Acupuncture can be a great part of ongoing care during pregnancy, providing much needed relief from unpleasant symptoms as well as an opportunity to relax. If you have a pregnant person in your life, one of the most useful and memorable gifts you can give – long after the playmat is passed on they will remember the care and support they received during their antenatal acupuncture sessions!

Pregnancy support can look different in the various stages of pregnancy, and because each person experiences their pregnancy differently! Acupuncture treatment could look a bit like this, although each care plan is tailored to individual needs:

First Trimester

During this time morning sickness (which can happen at any and all times of day – not just in the morning) is often the most unpleasant symptom. This can involve mild or severe nausea with or without vomiting. For the unlucky ones, vomiting can be severe (a condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum or HG). Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine can provide some desperately needed relief from the debilitating nature of constant nausea. Managing morning sickness can be read about in more detail in my post here.

Other common complaints of the first trimester can include fatigue, aches and pains and sleep disturbances, all of which can benefit from treatment with acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.

For those who have previously experienced pregnancy loss, the first trimester can be an emotionally difficult time full of anxiety and worry. During this time our treatment focuses on stabilizing the pregnancy and calming anxiety. If you have a history of recurrent miscarriage, however, it is important to book in for treatment before falling pregnant again to address the cause of the recurrent miscarriage.

Second Trimester

For many, the second trimester can be quite enjoyable. During this time we often only need to see you once a month unless issues arise such as back pain, reflux, sleep disturbances, gestational diabetes, anxiety or public symphasis dysfunction, in which case you can book in more often to address these.

Third Trimester

As the uterus grows bigger and bigger, body pains can become a lot more debilitating! Back pain, hip pain, knee pain and carpal tunnel syndrome can cause significant problems and all can experience relief with regular acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture is also commonly used to help the foetus into a better birth position, and prepare the body for labour. Towards the end of your pregnancy we will see you more often to start birth preparation and we can also start with induction treatment if that is what you want.

Fourth Trimester (Postpartum Period)

Care after birth is vitally important and sometimes overlooked in Western Culture. Chinese culture emphasises a month of compulsory rest after birth in which the new mother is not to leave the house, and is cared for completely by family (traditionally the mother in law), eating lovingly prepared nourishing postpartum meals. As part of recovery after birth we always recommend traditional Chinese herbs to rebuild blood and Qi, this can make a huge difference in how the body recovers over the next months (and years!). A good postpartum recovery can avoid years of issues down the line.

If you would like to talk to us about you antenatal or postpartum care (or to gift acupuncture treatments to a loved one), please get in touch on 4759 3554.