Pregnancy & Post Natal Support
early pregnancy support
You may experience feelings of anxiety in early pregnancy, particularly if the pregnancy follows a previous miscarriage or IVF treatment. During the first twelve weeks of your pregnancy, our early acupuncture in pregnancy method is designed to provide support and reassurance and help you cope with early symptoms, such as morning sickness and tiredness.
For relaxation and wellbeing of mothers-to-be we recommend a maintenance session every four to six weeks.
preparing for birth
Research suggests that pre-birth acupuncture reduces labour time and the need for medical intervention. Therefore from 36 weeks we recommend weekly acupuncture to help you prepare for labour. Treatment is designed to help the cervix to soften and the baby to descend into an optimum position.
turning breech babies
Most babies turn spontaneously into the head down position. A small number (3-4%) remain in breech position at birth. Should your baby not have turned by 37-42 weeks you may be offered external cephalic version (ECV) to try to move the baby manually. We provide a traditional Chinese treatment called moxibustion to encourage the baby to turn. This treatment has most chance of success if given between 33-36 weeks. A randomized control trial reported 75.4% of babies in the moxibustion group turned by birth compared to 47.7 % in the control group. Treatment involves using moxa – a warming herb – to stimulate acupuncture points on the foot.
promoting natural childbirth
If you are overdue by at least 2 days, acupuncture can be used to stimulate uterine contractions to gently help natural labour become established. This can also help for pain relief and to facilitate a natural birth with the minimum of analgesic drugs and medical intervention.
post-natal support
New mothers should be encouraged to rest as much as possible and eat nutritious food to help replace the precious reserves that have been used to make their beautiful baby. Being too active after the birth or not having adequate rest can delay the return to a pre pregnancy state.
Acupuncture support at this time comes in the form of one or two sessions of ‘mother warming’ – using moxa – a warming herb on various acupuncture points to restore energy, create a restful state and encourage the body to recover.
How many treatments will I need? Explained here>>