Saturday, July 14, 2007

The 'Joy' of Pregnancy

So obviously I am happy about being pregnant. But everyone who knows me or spends any time at all with me knows that I've had a very difficult time with morning sickness. I've tried all the home remedies I can think of -- ginger, lemon drops, ice, protein, small meals, frequent snacks, extra vitamin B6, sea bands -- and nothing has worked. I've been really resistant to trying any medical intervention because there are no class "A" drugs that are approved for battling nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Things clearly have not been getting better, in fact this week there were moments where it was clear to me that is was just getting worse.

I had been hearing great things about using acupuncture to treat morning sickness for weeks, but had been hesitant to try it. Not only am I a needle-phobe, I've had some ridiculous notion that I just need to struggle through the sickness no matter how long it lasts. Maybe it was when I was projectile vomiting at work this week that I realized I don't have to be a martyr about this -- my health had become compromised, and I was starting to feel downright depressed and sad that the only memory I would have of my pregnancy would be of being sick, tired, and just trying to make it through.

Thanks to a lovely woman in my prenatal yoga class I found an acupuncturist in Berkeley whose entire practice is devoted to fertility and pregnancy support. I called her for an appointment, told her what was going on for me, and she wanted me to come in immediately. I found just in talking with her that I trusted her, and truly believed that she would be able to help me.

At the appointment, the practitioner did a really thorough background with and we talked about how this pregnancy has been going for me. It was clear that she really understood the exhaustion I was feeling, and how badly I need to stop throwing up. She explained that what she wanted to do with me was take a fairly aggressive stand, as she was worried that I am not as hydrated as I think I am and was also worried that I may be anemic (and told me to have my doctor check that at my next prenatal).

As part of the aggressive treatment, she did this thing gua sho (I think). This involved scraping the back of my neck and between my shoulder blades with a ceramic spoon until the area was all bruised up (intentionally!). She explained to me that that area is largely associated with the pressure points that correlate to the digestive system and the process would stimulate those organs. When she got the level of bruising she was looking for she lanced an area on my neck 8 times and bled it a bit. I felt as though all the extra heat in my body went to that area and began to escape -- I started to feel normal body temperature for the first time in weeks. I know the procedure sounds pretty brutal, but it actually felt terrific. Next, she had me lie on my back and she placed a needle in my forehead, in each wrist, and in each shin. She left me to rest with the needles in for 25 minutes. When she came to remove them I felt as though I had had a two hour nap.

I'll see her twice a week for the next two weeks and then we will scale it back to once a week or every ten days, depending on how I am responding. She did say that improvement would likely be gradual. We'll do the scraping at least two more times, and the next time we do it it will be all up and down my back. She also gave me some herbs that I'm to take daily, told me to try the B6 again, and changed my prenatal vitamin. She also counselled me to eat protein at each and every meal (and that it is ok if the only protein source I can deal with is cheese), to eat every 1-2 hours, and to stay away from food and drink that is straight out of the fridge.

I can't say that I won't end up taking zofran in the end, but for now I am feeling well enough to just wait and see how the acupuncture plays out between now and my next prenatal appointment. I'm a bit surprised just how much better I do actually feel. I'm writing this about 24 hours after the appointment and I actually think I can say that for the first time since getting pregnant I don't feel sick at all. I'm very happy I went.

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