LicAc, Dip Nat, MBAcC
Home visits -
Women's Acupuncture for Fertility, Pregnancy & Postpartum care.
During pregnancy and once you become a new mum, it is often too difficult to leave the house to travel somewhere for treatments. In my busy practices in the City and in Clapham, I began to notice how challenging it was for pregnant or new mums to continue their treatments and many said they wished that they could be treated in their own home to remove the extra stress of travelling somewhere at a set time every week. This is why I began to offer home visits in my local area of East Dulwich in London, to women throughout their entire stages of pregnancy and once their baby arrives. This allows much more flexibility around your schedule, taking less precious time out of your day, and within the comfort of your own home.
I have also extended this service to women still on their fertility journey, both naturally and with assisted conception. When you are undergoing IVF or IUI, it is often challenging to get acupuncture appointments at the optimum time windows of 24hours before and after embryo transfers. With home visits, this takes that extra stress away, all in the comfort of your own home so that you are able to rest.
Pregnancy Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a very safe treatment during pregnancy and is beneficial for a wide range of conditions including:
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morning sickness
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anxiety & depression
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insomnia
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feelings of suffocation
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back pain
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pelvic girdle pain
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sciatica
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carpal tunnel syndrome
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sinusitis
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digestive issues such as constipation
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habitual or threatened miscarriage
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support alongside medical treatment for pre-eclampsia
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turning a breech baby
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induction acupuncture to help promote labour
As well these specific conditions I also offer Pre-Birth Acupuncture.
This is a series of treatments in the final weeks of pregnancy, and research has shown this can shorten the duration of labour in first time mothers by 25%.
Pre-Birth Acupuncture can assist in:
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ripening the cervix
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positioning the baby in the best presentation for labour
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promoting optimal energy and stamina for the mother
When the pregnancy has gone full term we can use Acupuncture to Induce Labour, by encouraging the cervix to dilate, stimulating contractions and helping the baby's head to engage.
Postnatal Acupuncture
Following the birth of your little one it's so important to care for yourself to help rebuild your strength and recover your reserves. Pregnancy and labour can leave the mother depleted and exhausted and Acupuncture can be used to aid her recovery and will benefit her both physically and emotionally.
Being a new parent can cause a wired but tired state. Your nervous system is on high alert for the new baby. The lack of sleep and loss of sleep rhythm exacerbates the anxious, alert, and wired feeling. Acupuncture helps to calm the nervous system and promotes a sense of calm in the body and mind. This sense of calm can support a women with the many demands of newfound parenthood. When a mum feels grounded, this creates less anxiety, stress and can reduce the risk of postpartum depression.
In Chinese medicine, the post-natal period is considered to be two years. The first six weeks is a very important time to rest and nourish yourself after the pregnancy and birth, especially with sleepless nights and breastfeeding requirements. Treatment is particularly recommended if you have had a long or difficult labour.
Acupuncture can also be useful at this time to promote stamina and an efficient recovery, balance emotions, aid perineal healing and help with any breastfeeding problems.
Continual acupuncture treatments into motherhood create a time and space for you to employ self-care, and self-care is essential to a mother feeling supported and capable of the job of motherhood.
If the mother is breast-feeding, promoting the health of the mother will also help to promote the health of the baby.
Postnatal Acupuncture is beneficial for a wide range of conditions including:
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postnatal depression
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supporting milk production
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hormonal balance
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promoting relaxation and stress reduction
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mastitis
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fatigue
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night sweats