Needles stuck into tender bits? Yikes! Who would ever agree?
But with a hubby who's training to do it for a living...and various pregnancy-related aches and pains...I was finally persuaded to be a guinea pig. The needles are extremely skinny so it really need not hurt in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing. What you should feel is a kind of tingling connection as the acu-point is activated. But I did have to keep still, otherwise the needles could have bent and that is apparently highly undesirable.
Regular acupressure (like acupuncture but no needles, just fingers) in the form of shiatsu through early to mid-pregnancy was very helpful in reducing the constant nausea and weariness I felt. After that wore off, and once I became less mobile, shiatsu was great for stretching me out and reducing tension. On the whole I had a problem-free pregnancy, but in the last trimester I suffered a bit from pain in my symphysis pubis, especially at night, trying to struggle out of bed or turning over. That's where acupuncture came in - we chose 3 or 4 points that are supposed to help with such ligamentary pain. And for several days after each needle session, the pain was much relieved.
When my due date was approaching so we used a few specific acupuncture points to prepare for labour every week from 36 weeks: to ripen the cervix, for stamina and to soften my ligaments. Who can say how things would have been different if we'd not made a pincushion out of me...but all went well, so I can only recommend it!
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