Acupuncture for postpartum care
During pregnancy and childbirth, a lot of energy is expelled. It is important to restore this energy in order for the mother to produce ample breastmilk and to withstand the enduring task of motherhood. Ensuring a complete postpartum recovery is also an important part of healthy ageing, including facilitating a smooth transition into menopause. Lucy is passionate about helping to support this.
What can Lucy help with?
POst-natal depression and anxiety
Post-birth a woman can experience contrasting feelings of elation and despair. This is completely normal, but acupuncture can be used to help keep on top of things before they can become more serious. Some signs to look out for include: feeling low for a week or more, tearfulness, irritability, panic attacks, lack of motivation, feelings of loneliness, guilt, inadequacy, feeling unable to cope, insomnia and tension headaches.
breastfeeding
Establishing breastfeeding can often be difficult so it’s important to seek out the right support from the beginning. The baby is reliant on the mother being strong enough to produce milk but after an exhausting labour or c-section, milk production can sometimes be low. Acupuncture can help strengthen the mother, provide relief for engorgement and mastitis, and can even help to avoid antibiotics.
mother warming to support fatigue and exhaustion
In order to rebuild the energy of the mother after childbirth, moxibustion is used to create warmth within the body, especially in the now empty uterus. Lucy can demonstrate this technique so that it can be easily be done by a partner. The foods eaten by the mother are also very important in order to keep her warm. Lucy can provide advice on food therapy.
other postnatal problems
New mothers can also benefit from acupuncture for the following:
Fatigue and exhaustion | Prolapse | Uterine bleeding | Perineal discomfort | C-section scar maintenance | Night sweats | Muscular skeletal pain