What people ask before they book

I plan visits around your appointments, ask about everything you take and, with your signed permission, write a short note to your care team. I never change a medicine or a plan they have made.

Most people feel a brief pinch or a dull ache where a needle goes in, and many feel nothing at all. I won't tell you it is painless. Tell me and I adjust or stop.

They are sterile, thin and used once. I open each in front of you and put it straight into a sharps container.

It depends on you and on your care team's plan. Many people start with a visit every week or two and look again after a few. It is my plan for you, never a promise.

I am out of network and don't bill insurance plans. I give you an itemized receipt after each visit, and your plan decides whether it pays you back. The page on how fees work has the questions to ask your plan.

Ask your plan administrator whether your card works for acupuncture.

Comfortable clothes with sleeves you can push up and pants that roll to the knee, and a light meal beforehand.

About 75 minutes: a talk, a look at your tongue and pulse, a treatment and tea. The first-visit page has the steps in order.

Many people do, with their midwife's or doctor's knowledge. I ask how far along you are, choose points and positions to suit, and explain the risks, such as soreness, light bruising and, rarely, fainting, before any needle goes in.

No. Keep taking what you have been prescribed. Bring a list of everything you take, including supplements, and tell your prescriber you are coming to see me.

It does not replace prenatal care, a reproductive clinic, a midwife or a doctor. For bleeding, severe pain, fluid leaking, a fever, or if your baby moves less than usual, call your midwife or doctor first. In an emergency, call 911.