Healthcare Of Pregnancy

By Li Hua, L. Ac. TCMD

Recently, I have constantly received good news from my infertility patients that they are pregnant. They will be mothers. I can tell from their voice how happy they are and how much they appreciate that I helped them with acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I feel happy for them, too. I would like to give some advise to them and other will-be-mothers regarding to their healthcare in this special period.

TCM thinks certain viscus is related to certain emotional activity and also believes mood can influence health, for example, anger impairs the liver, joy impairs the heart, anxiety impairs the spleen, melancholy impairs the lung and fear impairs the kidney.

The will-be-mother’s mood, sometimes, like weather, is sunny day with cloud and occasionally raining. This is because of the changing of chemicals and hormone in their body. They are happy mostly. Sometimes, they feel anxious, restless or nervous. As you know, these mental pressures are not good for the fetuses. How to release stress and keep good mood to have healthy happy baby? I suggest they may drink a cup of hot milk or hot soymilk with a piece of bread in the afternoon around 4 o’clock, which can balance mood, help energy, and increase calcium. They should get sunshine one hour a day, which can help their mood. They should enjoy beautiful arts, such as colorful pictures, paintings, photos and children’s books etc. These are their suitable meditation. These can calm their mood and reduce their mental pressure. These also are early fetus’ education. They should not watch the terror and fighting movies that can over stimulate the nerve system to lead to the unbalance mood and unexpected uterine contraction.

Acupuncture or TuiNa (Chinese medical massage) can be selected to help stress and pregnancy reactions, such as, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, neck and low back pain etc. The will-be-mother’s feet are easy to swollen. To soak feet in hot orange juice water is the natural solution. I also suggest the will-be-mother to listen to melodies music or sing songs everyday. Singing is a good exercise that can balance mood, is a good way of the will-be-mother communicating with the fetus and is also early fetus’ education. Another suggestion is to have mini fish and plant on the desk in the office or living room at home. The living fish can reduce stress and prettify the environment. Living plant can produce more oxygen and fresh the air naturally.

The will-be-mothers need more nutrition than other people. And how to eat will not add on weight. I think, first, to eat on time. Regular dining can help to set up biological clock that ensure enough nutrition in and all trash out. Second, reduce to eat outside. Outside food always looks beautiful, smells good and tastes delicious, which can over stimulate the appetite. It is easy to absorb over-fat, over-salt and over-sugar, which can lead to high calorie and high cholesterol. Third, select tomato as snack. When feeling hungry between meals, common snacks can be the risk to gain weight. Tomato is low calorie and anti-oxygen food and can stop the feeling of hunger and prevent constipation.

In the first three or four months of pregnancy, sufficient rest is required. After that, proper exercise can add to help keeping good mood, balanced metabolism, and healthy body. Of course, different condition needs individual health plan. Professional consultation is always proposed.