pre-term

Practitioners at The Nest have recommended all along that babies should be carried to a full term whenever possible. A new study corroborates this by showing that maintaining a healthy pregnancy to 40 weeks lowers infant mortality rates within the first year of life.

Acupuncture is extremely beneficial for women who have a history of or are at high risk for preterm labor. The Nest has successfully treated many women who were at risk—consistent visits at The Nest allowed these women to make it to 40 weeks despite the expectations of their medical providers.

Here’s what one happy mother had to say:
With news of our second pregnancy, I was ecstatic, but soon became anxious of the very real possibility of a repeated preterm labor and delivery. Although I had been getting weekly progesterone injections, my anxieties surrounding preterm labor heightened as I approached the gestational age of our first born. With the timely addition of acupuncture treatments, my fears were lessened, and my pregnancy felt strong and fortified. The women at The Nest Chicago helped me to combat my anxieties and believe that this baby could be born healthy. At full term, I gave birth to a beautiful, full-faced baby girl!

Treatments at The Nest focus on supporting a woman’s energy and blood, balancing hormones, and reducing the affects of stress on the body. Pregnancy is a physically demanding time—for the mother and the developing fetus. The systemic support that acupuncture provides helps to ameliorate issues that might be standing in the way of a pregnancy progressing normally and naturally.

According to Chinese Medicine, preterm labor can be triggered by a few different factors: deficiency of energy and blood, weakness in the earth and water elements, stagnation, and/or excessive heat in the body. When these imbalances arise, they affect the uterine environment and the fetus, thus increasing the risk of of premature cervical ripening and uterine contractions.

Acupuncture and moxibustion work together to strengthen the body in cases of weakness and deficiency. For example, when stagnation and heat dominate, a dispersing/sedating and harmonizing method of acupuncture is employed.

In general, The Nest recommends that expectant mothers receive acupuncture as a regular part of their pregnancy wellness—ideally, at least once a month. If any concern arises that indicates a woman is at high risk for preterm labor (or if she has a history of preterm labor) she should come more often, and begin early in her pregnancy. Regular acupuncture treatments also help alleviate end of pregnancy anxiety and discomfort so that all women (including those without preterm labor concerns) can make it to their due dates comfortably.

Call The Nest at 773.267.0248 to discuss how acupuncture can help you maintain and support a healthy pregnancy.

An abstract of a recent study at Dongshin University has this to say:Preterm labor (PTL) is one of the main causes of fetal mortality and morbidity in obstetrical medicine. Current methods of treatment are not very effective and often have significant side effects. For this reason new methods of preventing PTL are currently being sought. In Western medicine the newest development is oxytocin antagonists. In Oriental medicine acupuncture and moxibustion are being utilized for the purpose of stopping PTL.