MORNING SICKNESS, ACUPUNCTURE AND HERBAL MEDICINE

By Christina Wolf, LaC

Congratulations on your pregnancy!  What’s that?  You’re too nauseated to celebrate?  Unfortunately, this is the reality for many women in their first trimester (and sometimes in the second and third as well).  Nausea, dry heaves, vomiting and heartburn can all eclipse the joy of knowing you’ll soon be a mother.  Luckily, there are tried and true ways to combat “morning sickness” (in quotes here because it isn’t just confined to the morning):

  • Try to eat frequent, small meals.  For some women, keeping their stomachs full will considerably reduce nausea, even though it seems counterintuitive to eat while you’re feeling queasy.
  • Ginger is a wonderful, readily-available herbal remedy that’s been prescribed for thousands of years by Chinese physicians.  Put a raw slice of ginger under your tongue, chew on a piece of crystallized ginger, drink ginger tea or take ginger capsules frequently throughout the day.
  • Trust your cravings!  Avoid the foods/smells that seem to make your stomach lurch and eat the foods you are craving, sometimes those foods will stave off nausea for a few hours.
  • Acupuncture can be very helpful for reducing the nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy.  Pericardium 6, an acupuncture point located about two inches above your wrist crease, on the inside of your forearm, between the two big tendons there is well known for treating any kind of nausea and vomiting.  Some pharmacies sell wrist bands that apply pressure to this point and can be worn all day long.

Still sick after following these suggestions?  Get some help!  Your acupuncturist has other Chinese herbal remedies that may help you, the ND can offer homeopathy and other supplements, your chiropractor can make any necessary adjustments, etc.  Of course if you are seriously ill and cannot keep even water down, you may become dehydrated, so it’s important to seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

Remember that this too will pass and the rewards of parenthood will far outweigh the discomforts of pregnancy.  Hang in there mamas-to-be!

To make an appointment for acupuncture with Christina Wolf, Lic Ac, click here.

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Birth Your Way

“What do you think of your body?”

It’s a question that elementary school children have been asked recently, in hopes of shedding light on the body image crisis. But it’s also a question that every woman of childbearing age should ask herself – and most do, albeit unconsciously.

Medical anthropologist Robbie Davis-Floyd writes that a woman’s choices regarding her birth often reveal her deepest beliefs about the abilities of her body, and by extension, her beliefs about nature and technology. A woman who believes that nature has made her body powerful and capable will choose a birth with minimal interventions – a labor that begins spontaneously and is allowed to progress without interference. A woman who believes that technology is superior to nature and that medical knowledge is superior to natural (and often unpredictable) body processes will choose a more “controlled” birth, where the labor process is carefully monitored and perhaps managed by outside influences. Even if the type of birth is not consciously chosen in advance – in fact, it rarely is – these same belief systems are often evident in a mother’s choice of care provider (midwife or OB/GYN) as well as the location for her baby’s birth (home, birth center, or hospital).

Of course, many women begin pregnancy unsure of what they believe regarding medical technology and its relationship to nature. The attitude of today’s average expectant mother could be summed up like this: She wants to believe that a natural, low-intervention birth is safe, realistic, and worthwhile. But by the middle of her pregnancy, she has heard, read, and viewed so many birth horror stories, she is no longer confident in her body’s ability to birth without the “safeguards” of modern medicine. She likely still hopes for a normal birth, but has taken on more of a “wait and see” approach to her birth plan.

Several studies indicate that a mother’s level of satisfaction with her baby’s birth is only loosely related to the choices that were made, but very closely related to the mother knowing she played an active role in making those decisions. A mother who feels pressured to submit to an intervention she would prefer to avoid (or even a mother who feels she was denied an intervention she wanted) is often left feeling very dissatisfied with her birth experience.

