Pregnancy is an extraordinary journey, a milestone and the beginning of one of life’s most exciting transitions. It is such a privilege to treat women at this time of their lives often through enormous change - physical, mental and emotional. Acupuncture offers effective, time honoured treatment which I frequently combine with massage. It is medication-free, very safe and can be used at all stages of pregnancy.

When do women come for treatment?
Over the years I’ve treated women through every stage of pregnancy, including midwives, sometimes starting right from the first positive test after fertility support, up to the onset of labour. I most commonly see women in the first trimester and then leading up to the birth:

• First Trimester: This can be a particularly challenging time, marked by fatigue, often nausea, sometimes with vomiting, and for women with a history of pregnancy loss there may be added concerns.  It is often compounded by wanting to keep the pregnancy under wraps while juggling work and other responsibilities. Many women find acupuncture especially helpful for both physical relief and emotional support.
• Second Trimester: Often described as the “easiest” phase, many women feel well during this time, and it is often an ideal time to start local antenatal exercise classes, like yoga or pilates, and take a break from acupuncture. Other women may start to come for treatment during this time as the aches and pains, particularly in the pelvis and lower back can begin to niggle or may be much more disruptive.
• Third Trimester: With the baby growing, aches and pains can continue to be an issue for some. Then as the birth approaches the whole focus naturally shifts. In the last weeks I tend to see women mainly for birth preparation  but also to encourage breech babies to turn.

What can acupuncture treat
Acupuncture can help with a wide range of pregnancy-related issues, including these well researched issues, which we’ll explore in more detail below:

• Morning sickness and fatigue in early pregnancy
• Pelvic and lower back pain
• Anxiety, depression and emotional overwhelm
• Turning Breech Babies
• Birth preparation

The list is far from exhaustive and women often seek treatment for conditions, unrelated to pregnancy, for which they do not want to take medication. Please do get in touch if you are wondering if acupuncture can help you.

Easing Morning Sickness
Feelings of nausea may follow hot on the heels of the celebratory news of a positive pregnancy.  Some women find that snacking regularly is enough to keep the nausea at bay but at the other extreme some women can barely tolerate water and crackers and may also be vomiting. Staying well hydrated is important but that can be difficult. It can be relentless and a miserable struggle from one day to the next. Acupuncture offers a calming, way to help ease nausea which should also settle naturally as the pregnancy progresses.

Relief for Lower Back and Pelvic Pain
As your baby grows so does the pressure on your body especially the pelvis. Pelvic girdle pain, felt in the lower back, hips, and pubic area, often begins in the second or third trimester and may make it difficult to walk, sleep, or even get comfortable sitting down. Acupuncture helps by improving blood flow, reducing inflammation and can help to relax tight muscles, sometimes alongside some gentle massage. Women typically report improved mobility, reduced pain, and a greater sense of ease after treatment.

Turning Breech Babies (start at around 34 weeks)
For babies in breech position there is a simple treatment that can encourage them to flip round into the head down position.  Timing is important as the baby will have less room to manoeuvre later. It involves warming a point on the little toe (Bladder 67) with a dried herb called moxa. I teach women or their partners to do it themselves and supply enough moxa sticks for them to do it at home daily for 10 days. It is supported by research and is a gentle, non-invasive option, so worth trying as it can help to make the birth more straightforward.
It is not suitable for everyone and there are some important safety caveats so don't try this without professional guidance.

Birth Preparation (start at 36 weeks)
These weekly sessions which I like to start at about 36 weeks aim to soften the cervix, balance hormones, relax the pelvic muscles and ligaments and encourage the baby to descend into the optimal position. Some studies suggest that pre-birth acupuncture may reduce the need for medical interventions, such as inductions, epidurals or c-sections and reduce the time in active labour.

I combine body and ear acupuncture, with warmth and massage along the acupuncture channels, focussing on the legs, hips, lower back and sacrum. Some gentle rhythmic hip rocking can also help to open up the pelvic girdle and relax mind and body. Importantly, it helps calm the mind during those last few busy weeks of maybe finishing work and preparation, and the transition to a peaceful, cosy, nesting state of mind ready to give birth. These are really chilled out sessions.

The birth prep treatments build on one another and the benefits have been shown when started early enough.  Starting treatment at 40+ weeks ahead of a possible induction is unlikely to have the same effectiveness and benefits.

Research and Additional Information
 I am very honoured to be a member of the Acupuncture Childbirth Team (ACT London). We are a group of dedicated, specialist acupuncture practitioners treating male and female fertility and women through pregnancy. We share knowledge, experience and keep our skills up to date with regular meetings and speaker presentations from consultants, midwives and other specialists.
 
If you are interested in reading more about the research into acupuncture during pregnancy then take a look at ACT London’s research page. It covers all the things mentioned above and more besides, including fertility.
 
I am also a Member of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), the UK's largest professional body for traditional acupuncturists, which ensures its members are fully trained and follow high clinical standards.
 
