Midwives and CPD courses for midwives have long been associated with excellent outcomes for expectant mothers. Without midwives, millions of women would be lost, anxious and fearful of what is happening to their bodies. Yet, there are many symptoms of pregnancy that midwives wish they had more control over, of which acupuncture is increasingly being used to help.
Acupuncture is a centuries old practice which has a solid, modern evidence base in pain relief. Research and clinical practice has seen acupuncture successfully used for back pain, PPGP, overactive bladder, nausea, hot flushes, headaches and general wellbeing. In this article, we discuss the benefits of including acupuncture into your midwifery practice, and show you how you can access acupuncture training for midwives.
Why is acupuncture training for midwives useful?
Acupuncture can help expectant mothers with a huge range of issues, both physically and mentally. Using acupuncture alongside core midwife education and support, you can treat your patients holistically, sometimes without the need of medication.
Acupuncture not only reduces symptoms of pain, nausea, hot flushes and bladder urgency, but it can bring about a sense of calm and enhanced wellbeing.
The benefits of integrating acupuncture and for midwifery into your practice
Using acupuncture can help increase the effectiveness of midwifery interventions, and improve the wellbeing of your patient.
Acupuncture is fairly easy to administer, has very few side effects, and is an extremely low cost intervention. With our hybrid Foundation Acupuncture Course for Midwives, you’ll walk away with the skills, confidence and knowledge to safely administer acupuncture to your patients.
Because acupuncture is quick and easy to administer, it is a simple tool that can be used alongside other interventions. Commonly, acupuncture is used to help alleviate pain such as carpal tunnel, back pain and PPG. Labour pain can also be reduced with strategically placed needles that do not interfere with movement.
Furthermore, the anxiety reducing element of acupuncture can improve the general pregnancy experience, and can help to reduce any fear surrounding labour.
The benefits of a midwife using acupuncture
The technical needling skills required to perform acupuncture means that midwives (and nurses) are in the perfect position to confidently offer acupuncture after a little training. In fact, because acupuncture requires the use of solid needles (i.e. no substances passing through the needle), midwives often find that acupuncture needling is much easier, and can be much more pleasant for the patient than injections or taking blood.
Contraindications of acupuncture for midwifery
There are a few risks associated with acupuncture, mainly:
- Those with unstable medical conditions
- Those with blood disorders
- Those taking anticoagulant medication
- Pregnant women
Anyone falling into one of these groups that wishes to undergo acupuncture should first consult their GP to determine suitability, and ensure to tell their acupuncture practitioner of their condition before proceeding with treatment.
Side effects associated with acupuncture generally tend to be rare and mild. Some people report mild pain, bleeding and bruising at the site of needle insertion, and some report feeling faint or dizzy post-treatment. Providing that a patient isn’t in an at-risk group outlined above, these side effects are usually nothing to worry about. Click here to view our Resources page with various studies regarding acupuncture safety and at-risk patient groups.
Acupuncture training for midwives
CPD requirements ask you to attend annual CPD training for midwives. By completing a certified acupuncture course, such as our Foundation Acupuncture for Midwives course, you’re not only are you benefitting expectant mothers, but also helping to shape your own future.
Acupuncture is not a regulated practice, but healthcare professionals must attend certified training courses before being allowed to practice acupuncture. Our Breeze Academy Foundation Acupuncture for Midwives course gives you all of the knowledge and skills you need to confidently integrate acupuncture into your midwifery practice.
Breeze Academy offers a variety of locations and dates for our Acupuncture for Midwives course. Learn more about this course, and other acupuncture courses on our website.