What postpartum recovery involves
After birth the body sheds the lining of the uterus for several weeks, the uterus shrinks back, tissues recover from a vaginal birth or a cesarean, and hormone levels drop sharply. Add broken sleep and feeding around the clock, and it is no wonder exhaustion, night sweats, hair loss, low milk supply, back pain and mood swings are so common. Thyroid problems can also appear in the first year and are worth raising with your physician if fatigue seems out of proportion.
When to call your OB or midwife
Heavy bleeding that soaks a pad an hour, fever, a hot red area on the breast, severe headache or vision changes, chest pain, shortness of breath or a swollen, painful calf need urgent medical care first.
The classical view of the month after birth
Chinese medicine has a long tradition of 'sitting the month', 坐月子: a stretch of warmth, rest and nourishing food after birth, because labor and blood loss leave the body empty of qi and blood and open to cold. Tiredness, pale skin, dizziness and scant milk read as that emptiness. Lingering cramps, lochia that will not finish or dark clots suggest something left to move. Tearfulness and poor sleep often point to Heart and Spleen. Those pictures call for different formulas. Where something is left to move in the early weeks, a practitioner might consider Sheng Hua Tang (Generating and Transforming Decoction); where emptiness leads and the body needs rebuilding, Ba Zhen Tang (Eight Treasure Decoction) instead, each only when it fits and with breastfeeding in mind.
How we work with it
Gentle acupuncture, warming moxibustion when cold and depletion lead, and herbs chosen with breastfeeding in mind. Food matters here more than almost anywhere, so we give you warming, blood-building meal ideas and simple acupressure a partner can do at home. We watch sleep, energy, bleeding, milk, mood and recovery with you.
Formulas here illustrate how pattern diagnosis shapes treatment. They are not recommendations; a practitioner selects and adjusts formulas for the individual.
Questions people ask
Is acupuncture safe while breastfeeding?
Acupuncture is generally considered compatible with breastfeeding. Herbs are a separate question, because some pass into breast milk, so any formula is chosen with nursing in mind and with your knowledge of what it contains. Tell your pediatrician what you are taking.
Can I bring my baby?
Yes. Babies are welcome, and you can feed or settle them during the visit. Many new mothers find that is the only way an appointment happens at all.
How soon after birth can I come in?
That depends on your birth and your recovery, so check with your OB or midwife first. Some people come in the early weeks for exhaustion or feeding questions; others come months later when depletion catches up with them.
I feel low and anxious since the birth. Can you help?
Mood changes after birth are common, and postpartum depression and anxiety are treatable medical conditions. Please tell your OB, midwife or physician. We work alongside them. If you have thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, call or text 988 or go to an emergency room now.
This is general wellness information, not medical advice.
