Expectant mothers, even those who’ve undergone successful acupuncture treatments before conception, might wonder whether the Traditional Chinese Medicine is safe for them while pregnant. As long as they’re being treated by a licensed acupuncturist, the answer is definitely “yes.”
An acupuncturist can help expectant moms cope with nausea, back pain, mood changes and other symptoms of pregnancy. Here’s the really good news: acupuncture can treat other medical problems such as pain, flu and colds during the pregnancy without drugs that may be unsafe to the mother and baby.
Acupuncture also helps support labor by relaxing tendons and ligaments and relieving tension and stress. It may even reduce the length of labor and help turn breech babies. Many patients say they believe acupuncture made labor less painful.
After the baby is born, new mothers can still benefit from acupuncture treatments. The practitioner can help them adjust to changes in their hormones. Since it’s not unusual for new moms to get less sleep than normal, acupuncture will relieve stress and give them an energy boost. While pregnancy discomfort and post-partum issues can’t be eliminated completely, acupuncture surely helps make childbirth and its aftermath a more gratifying experience.