Healthy babies begin with healthy moms:

Pregnancy and childbirth are deeply rewarding life experiences that are very physically demanding at the same time.  From a Chinese medical perspective, it is of the utmost importance for the mother to take time during and after her pregnancy to strengthen and repair her body.  At Marin Acupuncture Clinic we use acupuncture and herbs as well as diet and lifestyle counseling to support the new mother’s healing process.

It has been shown that women who get regular acupuncture treatments during their pregnancy deliver on time, have less health complaints during their pregnancy, have less pain during their delivery and have a shorter recovery time post-partum.

Pregnancy involves great changes in your body and within your life. Acupuncture is a safe and highly effective treatment of various pregnancy symptoms. Our therapies are particularly helpful in alleviating:

Pre-Birth Treatments

Pre-Birth treatments involve a series of treatments beginning in the third trimester, particularly from weeks 35-40 to prepare for labor. Acupuncture points are used for relaxation, boosting the mother’s stamina for labor, correcting breech presentation, and encouraging on-time delivery.  These treatments increase your chances of a healthy delivery and reduce the need for medical inductions.  Acupuncture and moxibustion have garnered national attention for effectively turning breeched babies in gentle, non-intrusive ways.   

Natural Labor Induction with Acupuncture

Using acupuncture to induce labor is an ancient tradition. Acupuncture needles are inserted into strategic locations on the hands, lower legs, low back, and feet. The needles open the acupuncture channels involved in childbirth, which gently urges the mother’s body to begin labor. Unlike Pitocin, which forces the start of labor and can have many side effects, acupuncture-induced labor is rarely expected to start right away but usually happens within 24-72 hours of the treatment. Using acupuncture to induce labor does not push you through the experience prematurely or too quickly.  In our opinion, Chinese medicine’s labor induction treatments are invaluable to the field of obstetrics and we hope that every hospital will eventually utilize them.

The Induction Treatment

Typically a patient who is interested in inducing labor with acupuncture will begin treatment during the seventh month of pregnancy to prepare her body for labor. Ideally an appointment once a week or once every two weeks will give us the time we need to become familiar with your constitution and for you to start feeling the benefits of regular acupuncture treatments. Labor induction starts just prior to or right after the due date. Treatments are scheduled daily for up to three days.  Not all expectant mothers are suitable for labor induction.  The mother must be in good health and the fetus must be of normal development.  We are happy to partner with your OB-GYN or midwife.  Call us for a free consultation.