Please do get in touch if you’d like to find out more or have any questions.

Unfortunately I can't do pregnancy massage anymore, I used to love it! I love working with pregnant women so I now use facial reflexology which can help with symptoms and preparation for birth, and also facial massage to relax the facial muscles, especially around the mouth and jaw, as the mouth has an associated correspondence to the "birthing organs". So it's always good to remember that relaxing the mouth helps to prepare for birth!

Years ago, after my wonderful natural home birth experience, I wanted to share some of the tools I had used to prepare myself and my body for the birth of my baby in the smoother way possible, stretching to avoid tears. My daughter Desta flew out like a super hero, with her arm outstretched and so the midwives were expecting a bad tear. To their surprise, they found my body intact and immediately asked me: "Did you do perineal massage?". Of course I did! I mastered it! And in view of its benefits I had decided to share this knowledge and skill with as many women as possible. After all, it's not really something that they teach us, as they are so used to performing a rather painful episiotomy that scars us for life. 

Antenatal Perineal massage
Perineal self-massage is very important to prepare for birth. We can avoid perineal tear and unnecessary episiotomy.   Perineal massage helps you to know your body and prepare you for the feeling of pressure and stretching that you may experience as your baby is being born. It will help you to relax and take active part in the birth of your child with increased body awareness. It can help easing pain during crowning: can ease the "ring of fire" so often experienced while baby's head is emerging. It helps to gradually soften and stretch the perineum, ready for birth. It can promote closeness between you and your partner.  

Veronica offer guidance in a easy to read, instructive e-booklet and a Perineal Massage Oil (order one directly with Veronica).
download Veronica's FREE E-BOOKLET Perineal Massage in Pregnancy for a smooth birth

Stepping into pregnancy here for the first time and I am being met with both the excitement and joy of new life and also all the different changes that are taking place in my body. Each day more or less comes with new experiences and I never really know what will come along. Glad I have my yoga practice to lean on and doing my best to take it breath by breath. 

Up to now I felt changes and pressure in my sacrum, chest, back (especially my upper back) and that tiredness that just keeps on coming. I haven't had any morning sickness which I am grateful for and have been doing my best to give myself the rest I need. I started to also change my working schedule so it is more sustainable during this time. On top of that I have been doing what I can to make sure I continue to give to myself what I give to others, because when there are so many changes happening, sometimes our good habits can fall apart. So I really had to make sure I got myself to those regular Cranio-sacral treatments cause the tiredness at times tried to convince me otherwise. Once I found myself in those sessions it just helped me tremendously. The pressure I can feel in the sacrum has a chance to be released, as well as the pressure in my upper back & chest and it just gives me some more room and space within my own body again. It has been such a relief to be taken care of and have a space where I can just be in. 

After the treatments here during pregnancy, especially after the one when I had a little longer time in between them, I just really wished that every pregnant woman could have the chance to get this support and space to be in. To help the body and systems in this way has just felt for me like such a freedom and gives me the chance to just be able to enjoy this journey of pregnancy more. Since the pregnancy is ongoing, more regular treatment just seems to be the way that works best for me, so that is what I keep on aiming for now. 

On top of treatments, I also want to learn as much as I can about this new chapter of my life. Especially when we live in a world that can so easily focus on the negative and so much drama. So for me during pregnancy it is so important to surround myself with doulas and birth educators that have a healthy, happier and natural view on it all. The more I do and the more I learn this way, it just gives me the ability to enjoy and look forward to both this pregnancy and also for the birth of my child. So far I have been blessed with hearing and seeing so many powerful birth stories that just uplift my heart in the best way. 

One of the books that has been really helpful for me is Natalie Meddings book How To Have A Baby and you can find it here: https://www.nataliemeddings.com/shop/p/books/how-to-have-a-baby I am also so glad that I get to have Natalie as my doula as well.

Another wonderful soul that I haven been drawn to is a woman by the name Bridget Teyler, who is a doula and birth educator in the US. She has a lot of free offerings online, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/@BridgetTeyler/videos. She also has a wonderful program you can join and have the chance to step into the possibility to learn even more and get to love your birth. Click here to check it out: https://www.builttobirth.com/ This is the program I joined and it has helped me a lot. 

During my journey of this pregnancy I have tried to do my best to bring in those tools that support me and that allows me to relax and enjoy. I can only assume if you are still reading this, you might be pregnant too. So asking yourself what support can you bring in right now? Are there treatments that can really help you? How often do you need them? How much rest do you need? Checking in also on what kind of souls allows you to be in this state during pregnancy of confidence and relaxation? And make sure to bring those in! 

Ups and downs are often unavoidable in pregnancy as well as in life and hormonal shifts, emotional fluctuations and physical discomforts can be part of the journey for you and your baby. I really recommend, wherever you can, making choices to treat yourself in the best way possible and bring in any support that makes you feel empowered to give you a chance to enjoy any moments you can on this precious journey.