Acupuncture is a Chinese medicine which allows, by placing small needles in very specific places (on meridians), to stimulate certain organs, to relieve muscles, pain, to release tension… A precious asset during pregnancy and good preparation for childbirth.

When to call an acupuncturist?

You have been pregnant for a few weeks or several months and already, aches and other inconveniences appear: nausea, vomiting, insomnia, varicose veins, heavy legs, migraine, hemorrhoids, reflux, sciatica, back pain… And we go! Before rushing to your boxes of painkillers, why don’t you go visit an acupuncturist? 

More and more midwives are being trained to relieve the ailments of pregnant women and receive them in a private practice in town or in hospitals. Inquire! A few sessions can allow you to really relieve yourself to better live your pregnancy. Count between 60 and 100 euros per intervention, part of which remains the responsibility of the patient. 

Prepare for childbirth

The benefits of acupuncture don’t end there. This ancestral medicine has also been proven during childbirth. Difficult to have precise figures because it does not always work either!

But many women were able to reduce working time by a few hours because their perineum was flexible, lthe cervix, relaxed, and that they were really relaxed on D-Day. Acupuncturists explain that two one-hour sessions, three weeks before your due date, and then a week before, can make the difference.  

During work

It is also suggested to resort to acupuncture when, around the 33rd week of amenorrhea, it is observed that the baby is not presented upside down but in breech. In this specific case, a few sessions can stimulate the baby’s movement so that he finds the right position. This very gentle technique could make it possible to avoid a little more brutal maneuvers for both mother and child. 

At the time of labor and birth, do not hesitate to request the intervention of an acupuncturist. By placing a few needles (often in the lower back), she can help you reduce the pain a little, soften the cervix, stimulate the uterus, avoid an episiotomy, harmonize contractions and bring the baby down.

Maylis Choné

Read also: Being pregnant and giving birth abroad