Pregnancy accupunture

[Nai]

OP, I was going to book in with Justin at Belly Belly

[Olive]

OP i see justin at the bellybelly centre! going again tomorrow!

[belfie]

I saw justin at Belly Belly centre too - he was great. Oh and if you're getting keen, the induction massage is pure bliss!!

[OceanPrincess]

Of course - the BellyBelly centre! Why didn't I think of that?

Justin seems to be the guy to try.

I found a recommendation somewhere else for Annalise as well - that's another option. Littleberlin - does she do normal pregnancy AC as well as fertility treatments?

I am in the north east suburbs but working the city.

Thanks ladies!

[littleberlin]

Yes, she does - she specialises in women's health, fertility and prenatal acupuncture. I've been seeing her since 30 weeks (I thought it would good for my general well-being to start treatments earlier), and more recently she's been helping with relief for the (hiedous) pelvic girdle pain I've been experiencing. We're about to begin treatments for helping with baby's positioning as well.

She's really lovely, if Fitzroy North is easier for you to get to than Canterbury. From memory, the initial consult is $75.00, subsequent consultations are $60.00 - shockingly, my private health fund actually did something good for once, and have covered all my visits in full. I'm sill reeling from not having to pay any out-of-pocket expenses!

[OceanPrincess]

... shockingly, my private health fund actually did something good for once, and have covered all my visits in full. I'm sill reeling from not having to pay any out-of-pocket expenses!

Woohoo! I wonder if mine will as well?

Thanks for the help - you answered my other questions too!

One last embarassing question... does it hurt??

[sloane]

i didn't think it hurt - i've had maybe one needle that stung as it went in, but the rest of the time i haven't felt a thing. apparently there is more than one needle thickness that can be used & i've had the very fine ones, don't know if that makes any difference!

i have found that i've been really relaxed after my appointments so far - with my first (when ttc), i was really stressed at work & had that eyelid twitching thing...and now i haven't had it since my first AC appointment & that was about 4 months ago!

my health fund does offer some rebates for AC as well - i'm with mbf. the centre has hicaps.

[littleberlin]

I think it depends on what exactly you are having acupuncture for. A friend of mine had a one-off treatment at 42 weeks to get labour moving (she gave birth the day after!) - so if you're just looking to bring on labour, I'm sure you could go just once. Some women start at 36 (or is it 34? Now I can't recall...) weeks for treatment for helping with baby's positioning for birth. I just decided to start early...well, just because, really! You can begin treatment whenever you like, but obviously the closer that you are to your EDD, the more that the treatment will be focused on preparation for birth.

I hadn't had acupuncture since I was a child, so at my first session I was a little nervous! The needles are super-thin and sterilised - though you might find it strange to observe them sticking out of your skin! It shouldn't hurt (and hasn't for me), but your experiences vary according to how sensitive you are to treatment, and also the position of the needles on your body. Any time a needle is inserted somewhere where there is very little body fat (i.e. the wrist, near the ankles or knees or feet), I tend to feel an initial little sting, which fades quite quickly. What you might experience is the feeling of energy being released from the acupuncture points - which can be quite strange, at first! Last week I had quite a few placed at certain points in my lower legs, and it was quite intense - like a kind of rush of warmth downwards...but again, it depends on your sensitivity. Annalise was telling me that some people just don't feel anything at all.

If you find that you go for treatment and you react quite strongly to it, she will remove the needle. If I have a strong reaction to a certain placement, I describe the sensation to her, and generally it dissipates. If it continues to feel uncomfortable or intensifies (which happened once), the needle is removed straight away. I'd try and remain calm, and take deep breaths - it sounds silly, but if you tense up and anticipate pain, you're more likely to experience discomfort (I think, anyway). I hope that answers your questions!