Michelle wanted to breastfeed her baby but had begun supplementation due to concerns that she was not supplying sufficient breastmilk. Her baby was fussing and her weight gain was below the expected weight gain of 6 oz per week. Using a feeding tube, Michelle found the combination was a relief in terms of satisfying her daughter, but it was cumbersome and stressful. She hoped to be able to produce enough milk to satisfy her baby’s needs. She felt exhausted and guilty and wondered if something was wrong with her.

This is a common scenario postpartum. For a variety of reasons, many women have difficulties with breastfeeding. Luckily there are supports for such women (see www.lllc.ca for information about a La Leche League in your neighbourhood or ask your primary care provider about lactation consultants and breastfeeding clinics); however, even with the supports in place, breastfeeding difficulties are truly challenging.

I was pleased for Michelle, but I was not congratulating her on the weight gain alone. I was excited to watch her trusting her instincts and taking appropriate action. Michelle had recently decided to feed her baby every three hours throughout the night. She had been encouraged to follow a feeding on demand model, but in her particular case she felt that it made sense to wake her baby to feed at night since her breasts felt full at night, an experience she did not enjoy much during the day. Michelle decided to offer her daughter the breast (without feeding tube) every three hours through the night. The baby nursed happily and fell back asleep most of the time. Within a few days she was waking just before the 3 hour mark looking for the breast.

Michelle was already turning the corner when she came in for an acupuncture treatment. My focus was to support her digestive system and milk production. I also strongly encouraged her to sleep more – in fact, to sleep whenever she could.  Michelle was very dehydrated during her labour and lost a considerable amount of blood. She has a lot of rejuvenating to do.

Michelle is thrilled that her baby is gaining weight. Michelle has also gained trust and confidence in her intuition and her body.

In Michelle’s words, “The acupuncture was magical. I came home from treatment and I turned a corner. It just seemd to work. I feel more confident and less deficient. I’m feeling engorged for the first time.”

It was my pleasure to treat Sarah twice late in her pregnancy. She went into labour the day after her 2nd treatment. It was bound to happen some time soon. As I explained to Sarah, an acupuncture “induction” treatment is just an invitation. We have no real control over the mystery of labour. Even so, treatments are also helpful to prepare and relax the mother. Sarah wrote me this update on her positive experience.

Our baby, named Vita Pope Cullen, was born on November 13th (9lbs1oz!).  I ended up going into labour on my own on Saturday the 12th and arrived at the hospital one hour before my induction was scheduled!  Amazing.  The combination of things I did in the preceding days made a huge difference and really got things moving.  I got to 7 cms on my own while walking the halls.   Things weren’t progressing so I ended up having an epidural and oxytocin and slept for 5 hours.  When I woke up I was fully dilated. They turned off the epidural so that I could feel the contractions and I pushed her out in about 30 minutes.  No tearing. Easy!  Thanks for fitting me in at the last minute!

Congratulations Sarah and family!

By Shauna Darou, ND (www.annapurnanaturopathic.com)

I’ve always said to mothers post-partum that the #1 secret to losing the baby weight is SLEEP. Below is the scientific proof. If you’re a new mom – make this a priority by going to bed earlier and napping during the day if possible. Without enough sleep your hormones are out of balance, as is your appetite. When you are sleep deprived four things happen:

• The body makes more ghrelin — the hormone that says GO, eat more;
• The body makes less leptin — the hormone that tells your body it is full;
• Your body makes more cortisol, which can increase your appetite and fat storage; and
• You burn less calories with reduction in REM sleep. During REM sleep because your mind is active, you actually burn more calories. If you are not sleeping for stretches longer than 4 hours, the REM cycles are very short.

Sleep is essential for hormone balance, mood and metabolism. If you need support to help you sleep better, please contact the clinic for more detailed suggestions. The bottom line for weight loss though is to prioritize sleep over other commitments – your metabolism will benefit!

The connection between sleep deprivation and post-partum mental illness was the theme of a presentation by Dr. Eileen Sloan, Staff Psychiatrist and Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto) this morning.

Dr. Sloan works at the Perinatal Mental Health Clinic where she sees women who are suffering from emotional problems during pregnancy or after childbirth. Her research has found that there is a definate link between sleep deprivation and post-partum mental illness.

This is known through experience by many women who suffer from exhaustion and depression postpartum. It is also a surprisingly common theme in my work as an acupuncturist.

From a Chinese Medicine perspective, insomnia is often related to “Blood Deficiency” (see other articles on insomnia in this site for more discussion on the causes of “Blood Deficiency”). It is also unfortunately common that new mom’s lack sufficient support to allow them to rest immediately postpartum. As adherents of our “go, go” culture, women often feel inclined to get up and get busy quickly. This does not allow their bodies time to recuperate. Nursing women also need extra nutrition and rest time.

The most difficult part for many women is not being able to sleep even after creating conducive conditions. This may be due to racing thoughts or a fidgety body – or both! In these cases, I recommend an acupuncture housecall. The focus of the treatment is on supporting the body to relax and increase blood production which then allows the woman to unwind and sleep. Most women are able to think clearer and feel calmer once their sleep is restored.

This blog has been created by Dawn Aarons, an acupuncturist and teacher, based in Toronto, Canada. You are welcome to contact Dawn by email at dawn@dawnaarons.com or visit her website at www.dawnaarons.com