Pregnancy – Third Trimester

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Pregnant women return to the office for acupuncture around week 33-34 for several reasons:

Breech Positioning
TCM is very effective at turning a breech presentation, if the fetus is between 33-35 weeks. See studies.

Labor induction
Acupuncture for labor induction can sometimes help for the following reasons:

  • Reduce stress hormones. Stress can cause oxytocin levels to drop and labor contractions to slow down.
  • Help dilate and ripen the cervix.
  • Help to get contractions started.

With all of our best intentions, we have found that although we can sometimes help to hasten delivery, babies often come when they are ready. See studies.

Reduction in labor duration
Research now shows that women who receive acupuncture for 4-6 weeks before giving birth have a significantly shorter and less painful labor than those that do not. This information is based on a control study recently done at the University of Vienna in Austria. The study suggests that women who received weekly acupuncture treatments (verses a group that did not) experienced a decrease in duration of the first stage of labor. It also shows that the women without the acupuncture treatments received significantly more oxytocin during the first and second stages of labor. See studies.

Mayan Abdominal Massage (MAM)

Mayan Abdominal Massage labor induction treatments begin at 38 weeks. Weekly MAM treatments during the last few weeks of pregnancy have shown to significantly reduce the amount of time a woman spends in labor.

Mind / Body Therapy

Many clients then return at the beginning of their third trimester to get ready for their birthing.

Hypnobirthing classes are available for parents interested in a calmer, more comfortable birthing experience. Any issues with pre-term labor or breech presentation are usually taken care of with hypnotherapy. Sometimes as the birthing day approaches, mothers begin to feel anxiety around what their births will be like. Hypnotherapy is very helpful for releasing any negative thoughts/feelings associated with giving birth as well as helping the mother-to-be practice relaxations skills.

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