Congratulations on your pregnancy! Many expecting mothers want natural remedies to overcome various conditions they experience during their pregnancy. Acupuncture is both safe and effective, can be used at any time during pregnancy and can treat nearly all pregnancy related conditions.  The added benefit of Acupuncture is that you are not ingesting anything so absolutely no harm can be done to your baby. An increasing number of women are also seeking my skills for pre-birth/labour preparation treatments.

 

Acupuncture & Chinese herbal medicine can be used successfully for many pregnancy related disorders from nausea and vomiting to breech or posterior presented babies through to prebirth/labour preparation and labour induction. Look through the following list of conditions to see how Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be of benefit to you and your baby.

 

Miscarriage - threatened or recurrent

Nausea/Vomiting/Hyperemesis

Heartburn

Constipation

Colds & Flu 

Headaches & Migraines 

Varicose veins, Haemorrhoids & Vulval varicosities

Urinary tract infections

Musculoskeletal conditions

Fatigue and exhaustion

Anaemia

Insomnia

Anxiety and depression

Vaginal discharge and itching

Itching (of skin)

Sinusitis

Pregnancy-induced hypertension/Pre-eclampsia

Oedema/Swelling of limbs

Small-for-dates babies/Intrauterine growth retardation

Breech and Posterior positions

Prebirth/Labour preparation treatments

Labour Encouragement

Postnatal treatment

 

This is a series of treatments provided once a week from 36/37 weeks to the time of delivery. These treatments:  ripen the cervix, help position the baby in the best presentation for labour and to promote optimal energy and stamina for women to enter into labour.

 

Data gathered by 14 midwives on 169 pregnant women in New Zealand found that women who had received pre-birth acupuncture treatments had:

An overall 35% reduction in the number of inductions (for women having their first baby this was a 43% reduction)

A 31% reduction in the epidural rate.

When comparing midwifery only care to women receiving prebirth acupuncture there was a:

32% reduction in emergency caesarean delivery

A 9 % increase in normal vaginal births.

There was no difference in the onset of early labour in those women receiving prebirth acupuncture.

 

Breech presentation

Breech babies are best treated from 34-36 weeks however babies as late as 38 weeks may be turned also. This is usually a series of 3 treatments consisting of acupuncture and moxibustion. Women then take  moxa sticks and instructions to continue the treatment themselves in the comfort of their own home. This form of treatment is completely safe for both you and the baby and unlike ECV (external cephalic version) requires no monitors or electrical equipment as it is harmless and there are no side effects.

 

Labour encouragement/induction

Please note that I prefer to label these treatments "Labour encouragement". Acupuncture for labour encouragement is a polite way to ask your baby to be born into this world. There are no risks nor side effects to either mother or baby and thus no monitoring is required.  

Acupuncture can be used to encourage labour from 36/37 weeks onwards. Acupuncture points on the body (usually hands, shoulders, legs and ankles) are selected that have various functions to help stimulate labour contractions. Acupuncture can help you to relax, help the baby's head to engage, help the baby turn anterior if suspected or known to be posterior, stimulate uterine contractions, and help thin the cervix/cervical effacement. The number of treatments required differs for everybody, but obviously the later you leave it the more likely you are to be stressed and tense about the impending medical induction and thus the less likely Acupuncture will have the desired effect of stimulating contractions. Acupuncture for labour encouragement before your due date does not mean you will have your baby before your due date or give birth to a premmie baby. Acupuncture for labour encouragement before your due date helps to prepare your body for a more efficient labour (by doing lots of the pre-labour work for you).

 Some signs/symptoms that mothers have reported back to me after one or more treatments include: a feeling of relaxation, an increased intensity/regularity to their braxton-hicks contractions, period type like cramping or aching which then went onto become labour, pre-labour type contractions which then went onto become labour, and waters breaking and regular contractions within 24 hours of treatment resulting in the birth of a baby.