Acupuncture During Pregnancy

Acupuncture to support you through your pregnancy to promote good health and prepare you for the birth of your baby.

Acupuncture during pregnancy is a safe, natural way to tackle some less enjoyable aspects to being pregnant.

Why consider acupuncture during pregnacy?

Many people experience a profoundly calming effect during and after acupuncture treatment.

There are a number of conditions commonly experienced during pregnancy, which can be safely managed or treated with acupuncture.

Headaches and body pain

Headaches are a problem in pregnancy as most pharmaceutical pain killers have unwelcome side effects. The National institute for health and clinical care excellence (NICE) recommends a using course of acupuncture for the treatment of tension headaches and migraines.

Body pains are common in pregnancy, particularly in the later stages. In our experience, acupuncture can make a real difference in the management of pregnancy related back and groin pain, leg cramps and carpal tunnel syndrome. We use a combination of massage and acupuncture and lots of pillows to keep our clients comfortable.

Nausea and vomiting

There is a spectrum running from mild nausea to hospitalisation due to severe vomiting. Acupuncture is most useful at the mild end of the spectrum. For many women it helps to reduce the intensity of the nausea, but requires twice weekly treatment for best effect.

Digestive problems

It’s common for women to experience digestive changes, particularly constipation and haemorrhoids during pregnancy. Acupuncture and dietary recommendations can be effective for alleviating many gastro intestinal problems.

Preparation for labour and pre-birth acupuncture

Pre-birth acupuncture offers a safe treatment with the aim of promoting natural labour. Specific acupuncture protocols developed by midwives to help prepare the body for birth. The emphasis of these treatments is to help the pelvis to release and to create space for the cervix to soften.

At Islington Acupuncture we also aim to help our clients to relax and to manage the stress associated with this stage of pregnancy. It’s common for women post 40 weeks to be so terrified by the prospect of induction that they desperately try everything – from curries to pineapples – to get things going. We recommend that women approaching labour come to see us from week 37 in order to help to reduce counterproductive feelings of panic.

Other pregnancy related conditions can also be addressed, such as back and leg pain, and insomia.

• Pre-birth acupuncture is generally carried out weekly from week 36 or 37.
• Acupuncture with the aim of helping to induce natural labour is used when women are post 40 weeks. In these cases higher frequency treatments are advised: three conducted over consecutive days, or every other day.

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