C-section Recovery Through Acupuncture

Recovering from c-section (like any surgery involving an abdominal incision) is a process by which we need to have our bodies, minds and spirit along for the course to help us achieve optimal healing.  Maybe you felt somewhere along the road your body has “failed” you.  I heard a postpartum woman who had had a c-section say this once and it was disheartening because birth can be such a complicated situation and forgiveness is a first step in true recovery as it releases a lot of anger and other emotions we all hang on to.  Forgiving our body’s imperfections and cradling it by sending it positive messages goes a long way in strengthening  the body-mind connection.  There is also a point where we must forgive our choices in childbirth.  Whether you had a vaginal birth, a c-section or a natural (drug free) birth it is an intense experience and our choices were the best we could make at that given moment.  A great deal of motherhood is making choices and if we constantly second guess and judge them, we will simply be in a stuck place in our mind and not able to enjoy the present moment with our newborns.  How can we truly feel connected in body-mind and spirit without love and acknowledgment of all three?  Acupuncture is a holistic practice that is  effective in  clearing our negative emotions and connecting us so that we feel more connected-literally.  This connectedness through acupuncture helps immensely on our road to recovery.

For a long time after my c-section (almost a year) I had a numbing and often itchy sensation around my scar.  It was a daily discomfort and my doctor said it was “normal” but had no suggestions for relief.  I tried several creams for scar tissue healing but to no avail.  Finally, I began seeing an acupuncturist, Dr.Hyun Lee L Ac. of Woodside acupuncture and after about six weeks of weekly visits, I was feeling much more comfortable and all the previously mentioned symptoms had dissolved.  Dr. Lee explained to me that any surgery that involves an incision can and often interferes with the energetic pathways of the acupuncture meridians.  Since Acupuncture is based upon the principal that our Qi (life force) flows throughout the body along pathways that correspond to major organs and emotions throughout the body.  If there is a major obstruction of the pathway it can cause stagnation and a stuck feeling and this is probably what contributed to my symptoms.  Through the use of fine needles, magnetic therapy, moxabustion and certain gentle “shock” impulses she helped to re-connect the meridians.  My healing expedited and I was recovering better. The subtle energetic pathways of the body have always been with us and are only recently being scientifically “proven.”  Chinese Medicine and most notably the existence of the meridians has been around for thousands of years.  I doubt it would have stuck around this long if it didn’t work.  Always be sure to go to a licensed professional that you have a good report with.