How can acupuncture benefit breastfeeding?

The postpartum time can be very challenging, from recovering from your birth to not getting enough sleep to having trouble with breastfeeding.  Acupuncture can help.  As an acupuncturist and a birth/postpartum doula, I am happy to talk with women about their specific situation and see if acupuncture may be able to support them.  I also refer out to International Board Certified Lactation Consultants when appropriate.  Please call the office to find out more.

Monica Mae Leibson, Acupuncturist & Birth/Postpartum Doula, Specializing in the childbearing year.

Understanding Breastfeeding and Acupuncture

Acupuncture successfully treats:

• Mastitis
• Insufficient Lactation
• Postpartum Depression
• Persistent Uterine Bleeding
• Afterpains

Breastfeeding and Acupuncture Research Conclusions

1. “Infants whose mothers received Acupuncture weighed 160.13 grams more on average than those whose mothers received Sham Acupuncture. This effect is marginally significant.  The finding generally confirms that Acupuncture for the mother is effective in increasing infant weight gain.” (27 mothers)
2. “Data suggests that 3 weeks of acupuncture treatment were more effective than observation alone in maintaining breastfeeding until the third month of the newborns’ lives.” (90 mothers)
3. “Acupuncture, together with care interventions such as correction of breast feeding position and babies’ attachment to the breast, might be a more expedient and less invasive choice of treatment than the use of medication”.  (205 mothers)

Acupuncture & Breastfeeding Research Citations:

1. Li, Ke (2003) A Pilot Study to Evaluate the Effect of Acupuncture on Increasing Milk Supply of Lactating Mothers. Coursework Master thesis, Victoria University.
2. Acupuncture Research by Adrian White.  Published in Acupuncture in Medicine June 2011
3. “Acupuncture and Inflammatory Symptoms related to Breastfeeding” Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Helsingborg Hospital and Faculty of Social and Life Sciences, Karlstad University in Sweden.  [Journal: Midwifery. 2007 Jun;23(2):184-95. Epub 2006 Oct 18.]