The Postpartum Benefits of Acupuncture
Giving birth is a beautiful and life-changing experience in all aspects: physically, mentally, and emotionally. While we celebrate the beautiful gift of life we just brought into the world, the act of giving birth can be physically overwhelming, and the attention a newborn requires can be stressful on our already exhausted body and mind.Acupuncture can provide and stimulate the healing benefits necessary to help women who recently gave birth return their bodies to a more balanced state and provide some additional benefits that may make the postpartum journey significantly more comfortable and enriching.
Healing Your Postpartum Body
No matter how you choose to give birth (naturally or via C-section), the act of giving birth is extremely stressful for the body. Many women have soreness and pain afterward as well as varying hormone levels which often lead to feeling depressed or anxious. It's especially helpful for those suffering from Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADS). Acupuncture is performed in a safe, nurturing, and calm environment which already helps reduce anxiety and stress by allowing a space for self-healing and self-care.But additionally, the act of acupuncture helps to lower blood pressure and decrease stress hormones by promoting healthy blood circulation throughout the body. Acupuncture causes a healing reaction in our body and stimulates the same sequence of events that our bodies would enact as if it were physically hurt.This promotion of healing in our bodies is how acupuncture brings postpartum bodies back into balance and reduces symptoms caused by various postpartum conditions such as urinary tract infections, pelvic pain, inflammation, etc.
Promoting Long-Term Postpartum Health
Acupuncture can help promote long-term healing and benefits to the body in addition to helping with the immediate symptoms and conditions of giving birth. For example, acupuncture can also help restore balance to your menstrual cycle, which may change postpartum by promoting healthy blood and hormone circulation throughout the body.In addition, acupuncture has also been shown as a great way to help naturally increase lactation for those who may not be producing enough milk. Increasing healthy blood flow increases our prolactin levels which are needed to produce milk.Whether you have given birth very recently or half a year ago, we encourage all parents who have recently given birth to come in for a session to feel the true benefits that acupuncture provides.