Does acupuncture help with pregnancy?

Whether you are trying to conceive a baby, or you are already pregnant, many women seek safe, holistic alternatives to therapies like pharmaceuticals while they are pregnant.  

In some cases, getting off of a prescription medication in preparation for pregnancy is a wise option, as many drugs pose health risks to a developing fetus.  In other cases, it is not in the best interest of the mother’s health to stop a medication, so make sure you consult with your doctor before making any changes to your medication routine. 

Assuming it is indicated to stop a medication either before becoming pregnant, or during pregnancy, you may need support to help manage a shift in body chemistry as a result of this change. 

Some women experience changes in mental emotional wellbeing, and others need help with physical pain. 

Whether it is migraine headaches or anxiety, acupuncture can help with pregnancy related symptoms, or pre-existing symptoms that have nothing to do with pregnancy. 

Acupuncture when performed by an experienced, licensed professional, is totally safe and carries little risk other than localized bruising. Acupuncture can help with pregnancy related symptoms such as back pain, anxiety, allergies, runny nose, nausea, headaches, insomnia and many other conditions.  

After treating women with acupuncture during pregnancy for the past 20 years, one fascinating phenomenon has been observed in Kristin’s clinic.  Women who received regular acupuncture treatments during their pregnancy, went on to have very happy babies. 

What does that mean, “happy”? Happy baby in this context would be characterized by an easy-going disposition, infrequent or absent signs of colic, regulated sleep patterns and a calm demeanor.

What would explain this phenomenon? One of the known effects of acupuncture on the body is a down-regulation of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.  Babies in utero are responsive to the environment they are developing in. Everything has a vibration. And as such, the vibrational frequency of stress is very different than that of relaxation.  These frequencies have an impact on how your baby develops and may influence their temperament when the are born.

Creating an optimal environment is important, not only for the physical development of your baby, but also for their emotional development.

We know from the field of epigenetics that the environment we live in; from the  toxins we are exposed to, to psychologically traumatic experiences, that these things affect the expression of our genes. 

What we inherit from our ancestors is one aspect, but equally important is the impact our environment, thoughts, feelings and beliefs have on our genetic expression.

A baby developing in the womb of a mother who is well nourished, emotionally balanced and in a safe environment will be quite different than a woman who is undernourished, in a continual state of flight or flight, and in an unsafe or dangerous environment. 

The first baby will be neurologically hardwired very differently than the second. In the first example, she/he will be more inclined toward a contented nature, while the second example will be more inclined to fussiness and need more soothing. 

Stress is a normal part of the human experience, and this isn’t to suggest that stress is somehow inherently dangerous for a baby, because it is not. However, if you could take steps to down-regulate the stress response, you should because it creates a more optimal environment for your baby to develop in. This is where acupuncture can play a wonderfully supportive roll during your pregnancy to help you and your baby mitigate the effects of stress. 

If you have been searching for an acupuncturist who has a wealth of experience helping women conceive and treating them safely throughout pregnancy, and has witnessed the amazing affect acupuncture can have on a new baby, give Kristin a call.

Kristin Misik is a New Paltz acupuncturist with more than 20 years of experience.