For centuries, it has been used to replenish Qi and Blood inside the body to promote healing.  

4-5 days post childbirth

This is a one-time treatment used to aid in recovery and energize the woman after childbirth by replenishing energy qi and blood lost during pregnancy and childbirth.  

Moxa is burned and used to heat the woman’s abdomen from the pubic bone to the belly button and the lower back area, along the midline form the second lumbar vertebra to the sacrum,  for 5-10 minutes each or until the woman feels pleasantly warm.   In the process of moxibustion, the heat enhances the healing by circulating and increasing the vital energy ( Yang qi ) to these areas.     

Contraindications: treatment can not be applied to the woman if she is experiencing night sweats, has a raised temperature or if there are signs of retained placental products.  Moxa can not be applied to a cesarean scar that appears to be infected, or have redness or discharge on the scar.

10-14 days post childbirth 

Following the Mother Warming Moxa treatment, acupuncture and further moxa treatments can be administered to further assist the body in building good quality Qi and Blood,  help with recovery and hormone balance, and prevent certain postpartum conditions , such as depression, anxiety, persistent uterine bleeding, night sweating, insufficient lactation, and mastitis. 

Treatments once a week for three to four weeks is optimal.

Moxa is widely used for these other conditions associated with postpartum

• vaginal discharge & perineum pain
• uterine shrinkage
• urinary incontinence
• postpartum depression