Safe use of Acupuncture for Pregnancy, Child Birth and Post Natal

It is every woman's' wish to sail through her pregnancy without any intervention. As pregnancy is a natural physiological process and not an illness, women prefer to have complementary therapies for disorders of pregnancy and in childbirth.

"Whilst other therapies are helpful, traditional acupuncture can be the principal modality. However, this must be approached with extreme care", says Toni Tucker.

The safety of the treatment is recommended by acupuncturists who have an extensive training and knowledge in treating women during pregnancy and childbirth.

The scope of acupuncture in pregnancy includes nausea, migraine, back pain and Asthma.

Pregnancy & Labour

Acupuncture can initiate the spontaneous onset of labour. Using Acupuncture to promote labour is a deliberate intervention to pre-empt labour. Approximately 15% of pregnancies fail to have spontaneous onset of labour.

Stimulation of nerve conduction at acupuncture points will affect the uterus by releasing oxytocin into the systemic circulation while calming the mind and harmonising & balancing the chi (energy) around the body.

Induction of labour through Acupuncture

Pregnancy is a natural physiological and psychological change in a woman. Acupuncture is a highly effective way to induce a woman and reduces the need for medical or surgical intervention.

In order to initiate spontaneous onset of labour it is important to ensure that the pregnancy is a normal and healthy one, and that all local protocols have been observed.

The benefits of using acupuncture to induce labour are:

• Acupuncture removes the anxiety and harmonizes the mind and the body. From my experience this has proved to reduce the physiological pain as the labour is established.

• It reduces the fluid retention which can hider the onset and progress of labour.

• It gently generates effacement of the cervix and mild contractions of the uterus which will lead to an established labour.

• My experience coupled with the findings of several studies has shown that traditional acupuncture, when practiced safely by an experienced practitioner, is guaranteed to shorten the length of the labour.

Post Natal

The scope of acupuncture for the management of post-natal disorders include Post Natal Depression, asthma, mastitis,  bladder problem, piles, pain in pelvic floor etc.