Acupressure and Acupuncture use during Pregnancy, Childbirth and Postpartum
Acupuncture and acupressure have an evidence base supporting safety and effectiveness for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, pregnancy-related pelvic and low back pain, breech presentation, pain management during labour and improving cervical readiness for labour. Acupressure taught as a labour preparation tool has also been reported as reducing the incidence of epidurals and caesarean sections during labour. 1-7
Safety is obviously important with any therapy in pregnancy, and it is reassuring that data from large cohort studies and systematic reviews report no increased risk of miscarraige, preterm delivery, or other major adverse pregnancy outcomes, suggesting it is a safe option use pregnancy. 8-11
Midwives in New Zealand who have trained in acupressure and acupuncture also use these therapies for:
Heart burn
Constipation
Haemorrhoids and varicosities.
Insomnia and sleep issues
Stress management
Labour preparation from 36 weeks to encourage beneficial pregnancy hormones, assist cervical ripening & optimal fetal positioning
Preparation for VBAC, medical induction or planned Caesarean section
Postpartum recovery and breast feeding issues. 12
About Debra
Dr Debra Betts (PhD)
Debra has a background in nursing, with 30 plus years of experiance of providing pregnancy realated acupucture care that includes teaching acupressure and acupuncture to midwives. Her text book “The Essential Guide to Acupuncture in Pregnancy & Childbirth” was publised in 2006 and has been translated into German and French. In 2014. She 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.
She holds registration with the Chinese Medicine Council for:
Chinese medicine practitioner (Acupuncturist), Chinese medicine specialist-Research and Chinese medicine specialist-Women's Health (Obstetrics)
Debra is currently practicng at the The Health Hubb, 222 Oxford St, Levin New Zealand
Appointments are avaible on Monday afternoons and Friday mornings
One on one consultations: $85
Pre birth package: $200—up to four treatments from 36 weeks with complimentary induction treatment if required, plus an online post natal follow up
Nausea and back pain in pregnancy packages: $200 for four treatments.
Use this link To book an appointment with Debra
References
- Acupuncture for Nausea and Vomiting During Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Jin B, Han Y, Jiang Y, et al. Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 2024;85:103079. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2024.103079.
- Acupuncture for Pelvic and Back Pain in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review. Ee CC, Manheimer E, Pirotta MV, White AR. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2008;198(3):254-9. doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2007.11.008.
- Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture for Pregnancy-Related Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Li R, Chen L, Ren Y, et al. Heliyon. 2023;9(8):e18439. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18439.
- Cost-Effectiveness of Acupuncture Versus Standard Care for Pelvic and Low Back Pain in Pregnancy: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nicolian S, Butel T, Gambotti L, et al. PloS One. 2019;14(4):e0214195. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0214195.
- Acupuncture or Acupressure for Pain Management During Labour. Smith CA, Collins CT, Levett KM, et al. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020;2:CD009232. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009232.pub2.
- Acupuncture or Acupressure for Induction of Labour. Smith CA, Armour M, Dahlen HG. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2017;10:CD002962. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD002962.pub4.
- Complementary therapies for labour and birth study: a randomised controlled trial of antenatal integrative medicine for pain management in labour. Levett, Kate M., Smith, C.A., Bensoussan, A. & Dahlen, H.G. (2016). BMJ Open, 2016 Jul 12;6(7):e010691. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010691.
- Safety of Acupuncture During Pregnancy: A Retrospective Cohort Study in Korea. Moon HY, Kim MR, Hwang DS, et al. BJOG : An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2020;127(1):79-86. doi:10.1111/1471-0528.15925.
- Evaluation of Outpatient Acupuncture for Relief of Pregnancy-Related Conditions. Buchberger B, Krabbe L. International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics: The Official Organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics. 2018;141(2):151-158. doi:10.1002/ijgo.12446.
- Does Acupuncture Have a Place as an Adjunct Treatment During Pregnancy? A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials and Systematic Reviews. Smith CA, Cochrane S. Birth (Berkeley, Calif.). 2009;36(3):246-53. doi:10.1111/j.1523-536X.2009.00329.x.
- The Current Use of Acupuncture During Pregnancy and Childbirth. Xu J, MacKenzie IZ. Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2012;24(2):65-71. doi:10.1097/GCO.0b013e32834fead1.
- Betts D. (2006). The Essential Guide to Acupuncture in Pregnancy & Childbirth. Hove, UK: The Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications.