Acupuncture for Post Natal Care

At Optimal Health Chiropractic and Massage, we offer pre- and post-natal acupuncture services. Not only can acupuncture prepare your body for a healthy delivery, it can promote your health after delivery so you can provide the best care for your child. Learn common conditions post-natal acupuncture can help with and what to expect from our care. 

What is Post-Natal Acupuncture? 

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese system, developed over 3,000 years ago, to heal ailments and restore the body's balance by working with subtle energy systems within your body. Your body's energy or qi flows along meridians through your major organs. When something is out of balance, it creates an energetic blockage. Qi then gets stuck in certain areas, which leads to unwanted side effects and even disease if balance is not restored. 

Acupuncture sessions restore flow through the body using thin needles inserted at touch points along the meridians. By speeding up or slowing down qi, acupuncture restores wellness. Acupuncture can treat a full range of emotional and physical symptoms naturally, with no pain medication. This makes it an ideal treatment for the post-natal period. 

In the post-natal period, your body is returning to its non-pregnant state after nine months of pregnancy and a very depleting delivery. Many women feel that delivery depletes their blood and their qi, which can be built up through acupuncture sessions. By seeing an acupuncturist during the post-natal period, you can recover quickly from the delivery, avoid the "baby blues" and reduce pain naturally. 

Who Should Try Post-Natal Acupuncture? 

Post-natal acupuncture focuses on the specific needs of the body after giving birth, so you can recover from the birthing process. We recommend patients come in for post-natal care to assist with: 

• Milk production - There is evidence that acupuncture can encourage milk production in the immediate post-natal period. If you are not producing enough milk, a quick needling session may help. 
• Breast engorgement - Inflammation of the breast tissue may occur during lactation. Acupuncture in combination with lifestyle changes, such as adjusting the feeding position, can relieve breast engorgement. Since this treatment is natural, it's better than using the traditional method of nasal spray.  
• Pain relief - Two common symptoms in the post-natal period are pain in the perineum area, which is treated using pelvic floor exercises, and back pain. While pelvic floor exercises are still useful to relieve perineum pain, many women find natural relief from their aches with acupuncture sessions. Acupuncture for pain relief works by stimulating the areas in the brain that are highly sensitive to pain, so you feel less pain. By seeing our acupuncturist, you may go for longer periods of time without pain medication. 
• Restoring mental and physical balance - When it comes to "baby blues" or the more serious postpartum depression, acupuncture can help bring the body back into mental and physical balance by rebalancing the body's energy, increasing endorphins, and adjusting the brain chemistry. For women who don't feel sad after birth, but want a smooth transition from pregnancy back to a non-pregnant state, acupuncture is still beneficial due to the rebalancing effects. 
• Low energy - Given that delivery depletes qi, it's no wonder that many women have low energy during the post-natal period. Through targeted acupuncture needling, we can increase your energy levels and mood during the post-natal period. We may also recommend lifestyle changes that can increase your energy levels while caring for a young child, such as eating specific foods beneficial for restoring your body's energy. 
• C-section recovery - Did you have a C-section? If so, acupuncture can relieve pain and promote faster healing by increasing blood flow to the site. Acupuncture for C-section recovery decreases symptoms like numbness and pain, boosts circulation around the incision, and reduces the buildup of scar tissue, so your body heals better.  Acupuncture also helps with the emotional side effects of a C-section that may have been unwanted. 

See an Acupuncturist in Seattle 

After reading about the many ways post-natal acupuncture can help you, are you ready to try it? At Optimal Health Chiropractic and Massage, we offer a free new patient consultation where you can come in, talk about your symptoms, and get personalized information on how we can help. Complete the form on our website to schedule your free new consultation now, or call today: 425-361-1839!