Exercise in Pregnancy

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Exercise moves Qi – your body’s vital energy which is responsible for all physiology functions. Stuck qi results in feelings of tiredness, tight neck and shoulders, frequent headaches, bloating, constipation, low back pain, nausea and indigestion. Sound like familiar symptoms experienced in the first 12-20 weeks of pregnancy? It’s not a coincidence. As energy needs to be diverted to a growing baby, little else is left to move freely for you. Exercising regularly while pregnant can improve your Qi movement through your body which will increase your energy, reduce pain and improve digestion.

The long term consequences of stuck Qi in pregnancy can result in a breeched presentation, small growth, reduced nutrient supply to baby, longer labour times and extreme pain especially in the last 2 months.

I recommend a 20-30 min low intensity walk every day. Enough for you to feel energized but not so much that you feel exhausted. Swimming is a great option too, especially if you’re experiencing any pelvic or hip pain and find walking long distances painful. Yoga is great too as stretching often will move stuck Qi. Yoga also builds and strengthens your core strength which can improve labour and recovery post birth.

Acupuncture is extremely effective at moving stuck Qi, so if you find you’re doing enough exercise, you’re eating right but are still experiencing symptoms, pop on in for a treatment. It’s a great way to reduce pain and feel energized!

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Keeping Calm the Morning of your Embryo Transfer

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After all the bloods, scans, dietary changes, acupuncture treatments, supplements, medications, side effects, tears and worry, embryo transfer day is finally here. Many women wake up feeling anxious and worried and this can negatively impact blood flow and energy flow through the body. There are a couple of simple things you can do the morning of your transfer to help reduce anxiety and keep you feeling excited and positive!

  1. Get to bed before 10pm the night before so you can wake feeling refreshed
  2. Wake at your normal waking time and go for a short walk or stretch as movement will help with increasing blood flow around the body
  3. Have a nice warm shower and dress with shoes that keep your feet warm
  4. Go through a mindfulness 10-20 min app (eg. Headspace, Smiling Mind)
  5. Make a warm, healthy breakfast which includes eggs, vegetables or porridge
  6. Drink plenty of fluid with room temperature water or herbal teas
  7. Pack a snack (apple, nuts, nut butter on rice crackers for example) in case you get hungry, especially if the doctor is running late
  8. Have an acupuncture treatment by someone experienced in acupuncture IVF protocol – this is great for reducing anxiety and improving blood flow to your lining to better prepare for implantation

Best of luck!

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Unexplained Infertility in Chinese Medicine

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Being diagnosed with ‘unexplained’ infertility can feel worse than being diagnosed with any functional problems. From a medical point of view, it means there are no more avenues to go down to ‘fix’ anything. Hormones are working as they should, sperm is working as it should but conception is still not happening.

One of the great things in Chinese medicine, is that we don’t have ‘unexplained’ conditions. Every single person has a diagnosis or an energetic explanation for why their desired health outcome is not being achieved. Sometimes patterns are more difficult to explain than others depending on clinical history. However, there will always be a possible solution. It just may not meet your time goals and it may mean you need to change some dietary and lifestyle habits, but there will be a treatment plan for you.

Sometimes the reason can be as simple as a concern with body fluid production for women. The only sign could be a lack of cervical mucous at midcycle and symptoms of dry mouth. Often, I see emotional causes of infertility especially in women who are under a lot of stress. Liver Qi gets stuck when we have any serious emotional changes, and Liver Qi is responsible for moving blood through the body (to the uterus and ovaries) and encouraging the egg’s smooth journey down the fallopian tubes. Acupuncture treatments can help both of these conditions plus many more.

Sometimes the most difficult problems, have the simplest solutions.

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Your Daily Juice Could Be Causing Your Period Pain

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In Chinese medicine, the temperature of the food we eat can play a huge role in our overall wellness. Unfortunately in the Western world, we follow too many ‘food fads’ which move as quickly as the seasons and don’t promote ideal health (despite what they tell you). If you’ve seen me in clinic for help with hormones, period pain, weight loss or fertility, you know I’ve told you to stop with juicing and smoothies and instead start having warm, nutrient dense foods, especially for breakfast.

