Ask any woman with a little of her own, or a baby on the way, and they’ll more than likely tell you just how wonderful pregnancy is not.
The aches and pains, the overabundance of stress, and the morning sickness induced nausea can be enough to send you running to the doctor, only to find out that you’re fairly limited in treatment options until after your brand new bouncing baby arrives in this big wide world.
Long used as a part of traditional eastern medicine, however, acupuncture often gets touted as a quick fix for numerous ailments, including those that so often plague women during pregnancy.
Additionally, studies have shown a very low risk for complications from acupuncture among pregnant women, offering a way for many mommies-to-be to relieve some of the pain and stress during the nine-month march to motherhood.
Self-care: How Acupuncture Actually Affects Your Wellness while Pregnant
Not So Bright And Early – Between nausea, vomiting, and general fatigue, morning sickness is, as nearly any mom can tell you, one of the definite low points of pregnancy.
Thankfully for any mommy-to-be, acupuncture has been used to treat all of the major symptoms of morning sickness for centuries, making it an ideal way to start feeling like yourself again.
Little Tip: As we’re sure you well know, despite the name, morning sickness isn’t limited to the early hours of the day. Your feelings of nausea before bed or the fatigue you feel throughout the afternoon could be more than just a poorly settled dinner or the results of a dull office meeting.
A Pain In The Neck – Pregnancy comes with far more than its fair share of aches and pains, from chronic neck pain all the way down to aching ankles and feet.
Acupuncture is a fairly common treatment for chronic pain, especially pain in the back and neck, helping to relieve some of the stress your body is under from carrying your brand new baby.
In addition to back pain, acupuncture is also used to treat a wide variety of ailments, from headaches to joint pain, many of which are also common symptoms of pregnancy.
Little Tip: In addition to pain, acupuncture is thought to be able to help reduce swelling in some parts of the body, making it an ideal way to soothe those sore calves and ankles.
Feeling Blue – Aside from physical aches, acupuncture has also been used to treat depression.
Between the stress and pain that pregnancy brings, depression is not an entirely uncommon symptom and can be one of the more difficult symptoms to treat.
While studies are still ongoing, and a conclusive link has yet to be found, targeted acupuncture has shown promise in reducing the symptoms of chronic depression among soon-to-be mommies.
Little Tip: In addition to depression during the pregnancy, acupuncture may be able to lift the fog of postpartum depression, so keep going even after your little one has arrived.
All Stressed Out – In case you didn’t already know, pregnancy is extremely stressful.
Unfortunately, being stressed out puts both you and your little at risk for health complications, a fact which is unlikely to help bring that stress back down to manageable levels.
Acupuncture can, in addition to its wide array of other benefits, be a relaxing and therapeutic outlet for pent-up stress and frustration, lowering the negative health risks for both you and your little.
Little Tip: Even if you aren’t a big believer in acupuncture, the simple routine and downtime to think can help lower stress levels, so no matter how you choose to do it, make some time to get out and focus on both you and your baby’s wellness.