Regardless of the decisions she makes, every mother deserves to give birth with confidence in her choices. Just as the physical work of pregnancy reaches its climax with labor and birth, much of the intellectual and emotional work of pregnancy is to be informed and stay confident. Pregnancy and childbirth classes are an excellent way to get information. The face-to-face interaction with childbirth professionals as well as with other parents gives both the mother and her birth partner the chance to ask questions and explore their beliefs about a natural pregnancy and birth. Most importantly, birth classes encourage dialogue between the mother and her birth partner. (This is often a more effective source of communication than handing your husband or boyfriend a copy of the latest pregnancy book and then wondering if he’ll actually read it.)

Prenatal yoga classes offer pregnant women another opportunity to increase confidence in their birth choices, no matter what they are. Yoga’s emphasis on “tuning in” to the self helps a woman build confidence in her intuition. Pregnancy hormone jokes aside, Woman’s Intuition is not cutesy sitcom fodder but in fact a powerful and valuable player during pregnancy and birth. For many women of childbearing age, the value of intuition has gone the way of body confidence: we lost it in early adolescence. Pregnancy is an opportunity to reconnect with both.

Not sure what you want for your birth? Be honest with yourself. Do research. But most importantly, practice tuning in to your deepest thoughts and feelings. With time, you will begin to discover the choices that are best for you and your baby.

Healing Hands Chiropractic offers a number of prenatal care services to help you have the healthiest pregnancy and birth. In addition to pregnancy and childbirth workshops, we offer prenatal yoga, prenatal chiropractic care (including the Webster Technique), prenatal massage, reiki, and acupuncture.

Baby-Wearing: Why and How

When I found out I was pregnant for the first time, my mother’s ecstatic reaction was quickly followed by, “You have to get a baby sling.” At first, I didn’t see the point. I imagined that between a classic front pack, a car seat / stroller combination, a crib, and a bouncy seat, my daughter would have her choice of locations when my hands were occupied. I eventually agreed to the baby-wearing prospect, but mostly to appease the new grandma.

My daughter quickly revealed herself to be what many practitioners refer to as a “high-need baby.” She wanted to be held and cuddled almost constantly. She was not interested in spending her time in a vibrating bouncy seat, nor napping in her crib. (She did not enjoy riding in her car seat, either, but that particular issue was non-negotiable.)

Enter the baby sling, a piece of fabric I imagined sitting on a shelf next to the little-used blankets and newborn dress-up clothes. In her sling, my daughter was happy. In her sling, Delaney took in the world around her, she breastfed discreetly, and she napped at will. My husband and I became unexpected converts to the world of baby-wearing and attachment parenting.

After our son was born, we switched from the sling to the Moby Wrap, and discovered that, not only was baby-wearing beneficial for baby, but could be fun for parents as well. Many different carrier styles offer some of the benefits of baby-wearing: close contact and enhanced bonding, breastfeeding convenience, and an upright position for colicky babies, to name a few. But the Moby offers a host of additional benefits, including the following:

A variety of holds – With many carriers, parents are limited to just a few different positions for baby. Most babies have certain positions they prefer, and if you have a carrier with limited options, getting baby comfortable can be a daunting task. The Moby Wrap comes with instructions for a wide variety of baby positions, categorized for your baby’s age and development. You can experiment with a number of holds until you find your baby’s favorites (and yours!).

Works for newborns through preschoolersThe Moby Wrap is perfect for babies who are just days (or even hours) old, yet supports up to 35 pounds. That means one carrier for the first two or three years of your baby’s life. If you have two small children, one wrap can be used for either one. (My two kids, who are now 3 years and 16 months, respectively, took turns in it while we were shopping the other day.) Moby has specific instructions for wearing twins, too.

Skin-to-skin contact – One way to wear the Moby Wrap, the “Kangaroo Hold,” allows you to place baby directly against your skin. This skin-to-skin contact is strongly encouraged by proponents of attachment parenting, as a way to enhance bonding with either mommy or daddy. For mothers, skin-to-skin can also help to increase milk supply in the first months of breastfeeding.

Ergonomic, symmetrical design for parents– Many carriers distribute baby’s weight on the parent’s body unevenly, putting strain on one shoulder or pulling on the vulnerable muscles of the neck and upper back. The symmetrical wrap style of the Moby allows for even weight distribution, minimizing stress to the parent’s body.

