Now that you’ve conceived, congratulations! Some of you may ask: “When I will stop acupuncture treatment?”. I would tell them any time they like. However, for certain conditions, I will recommend following groups to stay until ten weeks, which is the same as the RE transition to OB/Gyn. So in addition to maintain a close contact/supervising by RE, we can have some holistic options

First group: frequent miscarriages

There are many conditions which causes miscarriage. There are terms from conventional medicine. There are also terms (a different perspective) from Chinese Medicine.  So if my patient request, I will give some suggestion including acupuncture/herbs/or diet to help body stay in a balance state.

Second group: Liver Qi stagnation

People can be in state of upset, anxiety or anger, Chinese Medicine think this can disturb the pregnancy. And our acupuncture or herbs can give some relief or messenger to body to relax. I have patients miscarriage just after she was upset/argue/angry with someone.

Nausea in first trimester

Pregnancy can bring on it’s own set of symptoms–number one, is nausea. Acupuncture is a safe and effective therapy for mothers-to-be, and is well known to alleviate nausea during the first trimester.

Sustain pregnancy in first trimester

Stress and bleeding or weak baby sometimes can cause miscarriage in the first trimester, especially during week 6 to week 10. Acupuncture and herb formulas can help sustain the pregnancy into later trimester.

Reduce discomfort and Manage pain

As pregnancy advances, acupuncture can help resolve such conditions as:
Nausea, Vomiting, Constipation, Hip Pain, Low Back Pain, Swelling, Insomnia, Preeclampsia/gestational hypertension.
Acupuncture has been found to reduce elevated blood pressure.

Breech baby in last trimester

ACUPUNCTURE AND MOXIBUSTION TO TURN A BREECH BABY
Moxibustion therapy is famous for it’s ability to turn a breech baby to head down position, in order to allow for natural delivery. Moxibustion treatment is the burning of an herb called Ai Ye in Chinese, or you may be familiar with it’s western name, Mugwort, to warm and stimulate acupuncture points. Acupuncture is done 3-4 times a week in conjunction with moxibustion for 2-3 weeks, or until the baby turns. Turning a breech baby are best started around week 34-37.

Jump-start Labor in prolonged pregnancy

Researchers at the University of North Carolina completed a small study to test whether this method has real benefits. The study involved 56 women who were 39 ½ to 41 weeks pregnant. (Forty weeks is full term.) Half of the women received three acupuncture sessions, while the other half did not. Among those who received acupuncture, 70% went into labor without medical intervention. This compares to 50% of those who received standard care. The women who got acupuncture were also less likely to deliver by cesarean section — 39% compared to 17%.
“We had almost a 50% reduction in the C-section rate,” researcher Terry Harper, MD

Pregnancy is a exciting but sensitive period of life. Mother-to-be not just are worried about their life and also to their baby. Special care must be taken when considering medicine, herbs and even acupuncture. It is important to get advice from licensed and experienced medical professionals. Generally speaking, acupuncture and herbs has less side-effects than conventional medicine. When we prescribe acupuncture points, we will use safe acupoints and special technique of insertion. When we use herbs, we will first consider food grade herbs.