What You Should Know About Alternative Care
I think I would need my fingers and toes to count how many of my friends used acupuncture to help conceive, but did you know the benefits don't stop there? Our friends at Asula Wellness, a Portland-based group of wellness practitioners, are sharing the benefits of alternative care from conception, to pregnancy and post-delivery!
After an incident with my Swiffer that left me bedridden because my back went out, I can personally say, every time I leave Asula Wellness, I feel one million times better than when I went in! (Big shout out to Dr. Shannon for getting my body aligned so I can work that Swiffer like a BOSS.)
Chiropractic And Pregnancy:
Pregnancy is a unique and special time in a woman's life. It is filled with excitement, wonder and let's face it….lower back pain. Up to 80% of women experience lower back pain for some portion of their pregnancy. This can happen for a variety of reasons:
- Relaxin hormone: During pregnancy a hormone called Relaxin is released. This creates increased elasticity in your ligaments, which is great for allowing your pelvis to expand for childbirth, but not great for joint stability. This can lead to laxity in the ligaments in the sacroiliac joints and classic lower back pregnancy pain.
- Carrying the weight of the baby in your belly will slowly shift your center of gravity forward. This can create extra stress and strain in the lower back as the muscles tense to counterbalance.
- As baby grows bigger it gets a little crowded in there. That means that the weight of the uterus can compress nerves and blood vessels leading to sciatica and lower back pain. Also, supporting the increasing weight of the baby adds strain to the joints of the pelvis and spine.
The great news is that Chiropractic and Massage can help your body adapt to these changes and keep you feeling good throughout your pregnancy! So you have more time to focus on the joys of parenthood and not the pains of pregnancy.
Receiving chiropractic care can also help baby to adopt the most ideal positioning for delivery. The pelvis is a ring and if the joints are out of alignment it becomes less circular and more oblong. Baby must adapt to this shape and sometimes it can prevent them from getting into the position that OB's and Midwives agree is ideal for delivery (head down and facing your back).
Acupuncture And Pregnancy:
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture provides a safe and gentle way to nurture and care for your health, and that of your baby, through pregnancy and beyond.
Regular weekly or monthly treatments are recommended and your practitioner will tailor your treatment to unique symptoms and concerns. Regular treatments enhance your health as well as your baby's health and positively influence the development of baby.
Conception: Acupuncture is often used to help couples having difficulty trying to conceive. It can help with increased sperm count and motility, shrinking ovarian cysts, increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs, balancing hormones, reducing inflammation, and improving sleep and stress.
1st trimester: Sets the tone for a healthy pregnancy. Acupuncture can be used to help alleviate common symptoms such as morning sickness, vomiting, fatigue, and headaches.
2nd trimester: Acupuncture can offer relief from common complaints such as sleep issues, elevated blood pressure, heartburn, hemorrhoids, and low energy.
3rd trimester: Prepares the body for labor and delivery. Often Acupuncture is used to alleviate sciatica, hip, joint, pubic and back pain.
4th trimester: Acupuncture can help you heal and regain strength, vitality and energy, boosts body the defenses and supports healing of postpartum depression.
Acupuncture can also help with more serious delivery issues like breech presentation and delayed labor.
Naturopathy And Pregnancy:
A Naturopathic doctor can help with preconception planning as well as throughout your pregnancy and beyond. It is recommended that you assess you diet, lifestyle, nutrient levels and hormones before conception in order to optimize fertility (for both partners).
A naturopathic doctor can help you understand the importance and timing of specific prenatal supplements both before and during pregnancy. In addition, we have many simple and safe tools to support common pregnancy symptoms like nausea, fatigue, heartburn, and constipation, so you feel your best while your body is changing.
After baby comes, the joys and demands of parenthood can be fatiguing. Naturopathy is also a great partner to help support stamina and energy levels so you can enjoy this very special time.
We'd like to thank Asula Wellness for contributing such insightful content and supporting local businesses! If you're in the Portland area, they have centers in The Pearl and Lake Oswego. You can learn more at Asula.com.