Ergonomic design for baby – Many commercial baby carriers and front packs hold your baby with nearly all his or her weight on the tailbone, with legs dangling. This can cause stress and even damage to baby’s tiny spine. In the Moby Wrap, your baby sits with neck, spine, and legs supported comfortably and safely.

One size fits all No need to buy a sized carrier for each caretaker. The Moby Wrap is designed to fit different body types and sizes, so you need just one wrap for mommy, daddy, grandparents, and babysitters.

Moby Wraps are available at our office, Healing Hands Chiropractic in Londonderry, or can be purchased directly from our website here. We welcome your questions about baby-wearing and attachment parenting. To meet other parents with similar interests, please join us for Mommy Connection on Mondays from 4 to 5 pm.

Chiropractic Care for Sports-Related Injuries in Children

Now that school is back in session- sports have begun. In the last couple of weeks I have had several children ranging in age from 3-16 years old with some subjective complaint related to an injury sustained from such sports as  tee ball, football, tumbling, gymnastics, basketball and hockey.

I recently read a very informative article by Claudia Arnig, D.C. called Sports-Related Injuries in Children: What Parents Need to Know. In this article Dr. Arnig gave some very interesting numbers that I believe all parents should know. It is estimated that 3.5 million children under the age of 14 receive some form of medical treatment for sports injuries each year.  Also, the Institute for Preventative Sports Medicine estimates that each year close to 212 million school days are missed by students who have sustained a musculoskeletal injury vastly attributed to sports-related incidents.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 300, 000 children and adolescents suffer from sports-related concussions each year. Concussion symptoms range from memory loss, chronic headaches, difficulty with concentrations to depression. These symptoms can manifest for months, even years following a severe concussion. Some parents even reported abrupt personality changes following a serious sports-related head injury.

Repetitive stress injuries to children’s developing spine and extremities can also develop in children who play sports that require the child to move one arm or leg repetitively over long periods of time like baseball, golf, and tennis for example. If their sport leans toward asymmetrical movements, children should be taught how to properly warm up and cool down through symmetrical activities to balance the body and minimize repetitive strain injuries.

Childen should also be taught the concept of pain and its importance as a warning signal from the body that something is wrong and needs to be checked out. Taking pain medication or OTC pain relievers will simply mask the problem and act as a band aid instead of getting to the root cause of the problem.

Children benefit greatly from regular spinal and extremity check-ups with their chiropractor. Rather than waiting for an injury to occur, chiropractic care can help children practice practical prevention strategies and develop better overall stability.

At Healing Hands Chiropractic we have also found that not only do our child patients benefit greatly from regular chiropractic care; but have found our Kids’ Yoga Classes to be incredibly beneficial in introducing body awareness and core stability.

ref: Dynamic Chiropractic, August 26, 2009

New Yoga Class for Teens in Londonderry, NH

Jenny Everett King, Body-Mind Wellness Program Director at Healing Hands Chiropractic- A Family Wellness Center in Londonderry, NH, announces Lotus Blossom Yoga for young women ages 12-16. Healing Hands Chiropractic is a holistic family wellness center offering chiropractic care, massage therapy, reiki therapy, yoga, and childbirth education classes; focusing on prenatal care, family wellness, women’s health, and pediatrics.

Healing Hands Chiropractic is pleased to announce the addition of a new yoga class exclusively for adolescent women to their schedule, beginning September 2009. The practice of yoga, especially during the teenage years, can boost self-esteem and body image, enhance confidence, and promote healthy lifestyle choices.

Healing Hands Chiropractic’s Body-Mind Wellness Program includes classes for women at all life stages. Prenatal yoga classes incorporate a traditional series of beginner and intermediate yoga poses, tailored to the specific needs of pregnant women. Well-Woman Yoga classes are designed for women of all ages, and address common concerns including anxiety and depression, PMS, peri-menopause, auto-immune disorders, and thyroid function.

