Megan and I first began working together when I was still in acupuncture school and working as an intern in the student clinic. Over the years, we had the chance to work together on a number of issues- digestion, support while trying to conceive, and coughs and colds. Then when Megan was nearing the end of her first pregnancy, her blood pressure began to creep up, and we worked together to keep those numbers in check, and allow Megan the home birth she was planning.

At first, her blood pressure was only slightly elevated, but as she entered her 8th month of pregnancy, it became clear that those rising blood pressure numbers were becoming an upward trend. She and her midwife began to have conversations about the necessity of keeping those numbers in check, otherwise her plan for a home birth without intervention might need to move to the hospital, something she didn’t want.

Megan was doing all the right things- eating well, managing her stress, getting plenty of rest, and staying in close communication with her midwife. But when all of these were failing to stem the upward curve in blood pressure, she came to see me. We started weekly acupuncture sessions focused on supporting her body’s circulatory system and calming the nervous system in order to allow her blood pressure to normalize. We also started a very gentle herbal formula to allow her body to excrete the excess fluids that were taxing her circulation and causing some mild swelling.

For the next few weeks, Megan’s blood pressure returned to normal and held steady. Then 3 weeks before her due date, her blood pressure began to creep upwards once again, and this time tests showed protein in her urine. We continued with weekly acupuncture sessions, and switched her herbal formula to a stronger blend to better manage her symptoms. The following week, her blood pressure stabilized and the protein in her urine began to decrease-an improvement her midwife had never seen before!

3 weeks later, and just before his due date, Megan’s beautiful baby boy was born at home.

One of the most beautiful aspects of Eastern medicine is how well it supports the body in finding it’s natural rhythm. In holistic forms of medicine, there is always inherent belief in the body’s ability to heal and rebalance itself and a recognition that better balance always leads to better health. In Megan’s case, with just a bit of support from acupuncture and herbal medicine, her body was better able to carry her pregnancy without strain, allowing her blood pressure to stabilize.

Congratulation to Megan and her beautiful family!