Bird & Bee                                Acupuncture & Birth Services

Tristin McLaren, L.Ac., MSA, CCE Dip CBE (CBI) 425.478.3019 

Tristin McLaren, L.Ac., MSA 425.478.3019

Prenatal & Postpartum

How can Acupuncture help pregnancy?

Just as each individual human being is different and each newborn baby is different, each woman’s pregnancy is its own unique experience. There are many discomforts that may arise for women during this time. Most conditions associated with pregnancy receive little help from Western Medicine due to its reliance on pharmaceuticals to alleviate the symptoms, and as we know, most of these drugs are unsafe to use during pregnancy. Therefore, many women are told these conditions are a “normal” part of pregnancy. However, treatment may exist for a range of these conditions, many women are now seeking alternative medicines to find relief and are finding acupuncture to be one of the most effective modalities available.  In addition, prenatal acupuncture is considered safe during pregnancy by the World Health Organization (WHO), if performed by a licensed, experienced practitioner. So if you’re suffering uncomfortable conditions during your pregnancy, acupuncture may bring you relief.   

In addition to extra training in Acupuncture for Pregnancy from Debra Betts, L.Ac., my training as a childbirth educator provides me with more intimate insight into the physiologic processes of pregnancy and labor allowing me to more efficiently combine current Western Physiology with Chinese Medicine to help alleviate conditions or concerns or develop a pre-birth acupuncture plan specifically for you.


Prebirth Acupuncture
In addition to providing treatment for specific conditions, Prebirth Acupuncture sessions are a great way to prepare for labor and birth. Bird & Bee Acupuncture's Prebirth Acupuncture recommendations are as follows:

1 treatment at the beginning of the 2nd trimester
1 treatment at the beginning of the 3rd trimester
1 treatment at 32 weeks
1 treatment at 34 weeks
1 treatment per week from 36 weeks until labor

The benefits of this protocol may include: less chance of going past your due date, an easier, smoother labor, a baby that sits in a more optimal position, increased energy for labor, increased uterine tone, more responsive cervix, and a more relaxed state of being for mom and baby.

The first nine months may be the most important in determining your baby's health.  Bird & Bee Acupuncture's safe and beneficial prenatal treatments may help you and your baby make the most of this precious time.

Mommy & Me: Acupuncture for the 4th trimester (0-3 months postpartum)

 For the price of one regular session (or one copay/coinsurance), both mom and baby will receive acupuncture treatments and baby will receive some acupressure and massage to augment the light needling technique used for infants.

 

Benefits for mom may include a more efficient recovery from pregnancy and the birth process, alleviation of residual pregnancy related aches and pains, or those associated with adjusting to breastfeeding and carrying an infant, increased energy, resolution of physical complaints or blocked energy from birth trauma, and many others.

 

Benefits for baby may include, better development of the digestive system alleviating digestive related colic, developing a stronger immune system, better sleep patterns, calmer temperament, and many others.

 

Postpartum Mommy & Me treatment recommendations are as follows:

2-4 weeks 

6 weeks 

8 weeks

12 weeks 


Possible benefits of acupuncture in each trimester:

  • Common First Trimester conditions:
    • Morning sickness, nausea, vomiting
    • Fatigue/Low energy
    • Threatened miscarriage

 

  • Common Second and Third Trimester conditions:
    • Heartburn 
    • Constipation
    • Varicose veins, hemorrhoids, vulval varicosities
    • Urinary Tract Infections
    • Musculo-skeletal conditions: rib pain, pain of symphysis pubis, neck and back pain, sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, leg cramps
    • Fatigue and exhaustion 
    • Anemia
    • Insomnia
    • Vaginal discharge
    • Itching
    • Sinusitis
    • Pregnancy-induced hypertension
    • Edema
    • Breech positioning
    • Labor Induction
    • Pain control during labor
    • Stalled labor 

 

  • Common Fourth Trimester or Postpartum conditions:
    • Persistent uterine bleeding
    • Depression
    • Afterpains
    • Perineal discomfort, hemorrhoids
    • Insufficient lactation
    • Fatigue and exhaustion

Though it’s never a pleasant moment in a woman’s life, miscarriage and stillbirths are always a possibility in any pregnancy. In instances when this unfortunate event occurs, many women find physical, emotional, and spiritual relief from acupuncture treatments.