Main description:

Acupuncture in Pregnancy and Childbirth is a concise highly illustrated and practical guide to using acupuncture to treat women throughout their pregnancy and labour. Drawing on an unparalleled wealth of experience as a midwife and an acupuncturist, the author has produced a book accessible to both acupuncture students and practitioners covering physiology related to pregnancy and childbirth, illuminating links between Western knowledge and acupuncture approaches and suggesting points and point combinations for particular stages and actions during pregnancy and labour.

Many practitioners are reluctant to treat pregnant women as they feel they lack a full understanding of pregnancy and fear harming the baby. This exciting new edition provides the practical advice and instruction required to bridge that gap in knowledge and give practitioners the confidence they need.

Highly illustrated with summary boxes and guidelines
Covers nutritional aspects of pregnancy
Gives practical advice and instruction on the use of acupuncture through the four trimesters of pregnancy and labour
Uses case examples to further illustrate the text

Covers recent advances in relation to the effects of aspirin and heparin to the immune system and pregnancy
Includes IVF pregnancies
Glossary and appendix of useful addresses
Fully updated and revised throughout to include recent research
Nutrition and its effect on the foetus (new and developing area of research)

Contents:

Western Medical Glossary

1. Planning for a healthy baby

2. Pregnancy

3. Nutrition in pregnancy

4. Antenatal care explained

5. First trimester: 1 to 12 weeks

6. Second trimester: 13 to 28 weeks

7. Third trimester: 28 to 40 weeks

8. High risk pregnancies

9. Abnormal positions of the fetus

10.Preparation for labour

11.Labour

12. First stage of labour

13. Second stage of labour

14. Third stage of labour

15. Postnatal period-the fourth trimester

16. Classical Five Element acupuncture and its use in postnatal depression

Appendix Standard international nomenclature for the 14 meridians

Index