To register for an upcoming class, or to receive additional information, please contact Jenny Everett King at jenny@HealingHandsNH.com, or call (603) 434-3456.

Healing Hands Chiropractic is located at Landmark Crossing, 25 Nashua Rd., Ste F2 (RT 102), Londonderry, NH 03053.

Prenatal Yoga Class by Donation

Healing Hands Chiropractic is a full service family wellness center in Londonderry, NH that offers prenatal & family chiropractic care, integrative therapeutic & pregnancy massage, prenatal yoga & multi-level asana yoga, reiki therapy, meditation classes, acupuncture and pregnancy & childbirth classes.

We have new yoga classes for the spring.

We have further fine-tuned our yoga schedule to better suit the needs of our students. Beginning May 1, 2009 changes include a later time for Prenatal Yoga on Mondays, a brand-new Vinyasa Flow class on Tuesday mornings, and an additional Prenatal Yoga class on Fridays. 

In an effort to make prenatal yoga classes accessible to all, we’ve chosen to make this Friday class available on a sliding fee scale. The suggested donation for one class is $15. Those who can afford less pay what they can for each class. (Please note the sliding scale is available for single classes only and cannot be used to purchase a 6-class package.) 

Healing Hands Chiropractic is proud to welcome our newest yoga instructor, Liz Croteau. Sign up for an upcoming Vinyasa Flow class to experience Liz’s dynamic teaching style for yourself. 

For our complete spring and summer  yoga schedule please visit our website or call (603)434-3456.  For further information on Healing Hands Chiropractic’s prenatal and yoga program please contact assistant director, Jenny Everett King, CYT, CBE at jenny@healinghandsnh.com.

Dominoes

An acquaintance shared her birth story with me. We’ll call her Shelley. Her child was born at a local hospital less than four years ago. Here’s a summary of the birth of Shelley’s first child:

Shelley’s water broke (also called “ruptured membranes”) a few days after her due date. As instructed during the last weeks of her pregnancy, she called the hospital, and was asked to come in for an evaluation. After a quick test, it was determined that her water had indeed broken, and she was admitted to the labor and delivery floor. Shelley was then asked to get in bed so that staff could check on her baby’s heart rate with an electronic monitor.

She stayed in bed for 13 hours.

Over the course of that long night, not much changed for Shelley or her baby, except that she got pretty darn sick of sitting in bed. When morning came, the birth of her baby did not appear to be any closer than it had been the night before. He doctor decided to administer Pitocin, a synthetic hormone used to cause or strengthen labor contractions. For the next 11 hours, Shelley sat in bed experiencing strong labor contractions with no pain relief. (Because her cervix had not dilated to at least 4 centimeters, she was not eligible for an epidural.)

After a full day of Pitocin-induced contractions, Shelley was exhausted, frustrated, and dilated to only 3 centimeters. By this time her water had been broken for over 24 hours, which many practitioners believe increases the chances of infection. Since Pitocin had not helped her labor to progress, her doctor diagnosed her with labor dystocia (also called “failure to progress”) and recommended a cesarean section. Shelley gave birth to her baby via cesarean a few hours later.

Shelley was left very disappointed with her birth experience. She had wanted a vaginal birth and couldn’t understand why her body had not cooperated. She was left to recover from major abdominal surgery while learning to care for a newborn.

Shelley’s story is a classic example of a concept childbirth educators call the “Domino Theory of Interventions.” Like dominoes falling, one medical intervention leads to another, and that one to another, and so on, often resulting in a disappointing birth experience overall.

Could Shelley’s cesarean birth and subsequent difficult recovery have been prevented? I believe so.

There is a specific reason Shelley’s labor did not progress: Her baby never “dropped,” which means his body never moved down far enough for the top of his head to press on her cervix. Especially in first pregnancies, without pressure from the baby’s head, a mother’s cervix can dilate the first few centimeters, but usually no further.  Mother and baby truly work together to make labor happen.

