My husband and I had the painful experience of infertility for 8 years. On top of that I had two miscarriages. I have been through the gauntlet of doctor’s visits, hope, depression, hope again, then loss and despair many times. I had a couple of different issues that prevented me from having a baby: I was not ovulating, and I had endometriosis.
I turned my situation around using a combination of western medicine, regular acupuncture, and herbal therapy. I saw a western Ob/Gyn doctor who did surgery to remove the endometriosis. This enabled attachment in my womb. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs enabled my body to ovulate and have all of the nutrients and resources available to help create a healthy and happy baby.
Once I was pregnant, everything went smoothly and I gave birth to a beautiful baby! Looking back on my experience, I would have tried acupuncture and herbs much sooner.
In my postpartum period I had many struggles. I was not able to get treatment because I couldn’t get or afford a babysitter. I immediately started having fatigue and depression. My body quit producing milk after 7 months. I also ended up in the emergency room because I was having chest pain. They diagnosed me with pericarditis (inflammation of the lining around the heart) due to a cold I had two weeks prior that moved to my heart. In addition, my baby had severe constipation at 5 months old.
When I started back up at school, I started getting acupuncture and herbal treatments again. It helped a lot with the fatigue and depression. I was able to continue breast feeding until my baby was 12 months old. The herbs cleared my chest pain. My baby had constipation for awhile, but it went from severe to manageable thanks to her acupuncture treatments and herbs. She now has normal bowel movements without pain.
My past experience with Chinese medicine has shown me how acupuncture and Chinese herbs can potentially help with all aspects of starting a family. It can help make these precious moments easier and more enjoyable. I believe whole heartedly in this medicine and in making it accessible to the people and families who need it.