First and Fourth Trimester
/Pregnancy is a unique period of time in a woman’s life and even if it’s not her first baby, often times the experience from pregnancy to pregnancy is quite different. One of the things we encounter in clinic that can be disheartening is when our mama’s express to us that they feel lost, confused, or unsupported by their medical team. Of course this isn’t always the case, but it isn’t uncommon for a mama to express gratitude for the prenatal support we’re able to offer because she simply felt she wasn’t given this level of guidance elsewhere.
You’ll hear us say again and again that it’s hard to watch prenatal care in the U.S. because we find that first and fourth trimester (postpartum) seem to be particularly challenging for women and it’s often a times when they are given little support and even less information. It’s our goal as women’s health advocates to be there during this time supporting our mama’s when they desperately need it.
Let’s start with first trimester: One, many a mom is very stressed or anxious during this time for fear of something going wrong. Two, between the debilitating fatigue and the frequent bouts of nausea, the first 10-14 weeks of pregnancy can be physically and emotionally challenging in a way that is unlike any other experience. Not to mention how often a mom asks why she is just craving cereal and bagels all the time!
Acupuncture, herbs, and functional nutrition can be used to ease the discomfort of first trimester. Chinese Herbal Medicine and acupuncture can provide immense relief for early nausea, and occasionally we’ll even suggest things like salted cashews or even salt-and-vinegar chips to curb the morning sickness (maybe not the whole bag of chips but it’s a pretty handy little trick). Sometimes we can reduce nausea by supporting blood sugar and sometimes we’ll give our mama an herbal tea to take home. As for craving carbs, this is pretty common in first trimester due to the hormonal changes and the body recognizing a need for different macronutrients (think fat, protein, carbohydrate) and specific micronutrients (think b-vitamins, essential fatty acids, choline, selenium, etc). Fatigue unfortunately is harder to treat as your body is working hard to grow a whole organ to help you grow a whole human- the placenta. Fatigue in first trimester is, to use a word we don’t love, “normal,” so we often encourage women to honor their body to get as much rest as possible. If the fatigue sticks around beyond first trimester we know there might be other issues involved. In general, the first trimester can be used to educate mama on nutritional and lifestyle choices she can make throughout her pregnancy to prevent complications, reduce discomfort, and optimally nourish baby.
Fourth trimester is another challenge for women in many ways. Your body just went through a lot- you grew a baby (and an new extra organ) for about 40 weeks (give or take a week here or there) and then you birthed a baby (or you did a c-section which is major surgery!!!). This is a lot to recover from all on it’s own, but it gets paired with now having a baby that needs you. But the truth is, once baby arrives, women don’t often hear from their medical team until the 6-week follow up and women often find they ask a lot about baby but not so much about mom. If we think about the classic idea that you can’t pour from an empty cup, the reality is mom’s care is extremely important as optimal newborn care revolves around mom being as healthy as possible.
Postpartum recovery is often approached from multiple angles: We put a lot of emphasis on nutrition. Nutritional and caloric needs go up in order to recover from pregnancy and labor and in order to optimize milk supply and quality for new babe. Bone broths, healthy fats, berries, and other certain foods can restore mama more thoroughly and rapidly than consuming suboptimal nutrition. Acupuncture and herbs can also replenish mom and boost milk supply. For mastitis and clogged ducts we’ve found lymphatic massage to be extremely helpful. Mom’s who come for that service sometimes even pump during or right afterward! Plus, as happens in many traditional cultures, yoni steaming can be a beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing tool for mom’s recovery.
Postpartum depression occurs in an estimated 13-19% of women. Unfortunately, care around this condition is limited and lacking. Mom is physically exhausted, she’s up feeding her little love at all hours of the night and not sleeping enough, and she’s often doing this with not enough help. Again, acupuncture and herbs can be extremely beneficial for a new mom struggling with depression. Another ancient herbal technique involves use of the placenta to restore blood in mom and boost milk supply. This has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years!
Whether it’s a first time pregnancy or mama already has a little one (or two, or three, etc), every pregnancy is different and nutrition can be utilized to support mom and nourish babe. Optimal nutrition for prenatal and postpartum care doesn’t align with typical standard American dietary guidelines so it’s always wise to seek help from individuals trained in nutrition for prenatal and postpartum care which oftentimes isn’t your OB (they are the baby catchers though, your acupuncturist is NOT!). Pregnancy and delivery, while quite “normal,” are still a lot on a woman’s body and learning how to support the process and what can be done to optimize recovery can be so unbelievably helpful for the health of mom and baby that the power of it all shouldn’t be belittled in any way. We’re here for you, mama!
Resources:
Articles:
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050212-185612