Breastfeeding and Acupuncture
Posted in Acupuncture, Pregnancy, Stress on 06. Oct, 2010
Today’s card: Moonstone – Fertility, reflection, intuition, imagination, goddess energy and amplified feelings.
It has been 7 weeks since my last blog and now there are two of us involved. My little man came into the world and things are just starting to feel a bit more normal and I thought it was time to do some writing again, and get rid of the baby brain.
Well what a ride it has been, from giving birth, to sleep deprivation and learning the whole breastfeeding technique. I thought with breastfeeding it would be just as simple as it looks…. No no no!
The hormones that are running around in your body and then working out how to latch him on, without causing pain… We got there in the end but then it is the producing of milk, which for some can be a stressful experience if the little one is not getting enough.
Producing milk or lack of can be caused by many different reasons, wether it is mother or baby. Below are just a few reasons.
Reasons for baby
- Premature infants are often born prior to the development of the suck/swallow/breathe reflex and may require assistance to learn to breastfeed.
- The pain from reflux or GERD (Gastro-esophageal reflux disease) may cause a baby to nurse poorly, have insufficient weight gain, and exhibit colicky behavior
- Conditions in the mouth, such as a bubble palette or a high palette or a tongue-tie (short frenulum) may cause nursing difficulties
Reasons for mother
- Engorgement, cracked nipples, thrush, plugged ducts, and mastitis
- Stress
- Cigarette smoking
- Obesity
- Iron deficiency can impair a mother’s immune system making her more susceptible to plugged ducts, mastitis and thrush
- Anemia
- Thyroid imbalance
- Insufficient glandular tissue (IGT)
- Breast surgery, especially reduction
- Retained placental fragments (also possible with a c-section)
- Sheehan’s Syndrome, when the pituitary is temporarily starved of blood due to hemorrhaging during birth, and therefore no longer produces sufficient hormones of lactation
For me it all went well to begin with but then things began to slow down with production of milk. So I called on a friend who is an acupuncturist and has dealt with many pregnant and post pregnant issues. I prefer the magic modalities such as acupuncture as it is a non-invasive and drug free method.
It was a simple process that my body reacted very well to, and milk supply has not been a problem since.
The technique involved small delicate needles, but in case you’re wondering, this does not involve needling the breasts themselves! Most of the best points for these problems are on the hands and feet. Another great point is on the ribcage at the base of the breast, directly below the nipple. You can try massaging this point yourself to relieve discomfort or encourage milk flow.
It is a very gentle process with no pain and is done in a session that lasts about 45 mins to an hour.
I highly recommend acupuncture for all areas of your life but since we are talking breastfeeding this has been a great outcome and something you could consider.
It is good to be back and I look forward to filling you in on more soon
Keep it lean, green and in moderation
Love & light
Kate
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