Pregnancy
Firstly congratulations on your pregnancy! I absolutely love supporting women through all stages of pregnancy and beyond, having worked with pregnant patients since 2012.
FIRST TRIMESTER
The first trimester can be an incredibly difficult time and you can often feel just downright lousy! Whether this is your first pregnancy, long awaited, or you have experienced a miscarriage, it is often emotionally charged. You may also be feeling overwhelmingly tired, experiencing nausea or sickness along with other symptoms that can arise, I am here to support you.
SECOND TRIMESTER
The second trimester feels different for everyone where some will enjoy some respite. If you aren’t so lucky, you may be experiencing various aches and pains, digestive complaints, sinus congestion, headaches or other pregnancy related conditions. We can discuss together whether acupuncture can provide you with some additional support.
THIRD TRIMESTER
Acupuncture can work brilliantly at calming the system down and taking you out of fight or flight mode which can be particularly heightened as the due date is approaching.
Patients will often come and see me in these later stages where an induction is imminent. Whilst it is never too late to have acupuncture, it is fantastic if we have a few weeks ahead of your due date to work together to help prepare your body and mind for labour, and help support the natural onset of labour.
ACUPRESSURE DURING LABOUR
Annabel can also teach you and your birthing partner how to self-administer acupressure on points of the body, a method that can be used during each phase of labour or prior to labour if it past the due date.
BREACH AND POSTERIOR BABIES
In China, a herb called “moxa” is gently smouldered over a particular acupuncture point and thought to help turn breach babies.
Moxa treatment entails the mother and if possible, her partner, to come in for a session to learn the technique, and treatment is then carried out at home twice a day for 7-10 days.
The optimum time is to start moxibustion from 34 weeks or as soon as it has been confirmed by ultrasound that the baby is breech. However, babies can turn right up to the end of pregnancy, although it is less likely after 38 weeks.
In addition, we can discuss if you would like to have acupuncture in conjunction with moxa and I can provide advice on how you can help promote your baby turn into anterior position before labour begins.
POST NATAL ACUPUNCTURE
It is can be beneficial to have acupuncture treatment after childbirth to aid recovery and re-energise the mother. We can discuss whether mother roasting (using moxibustion) is appropriate which is usually given 4-5 days after birth. In Chinese Medicine rest is considered vital to replenish the mother’s energy and give the mother and her newborn time to bond and flourish.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I haven’t already been supporting you in the leadup to conception, I see patients as early as week 4 in their pregnancy. I generally see patients either weekly or fortnightly in the first trimester depending on their reasoning for having acupuncture.
The ideal time for an uncomplicated pregnancy is from week 37 once a week. For pregnancies deemed as high-risk where there may be a greater push to have an earlier induction, we can discuss a suitable plan and start treatment earlier, along with working together with your care givers.
I see acupuncture as another tool that can be used to gently nudge on labour, however I don’t like referring to the treatment as an “induction”. To promote labour, I find it is beneficial to see patients every second day after the due date, or 2-3 times prior to a medical induction being scheduled if possible. Sometimes only 1 treatment is required. This will depend on how far beyond term the pregnancy is, along with the health and readiness of the mother and baby.