To understand why this might be a problem, let’s imagine your digestive system is like a boiling pot on a stove. Your Kidneys are the fire/heat under the pot, the pot is your stomach, the contents of the pot are what you eat and the vapour escaping the top of the pot is the energy that goes to all your organs to maintain wellbeing.

If you continually put icy cold food into the pot, the Kidneys have to use more heat/energy to turn the cold food into something your body can use as energy. As blood for your menstrual cycle is formed from your Kidneys, placing too much pressure on the Kidneys to warm your cold food, can slow blood production resulting in weak blood flow, long bleeding times and pain.

Because the cold food can take so much longer to digest, it can sit in the Stomach for longer fermenting and giving off a type of ‘dirty’ energy that goes to the rest of your body, making you feel lethargic.

Over time, this internal cold slows down blood and contracts blood vessels which is why it is a main cause of period pain and infertility. Our bodies are designed to be warm, to move blood and energy easily and consistently, to incubate an embryo and fetus and to digest our food quickly and efficiently for energy and health.

So stop with the daily juice, smoothie or Acai bowl for breakfast. If this has been your diet for quite some time, you may also need warming up, which is where acupuncture and moxibustion can come in. Ensuring your low back and low abdomen are covered and keeping your feet warm will also help.

Turning a Breeched Baby…Naturally!

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If, at 32-34 weeks, bub hasn’t turned, it’s a great time to start looking for natural options to encourage this to happen. Acupuncture and moxibustion are great because they are non-invasive, easy, painless and have minimal side effects especially when performed by a trained practitioner.

There are quite a few reasons why a baby won’t turn on its own; not enough room, tone of uterine muscles weak and unable to support bub head down or possible cord obstructions. With acupuncture, we use points to warm and stimulate blood flow, move stuck energy and support muscle tone to assist with turning a breech baby. We send you home with moxa and instructions for stimulating a point on your pinkie toe every day for at least 10 days. Walking, keeping your back, feet and low abdomen warm and finding ways to relax will all help too.

One thing I always stress is that acupuncture and moxibustion are used to enhance your body’s natural ability. They will not cause your body to do something it is not ready to do. If there are major obstructions or there is not enough room (especially if left to 37 weeks), it will not be as effective, not impossible but definitely more challenging. So be proactive for the best results.

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IVF Partner – What You Can Do to Help

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In over three years working with IVF clients, I have never been asked by a partner, “what can I do to help”….until two weeks ago. So I’ve had a couple of weeks to think about it and to get feedback from women going through their first, second or even fifth cycle about what they loved about what their partners have done for them and what they really didn’t need. Here are the result so far…

Things to avoid while supporting your partner through IVF

  • Don’t attempt to ‘fix’ how they are feeling, just listen
  • Don’t take it personally if they do not wish to have sex between transfer and the blood test – between the hormones and the increased attention (not to mention pain) down there, don’t be surprised if sex is not their top priority
  • Hormones are crazy! Don’t take anything personal said through an IVF cycle
  • Don’t compare your situation to other couple’s on the internet

Ways you can support your partner through IVF

  • Ask what you can do to help….and do your best to help with this request
  • Cook warm, nourishing food
  • Serve warm, herbal teas
  • Check they always have their feet covered – wearing slippers or socks for example
  • Ask how they are feeling and just listen
  • Be at as many appointments as you can – getting yourself a good book will quicken waiting times
  • On the day of the blood test, plan a date day together which occurs whether the result is positive or negative. A movie is a great way to pass time quickly
  • Encourage laughter and fun
  • No pressure for gifts, but a plant would be a great option – something to nurture
  • Try to be informed about the process – ask if you’re unsure
  • Help with calming any anxious thoughts where possible
  • Lots of hugs, belly touching and positive talk aimed towards your partner’s uterus, try not be be disconnected from the physical process

I will update this list as I get more feedback. Please email me if you have anything to add. Often partners feel completely out of the loop but encourage them to be involved as much as possible.

Much love. Px

You are my anchor