PRE-BIRTH ACUPUNCTURE; WHY EVERY PREGNANT WOMAN SHOULD HAVE IT FROM WEEK 36/37.

Pre birth acupuncture is when a woman is treated in the final weeks of pregnancy at about week 36/37 right up to the end.

It’s physical action is to help ripen the women’s cervix, prepare the pelvis thus encouraging her body to move into the optimum state for delivering her baby.  It helps baby move into an anterior position whilst boosting the woman’s energy and mental and physical stamina. It can also help with any other issue she may be experiencing ,whether it be physical or emotional from back pain to carpal tunnel, heartburn, hypertension ,insomnia or even a growing sense of anxiety at the task ahead.

Research suggests that by having weekly sessions it can reduce the incidence of medical interventions, such as induction, C- section and even the need to have episiotomies.

To quote Debra Betts (http://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/Handouts-Research.aspx Debra Betts.)

“Data on 169 women was gathered by 14 midwives as part of their midwifery practice in New Zealand.  It found that when comparing all caregivers (midwives, general practitioners, and specialists) to those women who received pre-birth acupuncture there was:

~ An overall 35% reduction in the number of inductions (for women having their 1^st baby there was a 43% reduction)

~ A 31% reduction in the epidural rate

~ 32% reduction in cesarean delivery

~ 9% increase in vaginal birth”

This data alone suggests that pre-birth acupuncture gives every pregnant woman a chance to reduce the need for medical intervention and a better chance of experiencing a desirable and more efficient labour.

From my own experience as both a TCM practitioner with over 10 years of experience and a mother who has had three children, pre-birth acupuncture is a very simple and often enjoyable thing to do. Enjoyable as it is often a time to seriously stop and relax and a chance to openly discuss your thoughts and worries about labour and  on becoming a mother. Besides the above statistics it has definitely helped a lot of women who have come to me to have a better and more positive experience giving birth. My final point is  it is also something that women report to help with recovery as the woman is less likely to be so tired and better equipped from not having a long labour or any or less interventions. Plus in many cases it is something that helps settle the mind beforehand and helps to reduce the fear that is quite often present women leading into the last phase of pregnancy.