Back pain, Pain throughout the body, Pelvic pain, Joint pain, Abdominal pain.
About 10% of women develop postnatal depression after having a baby, which can last from several weeks to several months. Common symptoms include exhaustion, tearfulness, and feelings of being unable to cope with motherhood, insomnia, lack of appetite, anxiety and irritability. Many women find acupuncture a relaxing experience which may help to relieve some of these symptoms.
Acupuncture aims to treat some of the underlying patterns that Traditional Chinese medicine may identify and has been found in clinical studies to be beneficial in the treatment of depression (Mamber et al, 2004; Wang et al, 2008). In combination with dietary and lifestyle advice and support from family members, and health professionals such as GP and health visitor, acupuncture help in the treatment of postnatal depression.
Retention of Lochia
Lochia is the post birth vaginal discharge which contains blood, mucus and placenta tissues. In a healthy post partum woman this lochia discharge lasts approx 4-6 weeks. If it lasts longer than 6 weeks, Acupuncture can help to end it. In Korea, many post partum woman try natural herb tea to promote lochia discharge. It helps her recover quickly.
Breast feeding problems such as poor milk supply or mastitis
Integral to successful breastfeeding is good positioning, and your own midwife will be able to offer you excellent advice and support with this. In spite of this some women, such as those who have had a greater than average blood loss at the birth may develop problems with poor milk supply.
Acupuncture has been shown in studies to be effective in increasing milk supply (Wang et al, 2008) and offers women a drug free option. Acupuncture also be effective in treating mastitis.