Acupressure and Acupuncture during Pregnancy and Postpartum
Wecome to this webpage about the use of acupuncutre and acupressure in pregnancy and for postnatal recovery
Acupressure is a safe evidenced based therapy you can use to prepare for Labour.
Acupressure Resources
The Acupressure resources on this webpage have been updated. You will now find videos to assist you locate each point and illustrated handouts. This includes handouts to explain using acupressure for pain relief in labour, labour preparation, when a medical induction is required and suggestions for self-stimulating the acupressure points if you do not have your support people with you as planned.
These resources are all under the 'Acupressure' section on the black bar at the top of this page.
The acupressure points in these handouts were taught as part of an educational intervention programme. Follow up reported women using natural interventions reduced their epidural rate (24% versus 69 % in the usual care group) and halved their caesarean section rate. This was statically significant, which means it unlikely to be due to chance finding. For more information on this study, that also included visualisation and relaxation, breathing, massage, yoga techniques please click on this Link
The full version of the orginal booklet and translations in Danish, Dutch, Hebrew, Italian, Norwegian, German, French, Spanish, Polish and Portuguses can be downloaded here :
Debra has a background in nursing, graduating from the London College of Acupuncture in 1989. With a practice based in women’s health she developed a specific interest in treating pregnancy on returning to New Zealand and began teaching acupressure and acupuncture to midwives in 1997. This led to the publication of articles on using acupuncture and acupressure and in 2006 the publication of her book “The Essential Guide to Acupuncture in Pregnancy & Childbirth” which has now been translated into German and French. In 2014 Debra completed her PhD on the use of acupuncture in threatened miscarriage through the University of Western Sydney. Debra has spent 12 years as a clinical supervisor at a hospital antenatal acupuncture clinic, has been involved in running a multibed maternity clinic and continues to be involved in promoting the use of these in pregnancy through courses for midwives, an online mentoring programme for acupuncturists, as well as publishing and lecturing internationally on the use of acupressure and acupuncture in maternity care.
Dr Debra Betts (PhD) LAc