PRENATAL CARE

Pregnancy is an exciting time for you and your family. There’s a lot of planning to do to prepare for your little one and it’s important that you prioritize your health at the same time. Prenatal care helps you and your bundle of joy be healthy through pregnancy delivery and the beginning of a new life together.

TCM is ideal for use during pregnancy and childbirth as it offers a safe, easy to administer, inexpensive treatment for women. Because of the high potential for side effects from modern Western pharmaceuticals and the importance of quality pregnancy health care , many midwives and expectant mothers find it to be an effective alternative.

With the avoidance of certain points, an acupuncturist can treat a woman during pregnancy without causing harm to the mother or baby. Because acupuncture can be deeply relaxing, the pregnant woman often falls asleep during a treatment and enjoys a much-needed rest. Massage during pregnancy is also used in Chinese medicine’s pregnancy health care to relax the woman and aid balance and flow of Qi in the body.

Stagnation of a woman’s Qi and blood typically slows the process of labor and can make it more painful during pregnancy. Acupuncture acts to move more Qi and blood through the body, thereby clearing stagnation and allowing for an easier and shorter labor. Other conditions that acupuncture may help during pregnancy include nausea, heartburn, headaches, constipation, hemorrhoids, and backache. Acupuncture is also effective for turning breech presentations, inducing labor, reducing the discomfort of contractions, and helping to expel the placenta.