Pregnancy: Prebirth treatment

Prebirth treatment is useful in the final three to four weeks of pregnancy to prepare you for childbirth. Research has demonstrated shorter labour times following prebirth acupuncture (1). In German hospitals a standard acupuncture protocol is now accepted practice to prepare women for labour. Acupuncture is an ideal method to help women prepare themselves to have the most efficient labour possible. Feedback from midwives suggests that prebirth acupuncture offers a range of positive effects that goes beyond reducing the time spent in labour and includes a reduced rate of medical intervention, such as inductions and caesarean sections (2).

Our weekly acupuncture sessions prior to your labour will specifically help prepare your body for birth, with an emphasis on preparing the cervix and pelvis for labour. Other conditions, such as pregnancy-induced-hypertension, heartburn, anxiety and others, can also be addressed. Prebirth acupuncture should be started at week 37.

References:
(1) Kubista E, Kucera H. (1974). On the use of acupuncture in the preparation for delivery, Geburtshilfe Perinatol; 178(3):224-9.
(2) Betts D, Lenox S ( 2006) Acupuncture For Prebirth Treatment: An Observational Study of its use in Midwifery practice. Medical Acupuncture. Vo 17 No 3