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Acupuncture to support pregnancy and childbirth
A happier nine months
Ideally each woman experiences a joyous and glowing pregnancy, and then is able to find enough energy to cope with being a new mum! A longed-for second pregnancy should flow freely. To keep pregnancy and motherhood running as smoothly as possible, acupuncture may be able to help in a number of areas.
Acupuncture for birth preparation
Acupuncture in the last few weeks of pregnancy can be great for promoting a straightforward labour.
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Research |
A 2006 study in New Zealand found that women who received acupuncture weekly, starting in week 36 of their pregnancies, experienced 35% fewer inductions, 31% fewer epidurals and 32% fewer emergency c-sections, see article in Medical Acupuncture(1).
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Case studies |
"I started seeing Jessica when I was half way through my pregnancy with my first child. I came to her with a variety of ailments, I was very anxious, stressed and was finding the pregnancy overwhelming. Along with these emotional symptoms I had many common pregnancy complaints such as swollen feet and back pain. Throughout my treatments with Jessica I found her to give very tangible results, my mood improved dramatically and I felt a lot more positive about my pregnancy. Physically my back pain ceased after two treatments and the swelling in my feet decreased and I felt I was able to walk for longer periods of time without the fear of my feet blowing up like balloons. I also had a strange tingling on one side of my rib cage which had bothered me for months, with Jessica’s treatments this has almost disappeared. Through the course of treatments I felt both my baby and I were treated with care, pregnancy can be a hard time physically and mentally and I found Jessica to be a real problem solver by helping me to resolve many of my pregnancy niggles." An expectant mum in her 30s
"Just a note to say a great big thank you for the magic you worked on me during my pregnancy. I'm thrilled that it all went so smoothly (established labour was only four hours). I was back in normal jeans again two weeks after the birth and I feel fabulous - I'm sure the acupuncture made a huge difference. All in all I had the labour and delivery that I wanted and it was a great experience - I'll be sure to see you when it's the turn of number two - if not before. Thanks so much again not only for the acupuncture but also you're a great listener and a calming influence which really helped." A new mother in her 30s |
Turning breech babies
Acupuncture can be useful to turn a breech baby, by heating a point on the little toe! The point is warmed using a herb called moxa, in a process called moxibustion. If you're confident to do this at home, after Jessica has done the first treatment and explained the process, you may be able to continue treatment at home yourself under her supervision.
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Research |
A
2003 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO)(2)
found that
correction of a malpositioned foetus was one of the conditions "for which acupuncture
has been proved - through controlled trials - to be an
effective treatment".
A 1998 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association(3) assessed the effectiveness of moxa treatment for turning breech babies. The women were treated at 33 weeks, and received treatment daily for seven days. At 35 weeks 75% of those treated with moxa now had cephalic (head-down) presentations, compared to 48% for the control group. After 35 weeks none of the remaining babies turned of their own accord, although a number were turned by medically-administered external cephalic version. No adverse events were noted in the treatment group, which also experienced only 9% of premature births or the use of oxytocin, compared to 31% in the control group. |
Promoting labour
Acupuncture can be used to help induce labour, if you have gone beyond your due date. Jessica will use needles and gentle electroacupuncture on your feet, hands, and lower back. The ideal start point is from the due date onwards, with treatment daily or every other day.
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Research |
A
2003 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO)(2)
found that
induction of labour to be one of the conditions "for which acupuncture
has been proved - through controlled trials - to be an
effective treatment".
In a 2001 study published in Wien Klin Wochenschr(4) the women received acupuncture every other day from their due date onwards, and any labours not established by the tenth day were then induced medically. The women treated with acupuncture had their babies after an average of 5 days compared to 8 days for the control group. Only 20% of them required a medical induction, compared to 35% in the control group. |
Morning sickness
Acupuncture may be able to help reduce nausea and vomiting during your pregnancy. The 'sea-sickness' wrist bands are designed to press on a acupuncture point on the wrist, which is among those that can often help quell nausea.
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Research |
A
2003 report by the World Health Organisation (WHO)(2)
found morning
sickness to be one of the conditions "for which acupuncture
has been proved - through controlled trials - to be an
effective treatment".
Australian research has confirmed that acupuncture can help reduce morning sickness, see BBC article(5). The participants in this study received treatment once a week for four weeks. |
Pelvic pain
Acupuncture treatment can reduce pelvic pain during your pregnancy.
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Research |
A 2005 study in Sweden found that acupuncture was successful in reducing pelvic pain in pregnant women, see article in British Medical Journal(6), in fact more successful than specialised exercises. See also this BBC article(7). |
Also during your pregnancy...
