3 Reasons to Consider Acupuncture During the Second Trimester of Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an extraordinary journey, but let’s not mince words, it is also a time of challenging physical and emotional changes… 

In this blog, we’re going to highlight three reasons to consider acupuncture during the second trimester of pregnancy. From easing musculoskeletal pain to improving your sleep – could acupuncture be the holistic pregnancy support you’re looking for?

Why It Makes Sense to Consider Acupuncture During Your Second Trimester

During your first trimester, you likely dealt with issues like morning sickness, headaches, anxiety, depression…

By your second trimester, some of these should have resolved as you settle into the rhythm of pregnancy but of course, you’re now staring down 2^nd trimester symptoms. 

Because we know many pain medications are not good for you or your baby, it leaves us with a bit of a problem. Namely, how to safely treat uncomfortable or painful pregnancy symptoms without compromising your health, or that of your baby. 

This is where drug free options like pregnancy acupuncture can offer a natural, holistic way to help ease some of these second trimester symptoms. In particular, it can be beneficial for helping with:

1. Musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain, pelvic, and hip pain
2. Acid reflux
3. Fatigue and exhaustion

1. Musculoskeletal Conditions

Your baby grows rapidly during the 2^nd trimester. As it does, your centre of gravity shifts, putting additional strain on your back, hips, and pelvis. So, it’s not surprising you experience discomfort or pain in these structures during this time.

Research indicates acupuncture may help reduce musculoskeletal pain by:

• Stimulating the nervous system to release natural pain-relieving chemicals from the brain, muscles, and spinal cord
• Releasing opioid-like chemicals produced naturally by the endocrine system
• Releasing neurotransmitters, or hormones, that may ‘switch off’ pain messages relayed by nerve endings
• Triggering electromagnetic impulses that may speed up pain responses, like the release of endorphins

If you’re already receiving chiropractic care for back pain or pelvic misalignment, acupuncture is a good way to complement this. 

2. Acid Reflux and Other Digestive Issues

During the 2^nd trimester, your body undergoes some significant hormonal and physiological changes that can play havoc with your digestive system. 

For example – you produce more progesterone during this trimester to help relax the smooth uterine muscle tissues so they can expand with your growing baby. 

Unfortunately, parts of your digestive tract, like your intestines and lower oesophageal sphincter (LOS), also have smooth muscle tissue and so they relax too. As a result, you may experience issues like reduced peristalsis and delayed gastric motility (slow digestion) leading to gas, bloating, constipation, and acid reflux.

Likewise, your expanding uterus puts pressure on your stomach and intestines and can disrupt normal digestive flow. This contributes to the gas build-up. It may also push stomach acid back up into the oesophagus (because the valve at the top of the stomach (LOS) that normally prevents this relaxes during pregnancy), causing heartburn, or gastric/acid reflux. 

Acupuncture can offer relief from acid reflux and various other digestive issues. Whilst we don’t know exactly how it does this, there are several likely mechanisms:

• Stimulation of neurotransmitters that regulate digestive function
• Help to balance hormones that contribute to digestive issues during pregnancy
• Encourages relaxation to reduce stress and anxiety, and thus indirectly alleviates digestive problems
• Improves blood flow to the digestive organs so they function better

3. Fatigue and Exhaustion

Morning sickness shouldn’t be an issue during the second trimester as it’s mostly associated with early pregnancy. Indeed, many women start to feel a bit more energetic once it passes. 

Nevertheless, during the second trimester, your body is working overtime to support your growing baby and that can leave you feeling tired and drained. 

Plenty of evidence supports the use of acupuncture for fatigue and exhaustion, including during pregnancy. And again, its effectiveness may come down to how acupuncture can:

• Help regulate hormones and hormonal imbalances
• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Improve blood flow
• Relieve pain

All of these issues can contribute to fatigue and exhaustion.

The Benefits of Acupuncture During the Second Trimester of Pregnancy

In addition to the above 3 reasons to consider acupuncture during the second trimester of pregnancy, acupuncture can also provide a range of other benefits at this time.

Acupuncture Can Help You Manage Stress

Acupuncture is widely used to manage stress and encourage relaxation, possibly because certain acupoints can modulate the autonomic nervous system.

We also know that specific acupoints work directly with the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) to increase the release of feel-good hormones (endorphins) and trigger its cortisol lowering mechanisms.

This makes it ideal for dealing with pregnancy related stress and anxiety.

Acupuncture Supports Restful Sleep

When you’re relaxed, you sleep better…

Research suggests the ways acupuncture improves sleep works along similar lines to stress reduction i.e. by targeting the PNS to encourage ‘rest and digest’ functions.

Conclusion: 3 Reasons to Consider Acupuncture During the Second Trimester of Pregnancy

Acupuncture offers a safe and effective approach to managing common discomforts experienced during the second trimester, such as musculoskeletal pain, acid reflux, and fatigue. 

By addressing these issues naturally, acupuncture not only provides relief but also supports your overall wellbeing to help you stay more comfortable and balanced as your pregnancy progresses.

It can also contribute to better sleep, reduced stress, and improved energy levels, which are important considerations for both you and your baby’s health.