Why didn’t Shelley’s baby drop? The likely reason is that she was stuck in bed. Her body was not allowed to opportunity to work with gravity and move her baby deeper into her pelvis.  The most frustrating part of this story is that, according to Shelley, there was no medical reason for her to stay in bed for those 13 hours. She simply wasn’t offered other options. Once the Pitocin was administered, staying in bed was necessary, since Pitocin augmentation requires continuous monitoring of fetal heart tones.  (This is because Pitocin contractions can be more stressful on the baby than naturally-occurring contractions are.) As we know already, Shelley’s baby hadn’t had a chance to drop, so the 11 hours of painful and exhausting Pitocin contractions were relatively futile.  For Shelley, confinement to bed interfered with both her own body’s and her baby’s natural impulses, which resulted in Pitocin administration, which necessitated staying in bed and further stole the opportunity for Shelley to work with her contractions. In all likelihood, it was medical intervention that created the need for a cesarean.

So what to do if you find yourself in a situation like Shelley’s? If you give birth in a hospital, starting your labor in bed is highly probable, since most hospitals require 15 minutes of fetal monitoring upon admission. If this is your hospital’s policy, you still have options. You can sit upright in bed for 15 minutes, then get up and move around. Another option – one that works especially well if your situation requires continuous monitoring throughout labor, instead of just 15 minutes – is to labor near the machine but not in bed. You can stand or walk near the machine, or sit in a rocking chair or (my personal favorite) on a birth ball directly next to it. As long as the monitor stays in place on your abdomen, and you don’t move further than the wires can reach, there is no good medical reason for staying in bed.

Our weekly prenatal yoga classes incorporate many poses that can encourage your baby to “drop” and engage in your pelvis at the final weeks of pregnancy. The majority of the poses we practice are equally helpful during labor, and some can even be used for birth.  Any expectant mother who wants to learn more about helping to create the birth she wants for her baby is invited to join an upcoming prenatal yoga class or childbirth class series.

Healing Hands Chiropractic is a family wellness center located in Londonderry, NH. Also offered at Healing Hands: Prenatal and Family Chiropractic, Acupuncture, Pregnancy Massage and Reiki Therapy.  

Prenatal Massage: Massage During Pregnancy

Therapeutic massage has been used for centuries to improve overall health, reduce stress, and relieve muscle tension. Research has shown that pregnancy massage can be very beneficial in reducing anxiety and depression, relieving muscle and joint aches and possibly even improving labor outcomes.

Swedish massage is the recommended prenatal massage method aimed at relieving the usual discomforts brought on by hormonal and musculoskeletal changes in the body during pregnancy. Pregnancy massage may help relax muscle tension and improve lymphatic and blood circulation.

Studies done in the past 10 years have shown that hormone levels associated with relaxation and stress are significantly altered, leading to mood regulation and improved cardiovascular health, when massage therapy was introduced to women’s prenatal care. Hormones such as norepinephrine and cortisol (“stress hormones”) were reduced and dopamine and serotonin levels (low levels of these hormones are associated with depression) were increased in women who received bi-weekly massages for only five weeks. These changes in hormone levels also led to fewer complications during birth and fewer instances of newborn complications, such as low birth weight. The evidence points strongly to maternal and newborn health benefits when relaxing, therapeutic massage is incorporated into regular prenatal care(www.americanpregnancy.org).

Massage therapy also helps reduce the collection of excess fluid in the joints and soft tissues that leads to edema, or swelling of the joints-like your ankles.

Many women have also experienced a marked reduction in sciatic nerve pain during pregnancy when receiving regular massage therapy.

Other potential benefits of prenatal massage:

  • Reduced back pain
  • Reduced joint pain
  • Improved circulation
  • Reduced edema
  • Reduced muscle tension and headaches
  • Reduced stress and anxiety
  • Improved oxygenation of soft tissues and muscles
  • Better sleep

Healing Hands Chiropractic in Londonderry, NH offers a full spectrum of prenatal services. These services include: Prenatal Chiropractic Care using the world renowned Webster Technique, Prenatal Yoga, Pregnancy Massage and Reiki, Acupuncture, and Celebrating Your Pregnancy and Honoring Your Birth classes with our childbirth educator, Jenny Everett King.