Acupuncture may also be able to help with:
Constipation and
heartburn, see
digestive problems
Carpal tunnel syndrome: it can reduce
the pain and inflammation
The risk of miscarriage can be a worry for those who
have previously experienced the sad loss of a growing baby. IVF
pregnancies also face a slightly higher risk of miscarriage. Acupuncture
may be able to
improve these risks.
Helping post-partum
After childbirth if needed acupuncture may help:
Encourage post-partum
healing
Manage after-pains
Build your energy
Promote lactation
Improve post-natal depression or anxiety
Support your secondary fertility
See Jessica's page on
acupuncture for new mums
Acupuncture safety in pregnancy
There is evidence to suggest that acupuncture is generally very safe when performed by an appropriately-qualified practitioner.
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Research |
A review(8) by the British Medical Journal described acupuncture as "very safe" when practiced by an appropriately-qualified practitioner.
Specifically in pregnancy, an Australian study in 2002 which examined acupuncture treatment for morning sickness found no significant adverse effects on mother or baby from these treatments compared to their control group, see article in Complementary Therapies in Medicine(9).
The modern evidence base for acupuncture is incomplete, and this is true for a great many areas of conventional medicine too. The Clinical Evidence website of the British Medical Journal tells us that of the 2,500 conventional medical treatments their databases cover, 46% are of unknown effectiveness (as at October 2009)(10).
Jessica continues to witness the benefits of acupuncture for many people in her work, utilising the knowledge and practice of Chinese medicine built up over thousands of years. She's happy that more and more modern scientific research is being done into acupuncture, helping to bring it to a wider audience.
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Contact Jessica
Each of us responds differently to
acupuncture. Do
get in touch to discuss whether
acupuncture is likely to be right for you, or to make an appointment.
Other conditions
Acupuncture can help with a wide range of health problems, click below to find out more:
Detailed references
(1) Betts, Debra and Lennox, Sue (2006). Acupuncture For Prebirth Treatment: An Observational Study Of Its Use In Midwifery Practice. Medical Acupuncture Vol. 17, #3. May 2006, see http://www.medicalacupuncture.org/aama_marf/journal/vol17_3/article_2.html
(2) http://www.acupuncture-schools.us/national-institute-health-nih-acupuncture.cfm, referring to World Health Organisation (2002). Acupuncture: Review and Analysis of Reports on Controlled Clinical Trial, see http://apps.who.int/bookorders/anglais/detart1.jsp?sesslan=1&codlan=1&codcol=93&codcch=196
(3) Cardini, Francesco et al (1998). Moxibustion for Correction of Breech Presentation. Journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 280 No. 18, November 11, 1998, see http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/280/18/1580?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=cardini+acupuncture&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resource
(4) Rabl, M et al (2001). Acupuncture for cervical ripening and induction of labor at term--a randomized controlled trial. Wien Klin Wochenschr 2001 Dec 17; 113(23-24):942-6, see (5)
(5) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1842196.stm, referring to Australian research.
(6) Elden, Helen et al (2005). Effects of acupuncture and stabilising exercises as adjunct to standard treatment in pregnant women with pelvic girdle pain: randomised single blind controlled trial. British Medical Journal 2005;330:761 (2 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.38397.507014.E0, see http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/330/7494/761
(7) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4358509.stm, referring to Swedish research.
(8) Rampes (2001). The safety of acupuncture. British Medical Journal 2001;323(7311):467 (1 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7311.467, see http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/323/7311/467
(9) Smith, C et al (2002). Pregnancy outcome following women's participation in a randomised controlled trial of acupuncture to treat nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. Complementary Therapies in Medicine Volume 10, Issue 2, June 2002, Pages 78-83
(10) From the 'About Us' area of the Clinical Evidence BMJ website, page titled 'How much do we know', http://clinicalevidence.bmj.com/ceweb/about/knowledge.jsp. Extract at Oct 2009: "So what can Clinical Evidence tell us about the state of our current knowledge? What proportion of commonly used treatments are supported by good evidence, what proportion should not be used or used only with caution, and how big are the gaps in our knowledge? Of around 2500 treatments covered 13% are rated as beneficial, 23% likely to be beneficial, 8% as trade off between benefits and harms, 6% unlikely to be beneficial, 4% likely to be ineffective or harmful, and 46%, the largest proportion, as unknown effectiveness"
© Jessica Kennedy 2008-09, all rights reserved