[Diana]

Thanks Kristen for posting this question – I’d love to hear more on this as well.

Over the past year I started using “liver gummies” (see Claudia’s book) diagnostically when there is no information from vaginal exams. For example: a recent patient I saw at 39 weeks 5 days was a professional ballet dancer with her first pregnancy. Her midwife was not doing vaginal checks and so no information about the status of the cervix, but when I palpated the SP / LV meridians on her lower legs she had several prominent and tender nodules, so I knew promoting cervical ripening was an appropriate treatment principle.

[Diana]

Hi Ciara – I don’t have experience treating fibroids during pregnancy (only outside of pregnancy), but I would love to hear more about the case and think with you about formulas if you will be working with herbs.

And thank you Claudia for passing on Sharon Weizenbaum’s thoughts – so helpful.

[Diana]

Support for planned cesarean deliveries

[Diana]

Hello Sarah,

I haven’t had active covid cases in clinic so far but I supported a close friend who got sick in week 26. I understand you being rattled! I was thinking about the possible complications with covid and pregnancy and very worried, but wanted fiercely to keep the freaking out to myself, have her take the situation seriously but not fall into fear and anxiety. I approached education and advice in terms of prevention and being proactive, and I think that worked well.

She had mild symptoms for about a week – head congestion, clear mucus, body aches, fatigue, loss of smell and taste (only taste she could sense was salty). Not much of a fever – constitutionally she is taiyin deficient / cold – but her usual pale swollen tongue did start showing red spots in the upper jiao portion. When she started wheezing and having difficulty breathing (especially when laying down) I sent her Xiao Qing Long Tang / Minor Blue Green Dragon by Evergreen Herbs (this does not have Ma Huang) with detailed instructions on how to take the granules. About a day and half into the herbs, her breathing freed up. From the beginning I emphasized the importance of eating helpful foods (I sent her soups with bone broth from a nearby Korean restaurant) and was persistent in encouraging gentle movement when she had the energy. I found an easy pregnancy stretching video on Youtube and also shared a qigong video. She tried the qigong but couldn’t really follow it, so I talked her through some moves over the phone and explained how she can modify the movements – slowing down, taking breaths at a rate that is comfortable for her, sitting down when it was too hard for her to do it standing.

I checked in with her daily because I wanted to respond quickly to changes in her condition. After the acute symptoms cleared I advised her to take a garlic supplement (a conservative dose, for one week) as a way to gently invigorate blood.

The rest of her pregnancy was smooth, and she had a healthy baby at 41 weeks and some days. This experience really highlighted for me the special role we have as practitioners. I was surprised that the midwives she was working with and her general physician (who works with a lot of pregnant patients) had any advice for her when she informed them that she was sick with covid.

Good luck, and I hope your patient has a speedy recovery.

[Diana]

Hi Sarah,

I don’t have experience with KD9 for afterpains. However, one point I use a lot for menstrual cramps is Tung 22.25 Zhong Guan. It is on the PC channel, about half a cun distal to PC7 (press and look for a tender spot). The rationale is that we can project the uterus / lower abdomen to this portion of the hand (needling into a tender spot is important). In my experience, this reliably results in cramps quieting down or completely disappearing.

[Diana]

To clarify: My question is about continuing with another cycle if the baby is head down after completing a 10-day moxa.

[Diana]

Hi Ali. In Balance Method we use channel relationships and body image projections and needle ashi points. You can needle the Du channel to treat Ren based on their relationship, and you can map out the torso on the Du channel from anterior to posterior hairline. It sounds like he assessed where she was feeling pain, mapped it onto the scalp (Du20 would be the umbilicus) and needled ashi points around there.

[Diana]

Yes! The notes in this demonstration – palpate and open up before needling, the point is closer to the 4th metacarpal bone – are great, as the area can be very sinewy. A well-placed needle will likely bring on a strong qi sensation without being painful.

[Diana]

Some of the pregnant people we see are being advised by their physicians to get the vaccine, as the antibodies will be passed on to the baby. It is not clear if people are receiving sound advice on the timing and what they can expect after the vaccine, as one person got the first shot and then realized that the timing of the second dose coincides with her due date. Some of the folks coming to our clinic for fertility are opting out of the vaccine.

[Diana]

Thanks Kate, so helpful to hear about the sugar. It’s also great to hear about the trial and how moxa could improve the success of ECV.

[Diana]

Thanks Debra, that’s great to hear about your experience with OP babies as well. The person I was working with continued for 8 days total and the baby has been in good position since 37 weeks.

[Diana]

Thanks Emilie, very helpful to hear the range of your cases.

[Diana]

Thanks Ciara, adding your story to my reserves! Taking away your point about the sitting as an important factor. In general, I have been reminding mamas about un-helpful sitting positions as they approach term.