So now what?

How do you proceed? You got this far, now what? What happens during the first trimester, second, third, just before birth, just after birth, etc? Will you have an easy delivery? Will your milk come down? If you need a C-section, how will you recover, caring for a new baby?

Read on for the answers to these questions and more:

You got pregnant, you’re very excited…except now your “PMS” won’t go away, your breasts hurt all the time, and you are tired, constipated, and have nausea all day long, unless you eat every two hours. Welcome to being pregnant.

Now of course not all women feel this way in their first trimester, but unfortunately many do have some degree of uncomfortable pregnancy side effects.

First Trimester

During the first trimester Dr. Rozenn provides weekly treatments to ensure consistent care. Just as the pulse changes during each phase of the menstrual cycle, it changes during the first trimester. When taking the pulse, Dr. Rozenn looks for certain qualities to ascertain the potential for miscarriage. Of course, this is not an exact science. She can’t always tell who is going to miscarry or who is going to become nauseated. However, the pulse gives me critical information, enabling her to administer the appropriate treatment.Treatments address nausea, fatigue, constipation, bleeding during pregnancy and/or threatened miscarriage. Despite the high risk nature of many of my patient’s pregnancies, miscarriage among my patient population in rare.

Second Trimester

The second trimester is usually the “golden period”. Women tend to feel good, they have their energy back, nausea subsides and they breath a sigh of relief as they pass week 12. Sometimes Dr. Rozenn sees women regularly during this phase, especially if they have preexisting back problems such as low back pain, sciatica, heartburn and hemorrhoids, which can flare during pregnancy. Structural treatments are used during this phase of pregnancy and through the third trimester, to help women’s bodies support the weight of their baby and take the pressure off their low back, shoulders and neck. Gestational diabetes is another common issue that women seek treatment for during this phase of pregnancy.

Breech Week 33–Weeks 32-34 is the ideal time to treat breech babies.

A baby is breech if its position is anything other than head down. There are several ways a baby can be “breech”.  By week 33 the baby should be head down. If not, Dr. Rozenn will work on turning the fetus. Otherwise, a woman may have to choose between manual turning called

external cephalic version (ECV), which can cause spontaneous labor, or a planned C-section. Acupuncture and moxabustion can be very effective in encouraging the fetus to turn. A  compelling study, Factors affecting the success of moxibustion in the management of a breech presentation as a preliminary treatment ot external cephalic version (ECV), found that it was both less invasive and cost effective to offer women moxibustion treatment as an alternative to ECV.

Moxibustion started to creep into mainstream OB prescriptions for breech babies after a study published in the very prestigious medical journal, The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found moxibustion to be an effective tool in correcting breech presentation.

Pre-Birth Series–Weeks 36-39

Sometimes women skate right through pregnancy with no problems, and no issues what so ever. In this case, Dr. Rozenn won’t see these patients again until week 36. When a vaginal birth is planned, patients undergo the “Pre-birth Acupuncture Series”, a protocol of standardized points shown to promote efficient labor and reduce medical interventions. This is an adaptation of a protocol from Germany. It consists of acupuncture one time per week for the last four weeks of pregnancy. Researchers found that women who received these treatments, on average, had  a faster labor with less medical intervention.

Due Date and Birth

We recommend scheduling an appointment on the due date, and a second treatment 3 days post the due date in case labor has not yet begun. Occasionally, qi and blood stagnation cause women to carry their pregnancy past the due date. For existing patients, Dr. Rozenn offers treatment to increase circulation by moving qi and blood. The goal is to bring balance to the body and in many cases this may cause labor to begin, or contractions to become more rhythmic and productive. Dr. Rozenn makes the decision to treat on a case by case basis, and if she does not feel acupuncture treatment is appropriate, she will refer women to the germane medical professional.

Post Partum

After giving birth, mom and baby are quite tired. They have gone through an ordeal! We give suggestions to Mom on how to help her recover with heat therapy. There is a Chinese medical tradition called “Mother Roasting” in which the new mother is heated up with blankets, nourishing soups and lots and lots of moxabustion. This is a critical step in recovery, as mothers loose a lot of qi and blood during the birthing process, and they continue to give blood to the baby through breast feeding. Specific herbal formulas tailored to the postpartum period may be employed to increase breast milk and energy, balance hormones and moods.If needed, Dr. Rozenn helps new moms with milk production, mastitis issues, low back pain and energy recovery (or as much as they can with very little sleep!). She also works to speed recovery and reduce scar tissue in the case a C-Section is necessary.