PREGNANCY & POSTPARTUM ACUPUNCTURE

Nurture your pregnancy with the gentle support of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine in Burbank, Los Angeles d surrounding communities to help mothers feel balanced, connected, and ready for birth.

Supporting women at every stage of pregnancy

Pregnancy is one of the most transformative times in a woman’s life—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offer a gentle, natural way to support your body through these changes, promoting balance, calm, and overall well-being for both mother and baby. As a Doctor of Chinese Medicine and Certified Nurse-Midwife, I blend the wisdom of Eastern medicine with the science of Western care to help women experience healthier pregnancies and smoother births.

How Chinese Medicine Supports Pregnancy

For over 3,000 years, Traditional Chinese Medicine has viewed health as a dynamic balance of energy (Qi), blood, and spirit. During pregnancy, these systems shift to nourish new life.
When imbalances occur, symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, anxiety, or pain can arise. Through acupuncture, herbs, moxibustion, and lifestyle guidance, we restore this balance—supporting both your body’s physical needs and emotional well-being. In Chinese Medicine, pregnancy is also guided by the wisdom of Chinese embryology, which describes how the baby’s energy and organ systems develop month by month. Treatments are tailored to support the specific energetic focus of each stage—from nourishing Kidney Qi and Blood early in pregnancy to supporting the Spleen, Heart, and Liver systems as the baby grows and the mother prepares for birth.

 Acupuncture During Pregnancy

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine offer valuable supportive care throughout pregnancy, helping promote relaxation, ease common pregnancy discomforts, support circulation, nourish blood according to Chinese Medicine principles and encourage overall maternal wellness. Treatments are individualized to support your changing needs throughout each stage of pregnancy, working alongside your prenatal care.

Acupuncture is safe, and relaxing.
Most women benefit from weekly acupuncture in the first trimester, every two weeks during the second and early third trimester, and returning to weekly treatments again from 35 weeks until delivery.

First Trimester (Weeks 1–13)

  • Supports implantation and early pregnancy

  • Promotes hormonal balance and blood flow to the uterus

  • Reduces nausea, vomiting, fatigue, headaches, and anxiety

  • Encourages a calm connection between mother and baby

Weekly acupuncture is recommended during the first trimester to stabilize pregnancy and prevent complications.

Second Trimester (Weeks 14–27)

  • Maintains a healthy balance as your body adjusts

  • Alleviates back and hip pain, sciatica, swelling, and sleep issues

  • Supports digestive function and emotional stability

  • Encourages continued fetal growth and maternal strength

During this stage, treatments every two weeks help maintain balance and prevent symptoms.

Third Trimester (Weeks 28–40)

As your baby grows and your body prepares for birth, acupuncture focuses on comfort, alignment, and readiness for labor.
This stage is also ideal for addressing breech presentation and using moxibustion therapy—a gentle heat technique, using the herb Mugwort (Artemisia) that stimulates an acupuncture point on the mother’s baby toe, to encourage the baby to turn into the optimal head-down position.

Acupuncture and moxibustion in the third trimester help to:

  • Relieve back, pelvic, and hip tension

  • Reduce swelling, carpal tunnel, and leg cramps

  • Support healthy blood pressure and energy levels

  • Promote optimal fetal positioning and pelvic balance

  • Assist in turning breech babies using moxibustion

  • Calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety before birth

  • Strengthen Qi and Blood to support stamina for labor and postpartum recovery

From 35 weeks until delivery, weekly acupuncture prepares the body for labor and supports emotional and physical readiness.

Pre-Birth Acupuncture (Weeks 35–Delivery)

Weekly acupuncture helps prepare the body for labor by:

  • Softening the cervix and promoting uterine readiness

  • Encouraging optimal fetal positioning

  • Supporting relaxation and emotional balance

  • support labor preparation and contribute to a more positive birth experience

Labor Support Preparation

Acupuncture can promote cervical dilation, encourage contractions, relieve pain, and calm the mind and body—contributing to a more positive birth experience. Research suggests potential benefits in birth outcomes, including reduced medical interventions with Acupuncture during pregnancy.

Postpartum Recovery

After childbirth, acupuncture helps:

  • Restore energy and hormonal balance

  • Support lactation, increase milk supply, can prevent and treat mastitis

  • Ease perineal pain, mood changes, and fatigue

  • Promote faster recovery and emotional well-being

“Tibetan Physicians have always considered a sound mind as a prerequisite for a healthy body”
- His Holiness the Dalai Lama