Pregnancy is one of the most precious experiences in your life. A new human being is developing inside of you, and you are preparing to become a mother. You go through amazing hormonal changes that affect you physically and emotionally. Some of these changes can be accommodated with minor lifestyle adjustments, others impact your well-being enough to prompt you to seek help. Fortunately, if you have health concerns during pregnancy, many of these can be safely and effectively addressed with acupuncture, a treatment approach developed in East Asia, where doctors have been caring for women for over 2500 years.

Drug-free Support for a Healthy Pregnancy

When we work with pregnant women we follow a comprehensive diagnostic process to determine the treatment approach that will be most appropriate for you. We consider a wide range of manifestations of your well-being such as blood pressure and glucose levels, sleep and energy, appetite and digestion, pain and ease of movement, emotions and stress. Gentle, minimal needling is used to relieve discomfort and restore energetic balance with acupuncture. We may also use manual therapy or aromatherapy. Prescriptions of Chinese herbs can be useful if you have low energy, indigestion, sleeping troubles, or experience repeat pregnancy loss. We use medicinal herbs of the highest quality and carefully monitor your progress. Homeopathic medicines may be a good choice to relieve uncomfortable sensations like heartburn.

Acupuncture Can Help You with

• Nausea and vomiting
• Rib-side pain
• Back pain
• Pelvic pain
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• GERD / reflux / heartburn
• Indigestion
• Edema / swelling
• Hypertension
• Hemorrhoids
• Breech presentation
• Insomnia
• Anxiety, depression
• Exhaustion
• Threatened miscarriage
• Preparing You for Birth
• Promoting labor
• Pain relief during birth

Preparing for Labor and Childbirth

Acupuncture to help you prepare for labor and childbirth should begin approximately four to six weeks before your due date. Toward the end of your pregnancy, some of your discomforts may be intensifying and regular visits can help keep these at bay. From your due date onwards we may add acupuncture protocols to promote cervical ripening, prepare your pelvis, support contractions, and relief pain.

You and your partner or support person can learn how to use acupressure to manage pain during your baby’s birth. We will teach you how.

We provide guidance regarding your nutritional needs, exercise, and other lifestyle changes that can promote a healthy pregnancy and natural childbirth. Many women find that yoga is a wonderful practice to relax and strengthen you during pregnancy, relieve back pain, and prepare your body for birth. We offer the basics to get you started and connect you with experienced perinatal yoga teachers for ongoing classes. Childbirth education workshops taught by an experienced midwife are periodically offered at our center. Please let us know if you would like to participate.

© 2022 Christiane Siebert