Ashley Crutchfield, L Ac.

Acupuncture is a great option for those of you who may experience nausea during pregnancy. It is quite normal for women to feel nauseous first thing in the morning during their first trimester of pregnancy, commonly called ‘morning sickness’. Eastern philosophy explains that the mother’s energy ‘qi’ and blood go to nourish the fetus which can take away from the mother’s own stomach qi. Normally the stomach ‘qi’ descends downwards, but if it is too much or too little it can start ascending, counter flowing upwards causing symptoms of nausea and vomiting.

Japanese acupuncture is very gentle, safe and effective for nausea during pregnancy. Using a highly refined palpation system for diagnosis and treatment, we use thin silver needles to balance your body’s energy, including strongly descending the stomach qi to relieve nausea and vomiting. Most women will feel relief after their first treatment. We recommend a series of four treatments depending on the severity of the nausea as each one adds to the cumulative effect of balancing the mother’s body. The earlier you are able to come in for treatment the more quickly we are able to adjust your qi and relieve your symptoms.

We also see and treat severe cases of nausea in the clinic. This includes persistent nausea that lasts all day every day for months well past first trimester. Anti-emetic medications can be helpful and most women respond to them, however they can have side effects such as headaches and constipation. Sometimes women prefer not to use medication. Some women have already tried anti-nausea medication such as Zofran three times per day since the onset of their nausea with little effect and have lost significant weight and body fluids due to not being able to keep anything down. They end up having to go to the hospital for intravenous hydration and nutrients. Acupuncture is very helpful for these difficult cases. In addition to the acupuncture treatment we might send you home with tiny inter-dermals on the anti-nausea acupressure points for home therapy. As the nausea dissipates, these women are able to eat and drink again, they gain weight back, become hydrated and as a result the fetus also receives better nutrition and can grow and develop.

If you have never tried acupuncture before, it is normal to feel nervous. I can assure you we are very gentle and explain everything to you. Most women say that it is so relaxing they fall asleep during the treatment. Let us know how we can support you through your healthy pregnancy. We are conveniently located right across the hall from the Boulder Nurse Midwives, so please come and ask us questions!