I was skeptical at first, but acupuncture helped me in more ways than one
When my Ob/Gyn said the words “acupuncture,” I rolled my eyes so hard I could see my brain.
I’d been struggling a lot in my pregnancy. My emotions were all over the place, I wasn’t sleeping, and my anxiety was at an all-time high. My usual method of emotional regulation — intense exercise — wasn’t an option anymore. And if I wanted to get through the next 7 months, I needed something to take its place.
Historically, things like meditation and yoga have never resonated with me. I usually get bored, let my mind wander to things that get me more anxious, and leave feeling worse than I did when I started. Acupuncture seemed to fit in the same category. Still, after some prodding from my doctor, I decided it couldn’t hurt.
Here’s what I wish I’d known before getting acupuncture.
The needles don’t (really) hurt
This is something that I wondered about, as I’m sure most first-timers do. The thought of looking like pinhead was not a very calming image, and wasn’t that the whole point of acupuncture? To find zen?
Fortunately, I’m here to report that the needles don’t really hurt. I had a lot of experience with needles after 4 years of IVF, so I thought I’d built up a tolerance to them. But my acupuncturist confirmed that most people don’t even feel them go in.
I didn’t either, although I did have a bit of bruising after one session (which isn’t uncommon and not a cause for concern).
Choose an experienced provider
Just like in any other practice, you’ll want to make sure you meet with someone experienced and with the right credentials. That goes double for anyone who’s pregnant, like I was.
My biggest concern was that doing acupuncture would trigger premature labor. My provider immediately put my mind at east about that (and since she was pregnant also, that bolstered my trust a bit). She explained that the areas they target to stimulate labor were completely different than the areas she would focus on.
It can address physical and mental symptoms
During my first meeting with my acupuncturist, I explained some of the symptoms I was experiencing: heightened anger, increasing anxiety, lack of sleep. She took a look at a few places on my body and told me what was going on.
Based on her observations, she mapped out the trigger points and laid out a treatment plan.
Be open to the benefits
I will be completely honest — when my provider started talking about my liver being backed up and my “chi” being off, I had to stop myself from the eye roll again. How could she tell anything about my liver without doing a blood panel, and what was “chi,” anyway?
Still, I was there and had already paid, so I didn’t want to just walk out.
After our discussion, my provider had me lay back while she placed the needles in certain spots (even in my scalp! Again, no pain). She turned on some calming music, turned down the lights, and left me in the room. No phone to check, no watch buzzing on my wrist, just calming music and darkness.
And I have to say, afterwards…I felt amazing. I felt calmer, more centered, and at ease. After a few sessions I started to notice a much better hold on my emotions, and while I wasn’t sleeping like a rock, I was definitely going longer stretches before the baby would kick me awake to pee.
So acupuncture has a new convert. I’ll leave the other skeptics, like I was, with this thought: yeah, maybe it’s all a placebo. Maybe it doesn’t really do anything at all. But the biggest benefit to me being forced to disconnect from everything for 30 minutes while I focused on nothing except for breathing and staying still. That in and of itself is enough to keep me coming back.