Pregnancy is a time of big changes, both physically and emotionally. Acupuncture is a safe and effective treatment tool at all stages of pregnancy and can offer you drug-free relief for a wide range of conditions that are often seen as part of normal pregnancy. There is increasing research evidence to support its benefits and, best of all, it is safe for baby.

Our team has many years of experience in this field and has a special interest in women’s health, fertility and pregnancy. Their skills also include added expertise in areas such as naturopathy, nutritional advice, massage and reflexology. Over this time, women have come for advice on how to improve their health, physiologically, nutritionally and emotionally, and for all the vital stages from pre-conception, conception, pregnancy and childbirth.

Traditional Chinese Medicine uses acupuncture to treat the following conditions:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Heartburn, indigestion, poor appetite, digestive disorder
• Constipation
• Tiredness, fatigue, exhaustion, dizziness, fainting
• Mood swings, depression, anxiety, stress
• Aches and pains (including backache, sciatica, pubic pain, carpal tunnel syndrome
• Low or high blood pressure
• Sinusitis, itching
• Varicose veins, haemorrhoids
• Anaemia
• Insomnia
• Oedema (swelling, water retention
• Thrush and abnormal vaginal discharge
• Headache and migraine
• Breech presentation and mal-positions
• Preparation for labour
• Induction
• Post-natal treatments

While we can help any of the above conditions, we will mention a few key areas that we feel are worth particularly mentioning:

Breech Presentation

If the baby is positioned head up instead of head down (breech) or head down but facing your tummy (occiput posterior) instead of your back (occiput anterior – the ideal position) acupuncture treatment can use the application of warmth using a moxa stick (a herb compacted into a cigar shaped stick) over an acupuncture point. We can teach you how to administer moxa treatment yourself (or be able to instruct your partner) and recommend a period of self-care with a review appointment during this time.

Treatment increases foetal activity and some studies in China have shown it to be up to 90% effective in turning a baby from breech to normal position.

From about 30 weeks, your ante-natal appointments may reveal a breech position. Acupuncture is ideally given at 34-36 weeks gestation, as there is more space for the baby to turn in, but we have also known babies to turn after this time. We stop acupuncture and moxa when the baby’s position has changed.

Pre-birth acupuncture

From 36 to 37 weeks, this is an excellent time to receive acupuncture and we recommend up to four treatments:

• To support both the mind and body
• Ripen the cervix
• Promote optimal foetal positioning
• Boost your energy and stamina to prepare for labour

A recent study and data gathered by midwives in New Zealand found that acupuncture treatments given in the last weeks of pregnancy to prepare for birth:

• Encouraged women to go into spontaneous labour around their due date
• Reduced the time in labour
• Contributed to a reduction in medical inductions, epidural rate and emergency C-sections
• Increased the chances of a natural efficient vaginal birth

Labour induction

Your midwife or doctor may consider it necessary to medically induce your labour. From 40 weeks gestation acupuncture can help to:

• Encourage your baby’s head to engage
• Stimulate your uterus
• Establish contractions
• Promote cervical dilation

Since the benefits of acupuncture are accumulative, we recommend 3 to 4 treatments. However, time does not always allow, and if time is short, we suggest booking an appointment between 24 – 48 hours prior to your medical induction.

Feedback from midwives has suggested that even where labour has not been induced by acupuncture, the cervix is more favourable and you will progress through your induction with minimal intervention.

Acupressure may also provide pain relief during labour and we encourage you to bring your birth partner to an induction acupuncture session to show them important acupressure points that they can massage during labour for pain relief. These acupressure points are easy to use, encourage close partner involvement and provide you with an effective tool to calm your mind, reduce pain and improve your overall birthing experience.

A note on induction

Whilst acupuncture is a more ‘natural’ alternative to a medical induction, it is still an intervention and therefore not recommended unless you are to pass your due date and have midwife approval. Due dates do not show the exact day your baby will be born, but suggest when it is due, and it is said that in reality only 4% of babies will actually arrive on their due date.

Acupuncture post birth

The post-partum period is considered being the six weeks directly after childbirth and an important time for rest and healing for you. In some Chinese texts, the post-partum period is quoted as 100 days! This may sound a little excessive to some, but it is very common in Middle Eastern and Eastern cultures for a mother to be given a rest period of six weeks in which they expected her to do nothing but rest and care for her baby. Certainly, a very different perspective to what we have here in our culture, where it is common to expect women to return to normal activities within a few weeks. Although this is easily done for some, it is not a reality for many, and it’s hard to shake off the tiredness and exhaustion several months later.
This post-partum period is an important time for your recovery and is a reasonable period to compensate for the amazing experience of birth and also for the nine months of being pregnant. It is not a time for absolute bed rest, but a time where physical rest is taken and there is an emphasis on a good blood and energy replenishing diet. We use post-partum acupuncture:

• From one week for four weeks to improve stamina and aid efficient recovery in this exhilarating and exhausting time
• To balance the swing of emotions because of hormonal fluctuations – helping you to feel more stable
• To aid milk production in breastfeeding problems
• To assist with perineal healing

We can also use acupuncture for:

• Emotional sensitivity
• Fatigue
• Breastfeeding problems, mastitis
• Night sweats
• Aches and pains
• Anaemia
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Haemorrhoids

Please be aware that Post Natal Depression is a serious problem and your GP should be consulted immediately. However, acupuncture can support and help this condition as part of a multidisciplinary management.