Pregnancy is an exciting time. It marks the beginning of the next chapter in your journey to creating your new family. But as you may be experiencing or have heard from friends or family, pregnancy can also be a physically and emotionally demanding experience. This is especially true for women who struggle to get pregnant or who have experienced previous miscarriages. After a longer than desired period of waiting to successfully conceive, the first trimester can feel like two months of walking on egg shells. This stress, in addition to the bouts of morning (or all day) sickness and appetite-loss that often characterize the first trimester, can take a toll on the mind and body. And although the nausea usually dissipates after the first trimester, the later trimesters can bring the unpleasantries of decreased mobility, edema (especially painful leg swelling) and restless sleep due to the impact of natural weight gain.
Over the past 10 years I have treated successfully hundreds of patients for pregnancy support. Fortunately, acupuncture is a very safe, effective and relaxing way to treat many pregnancy related issues. For example, according to the National Institute of Health (N.I.H), acupuncture has been proven in medical studies to successfully and safely treat nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
During pregnancy, the primary focus of acupuncture treatment is to safely increase blood circulation throughout the body, including to the fetus, to promote healthy fetal development and prevent edema. Cumulative acupuncture treatments also strengthen digestion to prevent nausea, increase appetite and mitigate constipation. All acupuncture treatments should also include a component designed to combat the negative effects of stress. Acupuncture helps calm the mind and alleviate stress to make this part of your life a healthy and happy one.
When should I start?
Acupuncture treatments preferably would begin when pregnancy is first confirmed and before any symptoms begin, as it can be very effective at preventing them. For those of you who are already experiencing these symptoms, acupuncture can significantly reduce the frequency and severity.
*MAHM is also the official acupuncture infertility NYC center and herbal medicine clinic for the Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine in NY and a professional member of both the American Pregnancy Association and RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.
