Acupuncture during the third trimester of pregnancy can safely be used to treat aches and pains, digestive discomforts and swelling, in addition to two things unique to the third trimester.

First, if a baby is breech or otherwise malpositioned for birth, acupuncture plus a special technique called moxa can be used to turn the baby so he or she is in a head-down position. This works by stimulating special points to increase the baby’s movement, increasing the chance that they will turn. If this is your first baby, the ideal time to try acupuncture is right around 34 weeks. If this is not your first, there is a little more room in the uterus to work with so we can attempt to turn the baby a little later- up to 38 weeks. For more details on this technique please click here to read my blog post devoted to turning breech babies. Read more

At this point in pregnancy, most women feel they’ve cleared a hurdle and begin to feel like themselves again. Morning sickness can persist but generally becomes less intense, and energy level also improves. A few new issues may pop up during the second trimester that acupuncture can help a lot with. Migraines and headaches, common in pregnancy, respond beautifully to acupuncture treatment. Usually, once weekly sessions is enough to keep them completely at bay. Some women begin to experience nasal congestion as well. My favorite way to quickly get rid of this is to needle a point called “bitong”- there is one point on each side of the nose, where the edge of the nostril meets the face. It is reliable for draining congestion from the sinuses. Read more