Acupuncture Pregnancy Support
Pregnancy is usually an uplifting and joyful experience. However, various problems may arise during the 40 weeks gestation ranging from mild nausea to threatened miscarriage. Many of these problems are either preventable or can be treated successfully. Although drugs are available for some of these problems, only a few, if any, are entirely safe during pregnancy. Amongst alternative therapies acupuncture has been proven to be the most effective and entirely safe treatment for most mild to moderate pregnancy related conditions. Acupuncture does not interact with medicinal drugs or any other conventional therapies, therefore it can also be safely utilized alongside conventional therapies.
Clinical evidences show that acupuncture may successfully treat the following conditions:
- Morning sickness
- Fatigue, Insomnia
- Back pain, Headaches
- Anxiety, Depression
- Threatened miscarriage
- Low-lying placenta
- Gestational Hypertension
- Breech position
- Preparing for natural birth
- Delayed labour
First Trimester
Weekly acupuncture treatments are highly recommended in the first trimester. During that time the baby goes through an exponential growth. The dramatic rise in hormone levels may cause morning sickness, vomiting, headaches, fatigue and various other symptoms. Imbalance in the hormone levels, disrupted blood supply, or contractions in the uterus may threaten the pregnancy itself. In case of severe symptoms or threatened miscarriage, we suggest twice weekly treatments with herbal support.
Second Trimester
After the 13th week, in the majority of the cases, the chances of morning sickness or threatened miscarriage are greatly reduced. As the baby is growing rapidly in size various muscular and joint pain may surface. The best prevention of these complains is specialized pregnancy yoga. For those finding yoga does not provide adequate pain relief then weekly or twice weekly acupuncture treatment may rectify the problem. Acupuncture has a blood pressure and blood sugar normalizing effect. It also induces endorphin production with a profound energizing effect to help with fatigue, depression and anxiety.
Third Trimester
Acupuncture has been highly successful in resolving a breech position of the baby. The treatments are the most effective 30-34 weeks of pregnancy. Before that the baby is too small and can easily turn back, while after the 35th week the baby is often too large to be able to turn. There have been clinical evidences that acupuncture may also be beneficial in case of low-lying placenta.
Birth
To prepare for birth, we recommend weekly treatment in the last month of pregnancy. Acupuncture has shown to improve circulation and relaxes the uterus and the cervix. In addition, the deep relaxing effect of acupuncture is also very beneficial during the preparation to birth. Acupuncture may induce birth when it is delayed. Unfortunately we are not able to attend and assist birth with acupuncture. However, we teach you various acupressure methods which can be utilized to reduce pain, and make contractions more effective during birth.