Qi For Two - A Focus on Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond

One the areas of my practice that is incredibly busy - and incredibly rewarding - is working with my clients once they are actually pregnant and offering them support through to the fourth trimester.  When it comes to supporting conception my practise has a purely Five Element approach, in the Worsley tradition as taught to me by Gerad Kite.  But the more women who I worked with who became pregnant the more apparent it became to me that I needed a little more in my arsenal.  I hadn't had a baby myself by this point so was woefully ignorant about the nitty gritty of the changes our bodies go through, the ways our body tries to accommodate the new life growing inside us - and the discomfort, anxiety and full on medical conditions that can come with this change in our state.

So I undertook postgrad pregnancy training with Jani White and Debra Betts, joined the Acupuncture Childbirth Team for London (ACT London) where I met the most incredible group of passionate, experienced practitioners and focussed on really understanding how acupuncture could help women experience the most comfortable, healthy and happy pregnancy possible for them.

At around this time I also met the powerhouse that is Hollie de Cruz (aka theyesmum) and joined her team at London Hypnobirthing.  My knowledge and passion grew, and then, hallelujah, after my own 8 year struggle to conceive I finally became pregnant through IVF with my son Frank.  

Well, given carte blanche to now submit to the magic hands of the London Hypnobirthing Team - yes that means you Nancy Nunn, MaryAnne Shiozawa and Hannah Adams - I experienced first hand the ways in which alternative therapies can ease physical discomfort and musculoskeletal issues, help prepare the body for birth by supporting alignment and balance, and help create a sense of calm and relaxation.   

My colleague Tracey Goulding at The Little Escape was my acupuncturist for weekly sessions ahead of the birth so I could also experience for myself the benefits of committing to the idea of pre-birth acupuncture to help ripen the cervix for a spontaneous labour.   

I woke myself up snoring more than once, learnt first hand what a miracle the body is capable of, and committed to sharing what I have learned with the women I work with.

In the years following Frank's birth I have continued with training; attending a Spinning Babies workshop, taking part in regular CPD sessions, continuing to create a network of amazing practitioners I work with and over the coming weeks will be going deep into this topic, about which I am so passionate.  Come with me by following #QiForTwo on instagram, tell your pregnant friends about this series if they are interested in how to enjoy a comfortable 9 months, and feel free to send questions, topics or conditions you want to know more about.  If acupuncture hasn't been shown to help, or I haven't experienced it helping clinically, I will be honest about that and point you to those who can help.

All love,
The London Acupuncturist
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