Healing Hands Chiropractic is located at Landmark Crossing, 25 Nashua Rd., Suite F2, Londonderry, NH 03053. Phone: 603-434-3456 Web: http://www.HealingHandsNH.com

Massage Therapy: http://www.healinghandsnh.com/massage_hours.html

CHILDBIRTH CLASSES NOW OFFERED IN LONDONDERRY, NH (GREATER MANCHESTER – NASHUA AREA)

LONDONDERRY, NH – Healing Hands Chiropractic, A Family Wellness Center in Londonderry, NH announces additional prenatal education services. Healing Hands’ prenatal education program now offers two distinct classes: Celebrating Your Pregnancy, for women in their first or second trimester along with their partners; and Honoring Your Birth, for women in their third trimester and their birth partners.

The Honoring Your Birth series is based on a philosophy called “woman-centered birth,” in which the needs and desires of the laboring mother are the foundation of her perinatal care. Class material is based on the ALACE childbirth education curriculum, which emphasizes informed decision-making and a holistic approach to childbearing. Topics covered in this series include:

  • Physiology of normal birth
  • Understanding medical interventions / Informed decision-making
  • Coping methods for pain, both natural and medical
  • Positions for labor and birth
  • Newborn appearance, behavior and concerns
  • Postpartum family life
  • Breastfeeding & attachment parenting

Healing Hands Chiropractic offers some of the only classes in the greater Manchester and Nashua areas that are not affiliated with a specific hospital. This independence allows them to work for you, the parent, rather than an institution. While some hospital-sponsored birth classes may cost a bit less, parents can benefit significantly from the independent nature of these classes.

Classes are available in weekday evening or Saturday afternoon formats. The cost for either series is currently discounted to $99 per family (regularly $150). Upcoming class dates are Wednesdays, April 8th through May 6th, 6:30-8:30 pm; and Saturdays, April 18th and 25th from 12-5 pm.  For more information, please call 603-434-3456 or email Jenny Everett King at jenny@healinghandsnh.com.

Also available at Healing Hands Chiropractic are prenatal chiropractic care (including the renowned Webster Technique), prenatal yoga, pregnancy massage, and childbirth education. For more information on Healing Hands Chiropractic, please visit www.HealingHandsNH.com

PREGNANCY CLASSES NOW OFFERED IN LONDONDERRY, NH (GREATER MANCHESTER – NASHUA AREA)

LONDONDERRY, NH – Healing Hands Chiropractic, A Family Wellness Center in Londonderry, NH announces additional prenatal education services. Healing Hands’ prenatal education program now offers two distinct classes: Celebrating Your Pregnancy, for women in their first or second trimester along with their partners; and Honoring Your Birth, for women in their third trimester and their birth partners.

The Celebrating Your Pregnancy series is designed to help parents make healthy choices for pregnancy and while planning baby’s birth. Topics covered include:

  • Nutrition for optimal health & complication prevention
  • Safe exercise habits
  • Choosing the right practitioner for you
  • Understanding prenatal testing
  • Physical, emotional, and sexual changes during pregnancy
  • Fetal development

Healing Hands Chiropractic offers some of the only classes in the greater Manchester and Nashua areas that are not affiliated with a specific hospital. This independence allows them to work for you, the parent, rather than an institution. While some hospital-sponsored birth classes may cost a bit less, parents can benefit significantly from the independent nature of these classes.

Classes are available in weekday evening or Saturday afternoon formats. The cost for either series is $59 per family. Upcoming class dates are Wednesdays, March 25th and April 1st, 6:30-8:30 pm; and Saturday, April  11th from 12-5 pm.  For more information, please call 603-434-3456 or email Jenny Everett King at jenny@healinghandsnh.com.

Also available at Healing Hands Chiropractic are prenatal chiropractic care (including the renowned Webster Technique), prenatal yoga, pregnancy massage, and childbirth education. For more information on Healing Hands Chiropractic, please visit www.HealingHandsNH.com